登入He goes completely still. Every muscle locks, every breath suspends, every part of him freezes like I've just said something impossible. I've spoken words he never expected to hear. The silence that follows is so complete I can hear my own heartbeat thundering in my ears, can hear the distant sound of the others moving around in the main house, can hear everything except him breathing.I say it again, because he needs to hear it. Maybe he didn't believe it the first time."I love you, Ezra." My voice is steady now, certain, carrying all the emotion I've been holding back. "Thank you for protecting me from everything that might hurt me. But I need you to be a person too. I need you present, not consumed by vengeance. Need you here, with me, not drowning in rage and guilt."The words hang in the air between us, and for a long moment nothing happens. He doesn't move, doesn't speak, doesn't give me any indication that he's even heard me. He explodes into motion.Spins in the chair so fa
The door opens silently beneath my hand, and I step inside the office without announcing myself. The space smells like him, it speaks of sleepless nights and obsession. Papers are scattered across every surface, maps marked with red circles and lines connecting dots I can't begin to understand. Screens glow with what looks like surveillance footage, grainy images of faces I don't recognize. This isn't just work. It’s consuming him from the inside out, has been eating away at him while I've been gone.As I cross the threshold he stiffens, massive shoulders going rigid even though he doesn't turn around. The bond between us might not be complete yet, but it's strong enough that my presence affects him on a visceral level. Strong enough that even weeks of distance hasn't dulled the awareness we have of each other. I can see it in the way his hands pause over the keyboard, in the way his breathing changes, in the subtle shift of his body as he braces for impact.Words feel inadequate ri
I work to keep my expression neutral, to not let the hurt show on my face. Weeks of brutal training and late-night conversations and slowly transforming into something new, and Ezra hasn't visited once since that day in the woods. Hasn't called. Hasn't texted beyond the occasional brief message asking if I'm okay. The others came, stayed until Vaela kicked them out at change over. But Ezra stayed away.I tell myself it doesn't matter. That he's busy, that he has his reasons, that the distance doesn't mean anything. But the wolf inside me whines at his absence, confused and hurt, and I can't quite silence her. Can't quite convince myself that everything is fine when the one person I most want to see isn't here.Jax slings an arm around my shoulders and steers me toward the house, chattering about something funny that happened at work, and I force myself to focus on his words, to be present in this moment instead of spiralling into anxiety about what Ezra's absence means.The front door
The car winds through familiar streets, and I can barely sit still in the passenger seat. My knee bounces against the door panel, my fingers drum against my thigh, and every few seconds I shift my weight like I'm trying to physically propel us forward faster. Corrian glances over at me from the driver's seat, his mouth twitching with barely suppressed amusement, but he doesn't say anything. He just reaches over and rests his hand on my bouncing knee, his palm warm and grounding, and even though the touch settles me for approximately three seconds, the restless energy comes flooding back the moment I see the turn onto our drive approaching.Our drive. When did I start thinking of it that way? When did this place stop being theirs and start being ours? Maybe it was somewhere between Vaela teaching me to feel the wolf sleeping inside my bones and River showing me how souls can speak without words. Maybe it’s been during one of those brutal training sessions where Valentine pushed me unt
I repeat the movement, and this time he meets me halfway, a subtle roll of his hips that drives him deeper. Not hard or fast. Just deliberate and controlled and absolutely devastating."Oh fuck," I gasp."Fuck indeed," he teases, but his smile is strained. "Keep breathing with me. In when you rise. Out when you sink."I match my breathing to the rhythm of our movements, and everything intensifies. Each breath draws him deeper into my body, into my soul. Each exhale releases something inside me, fear, doubt, resistance, until all that's left is this. Us. This perfect, profound connection.His hands slide from my hair down to my back, tracing the line of my spine with reverent fingers. They're on my hips, guiding my movements, helping me maintain the slow, steady rhythm that's building to something massive inside me."You're so wet," he murmurs, his lips brushing my ear. "Can feel you dripping down me. How much you need this.""I do," I whimper. "I need—""I know what you need," he inte
Eventually, River's hand slides from my chest to cup my face. His thumb traces my cheekbone, and even that simple touch feels different now. Deeper. More significant."Open your eyes," he says softly.I do.His eyes are the colour of moss and earth and growing things. They're warm and patient, it makes my chest ache. I can see the lust there, simmering beneath the surface, along with something purer. More profound.Love."I want to show you something," he says. "Another way to connect. But only if you're ready."My pulse quickens with anticipation. With need."I'm ready."His smile is slow and beautiful. "Come here."He guides me with gentle hands, repositioning us with the same deliberate care he's shown throughout this entire experience. He shifts so his legs are crossed, creating a stable base, and then he lifts me, positions me on his lap so I'm straddling him.Lotus style.Heat gathers low in my stomach. This isn't just sitting, it's intimacy, connection. A position that requires







