EMBER’S POV
The first thing I notice when I wake up is how sore I am.
The second is Knox’s scent everywhere—on the sheets, on my skin, in the bite mark at the base of my throat that throbs with every breath.
I bury my face in the pillow and groan. My whole body aches in a good way, but it’s still an ache. My inner thighs are sticky and tender, and I’m pretty sure if I tried to walk right now, I’d collapse like a newborn deer.
Worth it, though.
For the first time in years, I don’t have to jump up and perform the perfect omega wife routine. Don’t have to smile through the pain or pretend I’m not exhausted. Don’t have to make breakfast in matching lingerie while Gale ignores me to text his side pieces.
I could lie here forever.
Then I hear voices outside the bedroom door and my brief
