Falling In love With The Alpha Again

Chapter 5: The Warmth Of Him

Cara's POV

I woke up to the sound of something crashing outside, followed by a sharp hiss of pain.

My heart skipped as I looked around the room. "Uriel?"

"I'm fine!" His voice came from the small compartment I built for cooking, he sounded cheerful. "Everything's under control, don't worry."

I threw off the blanket and hurried toward him, my curiosity getting the better of me. What could he be doing up so early?

The smell of something burning hit me first, followed by the abnormally high temperature.

"What are you doing?" I drew my brows together, staring at him struggling with a deep frown on his face at whatever it was on the fire. I tried not to laugh.

"Cooking.” He said not sparing a glance in my direction

“Obviously, I mean what are you cooking?”

He finally looked at me, his arms pointing to the covered pot on the fire wood. “Why don't you try guessing.”

“Anything but that.” I said, smiling sheepishly. “I'm as terrible as it gets when it comes to guessing.”

“Ta-da.” He finally opened the pot, using his arms to direct the aroma in my direction. The burnt scent choked me, forcing a cough out of my throat.

He frowned, “Is it that bad?” He asked, the cheerful expression from earlier vanishing.

“No…no…it's okay…” I lied.

He smiled so bright, it made my heart flutter. “I just wanted you to have a special meal, made with lots of love by yours truly and, oh well, you can see how that turned out.”

The words, the voice, he had his way of making my heart flutter and my legs feel weightless.

"You don't have to….."

"I want to." He stepped closer, holding my hands tighter. "Please, let me.”

My throat went tight, no one had ever wanted to take care of me before, not since my parents. How could I possibly say no?

"Okay," I answered. “Let me have a taste of your soup.”

“Ummmmm……..”He mumbled, scratching his head. “It's porridge actually.”

I had never, ever, seen a porridge so poorly made before, but the joy on his face as he worked his way clumsily preparing the food was the only reason I didn't call it out. And besides, the thought alone, really meant a lot.

“It smells so nice.” I lied again, blushing wider this time.

"Thank you, that's the exact look I wanted to see." he said, grabbing my waist and pulling me closer to him.

My breath hitched. I should have stepped back, but I couldn’t move and neither could he. His lips suddenly looked fuller the closer he got.

"The porridge is burning," I said finally, snapping us out of the moment.

"Righttttt, the porridge." He let go of me immediately and grabbed a leaf to set down the pot.

Heat rose quickly to my face as I watched the way his muscles flexed.

“Shit.” I heard him mutter under his breath as he fumbled with the pot.

"Here, let me help." I moved to his side, my shoulder slightly brushing his arm. I swallowed hard. "Talk me through what you did."

"I added water to the grain, like I've seen you do. Then I put it over the fire but it started sticking so I added more water and now it's..." He paused. "... you're right. It's basically soup at this point."

I couldn't help it anymore, I burst out laughing. The sound surprised even me.

"It's not funny," he said, but I heard him laugh a little. "I'm genuinely trying here, princess."

"I know you are." I reached for the spoon, my hand accidentally covering his on the handle. We both froze and in that moment, it felt like time froze with us. "The fire needs to be lower and you have to keep stirring, like this." My voice came out soft and low.

I guided his hand in slow circles. His arm pressed against mine, his chest was nearly touching my back now and I could feel every breath he took.

"Like this?" he murmured, his voice close to my ear.

"Exactly like that." My voice came out low and breathless, almost a whisper.

We stood there, stirring together, and I became acutely aware of everything about him. The way he smelled, the steadiness of his breathing and even how his hand completely covered mine on the spoon handle now.

My heart was doing that flutter thing again, that dangerous thing I kept trying to ignore.

"Cara?" His voice was soft, intimate.

"Hmm?"

"Your hair smells like lavender."

My face flushed red. "I... I washed it yesterday."

"I know, I heard you by the stream, I almost came to help but..." He trailed off.

I didn't let him finish. "We should eat before it gets cold." My voice suddenly went sharp and dismissive.

I felt the joy drain out of him, felt the moment pass, but whatever this was, whatever was going on in my heart, it would become an hindrance eventually, I just couldn’t do it.

By afternoon, I found him outside struggling with the laundry, and the guilt from shutting him out earlier was already eating me alive.

"You've been out here for two hours," I said, standing in the doorway.

"I'm almost done." The frustration in his voice was clear. It was obvious he hadn't done something like this before, and it made me wonder his life before the amnesia.

I walked over and knelt beside him. "Let me see your palm."

His hands were still rough but this time blistered and raw from scrubbing, some of the blisters had broken open.

"Uriel, stop." I took the fabric from him, my fingers closing over his. "You're hurting yourself."

"I can do it, I just need to figure out the right way….."

"You're being stubborn."

"You're one to talk, princess."

My heart rate surged again, I loved how he called me princess, the way he smiled when he said it. I smiled despite myself. "Here, use the soap root first."

"This one?" He pressed something into my palm.

"Yes, now watch." I rubbed the root against the stain, then took his hand and placed it over mine. "Feel that? Small circles, firm pressure."

"Like stirring the porridge," he said quietly.

"Exactly."

We moved together, my hand under his, scrubbing the piece of fabric.

"You're good at this," he murmured. "Teaching me, I mean."

"That's because you're a good student and a fast learner."

"Who wouldn't, with a teacher like you." He whispered into my ear.. and the way he said it made heat rush into my face. "...I don't think I could focus on anything if someone else was teaching me."

My heart raced and this time it sure felt like it was going to climb out my chest. “Uriel…”

"I mean it, Cara. When you're near me, everything else just... disappears. You're all I can think about. All I can see."

I tried to pull my hand away but he held on, not forcefully, just firmly enough to keep me there.

********

The days that followed were different.

We started venturing into the woods together more often, what used to feel like endless hours searching for herbs, now passed in what seemed like minutes.

He had this way of filling the silence without making it feel crowded, pointing out things along the path, narrating the world around us.

"That tree there? The bark's almost silver in this light," he'd say. Or, "The moss on this side is the brightest green I've ever seen like someone painted it."

He thought I was completely blind, so he described everything. Textures, the way the light filtered through the leaves, even point out their colors.

He also had an uncanny ability to make me smile. A stupid joke or a ridiculous observation. The way he'd mimic bird calls and fail spectacularly, I found myself laughing more in those few days than I had in months.

"Oh—hey, look at this."

His voice, a noisy contrast to the quiet afternoon. I glanced back to find him crouched low, carefully plucking something from the ground.

I walked towards him, smiling. "What now? Another very important rock?"

"Hey, that rock was important." He glanced up with mock indignation, then softened. "But no, this is better."

I wandered over, expecting some bug or interesting rock, the kind of things that made him stop mid-walk, but instead it was a forget-me-not.

"Here." He held it toward me, then hesitated, like maybe he'd made a mistake. His eyes flicked to mine and away again. "It... I don't know….made me think of you."

My stomach dropped. "A weed?"

"It's not just a weed." His mouth quirked.

"I know what it is." I crossed my arms, trying to sound unaffected. "I mean why?"

"Because it's small," he said quietly, stepping close enough that I could see the faint flush on his cheeks. "But once you notice it, you can't stop seeing it, even when everything else is bigger." His voice dropped. "You're like that."

My breath caught. I stood there like a statue when he reached for my hand, his fingers warm against mine as he placed the flower on my palm.

"Keep it." His thumb grazed my knuckles before he let go. "So you remember."

"Remember what?"

"That I'm not going anywhere, Cara." He said it like a promise. "No matter what happens, I'm staying."

Then he turned and kept walking, hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders relaxed like he hadn't just tilted my entire world sideways.

I stood there, staring at the flower in my palm.

“You felt that.”

My wolf's voice slipped into my mind.

I clenched my jaw. “Felt what?”

“Your heartbeat stumbled, don't pretend it didn't.”

“He just surprised me, that's all.”

“Mm-hmm.” She practically purred. “You're in love with him.”

My fingers closed around the flower, tight enough to feel the fragile stem bend.

“I can't,” I whispered to her. “I can't love him.

“Why not?”

“I came here for a reason and until I'm done with it, I can't afford to be distracted.”

“Revenge,” she said softly, the sadness evident in her voice. “But that doesn't mean he has to mean nothing.”

“Cara.” The wind carried his voice as he shouted my name.

“I have to,” I told her, barely holding it together. “If I let myself feel this... I'll never be able to finish what I started.”

She didn't answer, she just retreated into the quiet corners of my mind, leaving me alone with the weight in my chest.