The hum of the engine was the only sound that broke the night’s heavy silence. Rain had started again, tapping against the windshield like a soft drum, each droplet mirroring the racing of my heart. Leo slept in my arms, his chest rising and falling in a fragile rhythm that made me want to protect him with every fiber of my being. I had never felt more responsible for another life. Never felt more exposed.
Damien’s hands were steady on the wheel, his knuckles just pale enough to betray the tension beneath his controlled exterior. Every movement he made radiated authority, an Alpha who didn’t merely command — he owned the space, the moment, the air around him. And I hated that I couldn’t stop noticing him. Every line of his body, the tight set of his jaw, the slow, deliberate way he glance
