Chapter Five
321 Words
Lila woke to warmth.
The kind that seeped into her skin, chasing away the lingering chill of the storm. For a moment, she didn’t move, didn’t open her eyes. She just felt—the steady rise and fall of a strong chest beneath her cheek, the comforting weight of an arm wrapped securely around her waist, the faint scent of pine, rain, and something undeniably him.
Kieran.
Her eyes fluttered open, and the realization hit like a bolt of lightning. She was curled against him, tangled in his arms as if she belonged there.
Panic should have set in.
But it didn’t.
Instead, there was peace.
The forest around them was still damp, leaves glistening with the remnants of last night’s storm. A soft morning mist curled through the trees, making everything feel suspended in time. Lila shifted slightly, feeling the solid warmth of Kieran’s body beneath her.
He was still asleep.
His face was relaxed, all the sharp edges softened in the quiet moment between dreams and wakefulness. His dark hair was tousled, and his breathing was slow and even.
Lila swallowed, her fingers twitching against his bare chest. She should move. She should get up, put distance between them before she lost herself in this feeling.
But she didn’t.
She let herself stay, just for a moment longer.
His warmth, his scent, the way his arm tightened around her ever so slightly even in sleep—it all felt right.
Her wolf purred in contentment, urging her to stay, to accept.
She squeezed her eyes shut, torn between the undeniable bond pulling them together and the reality waiting beyond the trees. Her father. Her pack. The fact that this shouldn’t be happening.
But in Kieran’s arms, none of that mattered.
Here, she wasn’t the Alpha’s daughter. She wasn’t bound by duty or expectations.
She was just his.
And for the first time in her life, that felt like enough.
- Writer
