Beau straightened in his seat, his eyes scanning my face and then dropping to my arms and chest like he needed to check I was still in one piece.
“You stayed all night?” I asked, my gaze flicking to his crumpled clothes. “You’ve still got mud on your jeans.”
“‘Course I did.” He leaned in a little. “Had to watch over my mate.”
My mate.My heart did something weird at those words. Like it hiccuped mid-beat. I flushed, even though I was already warm under the blanket.
Of course, some part of me had always known Beau was the one.
Took you long enough to admit it, my wolf muttered in irritation, his tail flicking.
I just needed more time. I didn’t want to drag him into my mess, I reminded him.
I know, he whispered back.
“I appreciate it,” I said quietly, unable to hold back the smile tugging at my lips.
Beau smiled right back, warm and steady, and reached out to brush a hand gently along my hairline, careful of the bandage on my temple.
“You scared the hell out of me, Sean,” he said.
“Scared myself, too,” I admitted. “I thought I was gonna be wolf chow.”
“You fought back. Shifted. Held your own. I was proud of you.”
That heat in my face deepened, and I couldn’t tell if it was from embarrassment or something deeper. Beau rose from the chair, stretching with a satisfying crack of his back.
“Alright. I need to grab us something from the cafeteria before I gnaw my own arm off. You okay if I run down for a bit?” Beau asked.
“I think I’ll survive,” I said with a sleepy grin.
When Beau left, the room felt a little emptier, less anchored. But I busied myself with adjusting the thin hospital blanket and scooting over in bed to make room.
It was a narrow mattress, and Beau was not a narrow man, but I still wanted him next to me. I tucked the blanket back and waited.
Ten minutes later, he returned balancing two foam containers and a pair of coffees. He paused when he saw the space I’d made, raising an eyebrow.
“You sure about this?” he asked, already grinning. “I take up more than half a king-size bed, let alone that glorified cot.”
“You calling me small?” I asked.
“I’m calling me big,” he said, chuckling as he set the containers down.
Beau kicked off his boots, climbed into the narrow bed with surprising gentleness, and situated himself so that his shoulder was pressed to mine and his arm curled protectively around my waist.
We somehow made it work, even though his feet hung off the end of the mattress.
“Cozy,” I mumbled as he handed me a plastic fork and opened the lid of my tray.
“Hospital pancakes. Five-star cuisine,” he said, already stabbing into his eggs.
I leaned against him, grateful for the warmth, and ate in content silence. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so safe.
That quiet was broken a few minutes later by the sound of the door swinging open.
“Whoa, whoa, are we interrupting something?” Leo’s voice rang out, far too gleeful for this hour of the morning.
I looked up to see the whole crew crowding in: Leo, Dorian, Cassian, and Rafael, arms full of flowers, balloons, and what looked like a basket of muffins.
