“Let me hold you tonight,” he said. “That is all my wolf and I need.”
I looked at him for a long moment.
Nyla groaned. ‘Honourable men are exhausting.’
For once, I almost agreed. But I also knew he was right. We had crossed something tonight, but we did not have to rush the rest. Not when there was still guilt between us. Not when I was still learning how to stop hating him. Not when I was still learning how to stop hating myself. So I nodded.
Kael led me to the mattress, and we lay down together. He held me. That was all. His arms wrapped around me carefully, like he expected me to change my mind. But I did not. I stayed there, tucked against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was steady. Warm. Real. For the first time in months, I did not feel completely alone.
Sleep came fas
