LOGINš Fenrir POV A knock hit the door. Once. Then Melanieās voice came through it. āArria, itās time to share Fenrir with the rest of the pact.ā Arriaās eyes widened. She jumped off my lap so fast I couldnāt stop her. My body was still behindācaught on the fact that she had claimed me in her own way. āI suppose an hour passed,ā she said, moving to the door. A low growl slipped from my chest. She looked back at me. Smiledā soft, sweet, touched. Then turned and opened the door. Melanie stood outside with one hand raised, ready to knock again. Her eyes went from Arriaās flushed faceā to me. Still bare-chested. Still sitting in the armchair. Still not fully recovered. Her mouth opened. I stood. Slowly. Melanie closed her mouth. Wise. Arria cleared her throat. āWe were just coming.ā āOf course you were,ā Melanie said. Her gaze sharpened with immediate interest. I crossed the room and pulled on a shirt. Wide collar. Perfect. Then I took Arriaās hand and started t
š Fenrir POVThe bedroom door closed behind us with a click.Final.Ididn’tputherdown.
šFenrir POVāArria.āAlaricās voice tore through my mind.Alert.Sharp.Wrong.
š Arria POV Warmth. Everywhere. I tried to move but couldnāt. I blinked slowly, still caught somewhere between sleep and awareness, and realized I was curled against Fenrirās chest, his hand holding me firmly against him. A small smile pulled at my lips. Then memory returned. I had been waiting for him last night. Apparently unsuccessfully. I tilted my head slightly to look at him. He must have been exhausted to sleep this deeplyācompletely relaxed and unaware. A mischievous thought crossed my mind. Maybe I could try a few things I was still too insecure to do while he was awake. Slowly, I slid my hand up his chest, then around his neck. The muscles beneath my palm relaxed one by one under my touch. It felt good. Better than good. And⦠he didnāt wake up, which meant I could⦠I leaned back just enough to press a soft kiss against the edge of his jaw. One. Then another. Longer this time. Fenrir exhaled deeply. I used the opportunity to pull back a little farther a
š Arria POVA week laterI knew hewouldn’tbe back until dawn.Maybe later.Thepalace was far. Too far.Still, thatdidn’tstop me from waiting.Iwasn’teven pretending to do anything useful anymore.Ihad triedfor a while.Failed.Ev
š Fenrir POV Martha left silence behind. It filled the room the moment the door closed. I welcomed it. Full control had to be rebuiltā piece by piece and breath by breath. For that, I needed her. My gravity. I didnāt let her go. I kept her pressed against me āclose enough to feel the steady rhythm of her breathing. To match it. To follow it back to myself. Arria didnāt resist. She stayed. Willingly. And that... mattered more than anything she could have said. āIs it true?ā My voice came out lower than I intended. Rougher. āWhat you said.ā She shifted slightly against me. Not pulling away. Adjusting. āYes,ā she murmured softly. āYou are way too much.ā There was no edge in it. No accusation. If anythingā it sounded like something else entirely. I exhaled. āNot what I meant.ā A beat. āI know,ā she murmured against me. āBut you scared me.ā That I felt. āDid I āā I stepped back to look at her. My gaze moved quickly over her. Nothing out of place. No vi







