Then I felt it.
The pressure changed. His breath hitched. His lips parted, and his canines brushed against the sensitive skin between my shoulder and throat.
My whole body went still.
Not out of fear. But anticipation. Longing. Something primal and deep inside me stirred, sat up, and looked right into that moment like it was a mirror.
This bear is ours, my wolf whispered, low and reverent.Ours.
The wolf inside me knew. Had known for a while now, even if the rest of me wasn’t ready to admit it out loud. This wasn’t just a good kiss.
This wasn’t just a warm body in the dark or a fling to feel wanted. Beau was… more. He was safety. He was home.
And yet a tremor rippled through me, barely noticeable unless you were pressed against every inch of me like Beau was. The weight of the past lingered in my chest like a bruise.
I thought of Orin. Of blood on tile floors. Of running until my lungs burned. Of never once looking back. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until Beau eased off.
His lips lingered, not in a bite but a kiss. A soft, warm pull of skin that bloomed into a dark hickey. My heart thumped once, hard. Marked, but not claimed. Wanted, but not pressured.
He’d chosen to wait. Chosen me, even in hesitation. And that meant more than anything.
I let out a shaky breath as he pulled back, his hand gliding down my side until it settled just under my ribs, thumb tracing slow, comforting circles.
My body still hummed with heat, but it faded into something quieter. Softer.
He didn’t move away. Just shifted beside me, tucked me into the curve of his chest, and held me like I was something precious.
Like I wasn’t something broken he needed to fix, but someone he just wanted to be with.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“It’s okay,” he murmured against my temple.
I curled tighter into him, pressing my face to the warm skin of his chest.
Our legs tangled beneath the sheets, skin to skin, warmth to warmth. I traced my fingertips along the strong line of his forearm, memorizing the feel of him.
His scent wrapped around me like a lullaby. I felt his fingers lace with mine against his chest. He didn’t speak. Didn’t ask. Just waited, steady and sure.
“I wanted it,” I admitted quietly, after a long stretch of silence.
“I know,” Beau said, voice hoarse. He turned his head, nose brushing my hairline. “So did I.”
“Then why didn’t you?” My voice came out softer than I intended. Not accusatory. Just… wondering.
He didn’t hesitate.
“Because you matter more than a moment of instinct. You matter more than what I want,” he said, thumb brushing my knuckles. “And when it happens, I want it to be something you never have to question. Not for a second.”
My throat tightened. I didn’t know what to say to that, not without crying or blurting something way too soon.
So instead, I turned my face into his neck, pressed a kiss to the spot just beneath his jaw, and whispered, “Thank you.”
He held me tighter. And for the first time in a long time, I let myself believe that maybe I could stop looking over my shoulder. Maybe I didn’t need to outrun my past anymore.
Maybe the future was starting right here. Curled up in bed with a bear who made my heart feel steady again.
Chapter 12
