Evie woke to sunlight and the weight of Nate's arm draped across her waist.
For a moment, she didn't move.
Just lay there feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest against her back, the warmth of his body surrounding her, the absolute safety of being held by someone who would die before letting anything hurt her.
Someone who's dying because you won't claim him, the thought was a knife.
They were still on the library sofa where they'd fallen asleep after the disastrous full moon.
Dawn light filtered through the tall windows, painting everything gold and soft.
Outside, snow sparkled on the grounds, pristine and peaceful but inside Evie's chest, nothing felt peaceful at all.
She'd lain awake half the night, Nate's shallow breathing a constant reminder of what her refusal was cost
