"Me too. Let's get some rest." He kissed my cheek over his shoulder and I smiled sleepily. "Goodnight."
There wasn't a single negative thought in my mind. All my doubts and insecurities floated off, like Ashe was chasing them away. For once, I fell asleep in total peace.
That night, my dreams were quiet. I didn't have a single nightmare.
17
Ashe
Aside from a weirddream about Animus walking on a tightrope and juggling over my head, I slept like a rock. Turns out getting fucked out of your heat by your fated mate put you right to bed.
I roused and wiped the sleep from my eyes but it was still dark. Right. We were underground. Without the sun, my sense of time was off. Was it morning? Afternoon? Middle of the night? I had no idea, but my circadian rhythms were telling merise and shine.
Beside me, Bear was still asleep. I smiled at his sweet form. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. Usually whenever I caught him asleep, he had a slight furrow in his brow, like his dreams were stressful, but he was serene right now. I didn't want to wake him yet.
I got up and dusted myself off. The sex was amazing, no doubt, but doing it in an underground tunnel meant I got a ton of dirt on my ass. Hopefully the next time Bear and I fucked it would be above ground on a nice patch of grass, or even a bed.
My heart flipped at the thought ofnext time.I smiled wider, unable to stop it. I felt giddy, like a love-struck teenager. I'd never been in love before.
And not just in love, but with a fated mate. My skin tingled. Even just thinking about it made me jittery.
My gaze fell to my belly. It was flat, obviously, but if my instincts were correct, then there could be a little one already starting to grow in there. I buzzed with a mix of anxiety and excitement.
Shit, if I was pregnant, I had to tell the pack. Not just the baby, but also about Bear. There was so much they didn't know.
But first, we had to get out of this damned tunnel. I was sick of it and I knew Bear was, too.
At least now we had a clear path to follow—the narrow river slowly leading us upstream and towards the surface. I had a good feeling in my gut. We'd get out of here today and start the rest of our lives together.
I peeked back at Bear. Fast asleep and adorable. I didn't want to wake him, since he usually slept poorly. Maybe I could scout ahead and check.
I picked my way up the gentle slope, which was definitely leading up. It relieved me that we were nearly out of this place. After all, we hadn't fallenthatfar down when the earth split open, did we? Neither of us was hurt much by the impact, meaning it wasn't a bad fall, so why did it feel like we'd been walking forever?
The ground wasn't moving on its own, was it?
No, that was stupid.
I stopped suddenly.
Was that light coming from ahead?
Hope filled me, widening my eyes. There it was, coming from the edge of the tunnel—unmistakable daylight.
I let out a gleeful cry. "Yes!"
I turned on my heel and ran back towards Bear. He'd be delighted to know we were almost done with this mess. Soon we'd be free.
"Bear!" I called.
I skidded down the last of the slope and back into the hollow we fell asleep in. He was still curled up in the corner. He blinked as he slowly lifted his head. My voice must've woken him.
"Everything okay?" he signed.
"More than okay! I saw light coming from ahead. We're almost out of the underground!"
Bear's face brightened. The last of his sleepiness vanished. He leapt to his feet and crushed me in a hug. Despite him squeezing the air out of me, I loved the feeling of his large, strong arms around me. It was finally sinking in that Bear wasmyalpha.
And after denying myself that desire for so long, it felt so good.
