Pain throbbed through every muscle in Zaria’s body, a dull reminder of the chaos that had nearly consumed her only hours ago. The air smelled faintly of smoke and blood, mingling with the sterile sharpness of antiseptic that clung to her room. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting the dim glow of a bedside lamp. She wasn’t in the forest anymore. She wasn’t in rogue territory.
She was safe or at least, as safe as she could be.
Her first breath came shaky, but her spine straightened against the pillows. No, she would not let herself feel weak. Not now. Not ever again.
The door clicked softly, and Damian walked in, his suit jacket abandoned, his shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal forearms etched with tension. For the first time, he looked less like the untouchable CEO and more like a man, human,
