“Then let me be your calm.”
The words left my mouth like a dare.
Like a promise.
Like something I didn’t know I was brave enough to offer until the moment it mattered.
Alex didn’t move for a second.
He just stared at me—eyes dark, jaw tight, breath shallow—like my sentence hit him somewhere deep and dangerous.
Like his wolf heard it too.
My fingers stayed on his cheek, warm against skin that felt too tense, too tired.
If he was going to pull away, this was the moment.
If he was going to decide for me again, this was the moment.
Instead—slowly—Alex lifted his hand and covered mine.
Not grabbing.
Not claiming.
Just holding.
His thumb brushed the side of my hand like he was learning how to touch without turning it into a cage.
And then he swallowed hard and whispered, voice rou
