The first rays of sunlight filtered through the hotel room's floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a golden glow across the tangled sheets. Trent lay on his side, watching Zora sleep peacefully in his arms, a smile of pure contentment playing on his lips.He was the happiest man in the world.Just hours ago, he had given himself completely to the woman he loved, sharing not just his body but his very soul. For a man who had waited thirty years for the right person, for someone who had never felt desire until he met her, the experience had been nothing short of transcendent.Zora stirred beside him, her eyes fluttering open to meet his gaze. The smile that spread across her face was radiant, filled with a joy he'd never seen from her before."Good morning, my love," she whispered."Good morning, beautiful," he replied, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.What happened next startled them both.“Good morning, handsome,” Zora's voice echoed in his mind, though her lips hadn't moved.Trent
Zora's POV.We left the hospital in a daze. My mind was still reeling from everything that had just happened. One moment I thought Trent was rejecting me, the next he was asking my father for my hand in marriage, just like that. That's not how I dreamed my marriage would happen.As we walked toward the car, our hands still intertwined, I finally found my voice."You... you wanted to marry me?""I wanted to do things right," Trent said, stopping beside the car. "I wanted your parents' blessing before I claimed you completely."The way he said 'claimed' sent heat racing through my veins. The binding ritual had awakened something primal in both of us, and the air between us crackled with barely contained desire."Trent..."That was all I managed to say before he spun me around, pressing me against the car door. His lips found mine in a kiss that was desperate, hungry, consuming. All the restraint he'd shown, all the control he'd maintained—it was crumbling."Yes!" Zina practically sang i
Zora's POVRelief flooded through me like a dam bursting. After months of carrying the weight of my secrets, my shame, my fears—Trent knew everything. He knew about my failed marriage, my barrenness, my damaged past, and he still wanted me. The man I loved beyond reason had looked at all my broken pieces and called them beautiful.When his lips crashed against mine, I felt like I was drowning and being saved at the same time. Every kiss was a promise, every touch an acceptance I'd never dared hope for. My hands fisted in his chest, pulling him closer, desperate to erase any distance between us. This was what I'd been afraid to want—complete acceptance, unconditional love.“Finally,” Zina purred in my mind, her excitement making my skin tingle. “He wants us. All of us.”But then, suddenly, Trent broke away.The abrupt loss of contact left me reeling, gasping for air. Fear crashed over me like ice water. His eyes were wild, his breathing ragged, but he was pulling away from me—again."T
Trent hit the wall, pouring his rage out.The sound of Trent's fist connecting with the wall was like a gunshot in the quiet hotel room. The impact was so violent that a spider of cracks spread across the expensive wallpaper, and Zora jumped backwards with a startled cry.For a moment, he stood there breathing heavily, his knuckles bleeding, his entire body trembling with barely contained fury. When he finally turned back to her, his eyes were wild with a rage she'd never seen before."Who?" The word came out as a growl. "Who removed your womb? Who did this to you?""Trent, I—""Was it Dane?" He advanced on her, his movements predatory. "Did that bastard force you to have surgery? Did he make you—""No!" Zora backed against the window, tears streaming down her face. "No, it wasn't like that!""Then what?" His voice cracked with emotion. "What happened to you? Who took away your ability to carry my children? Who hurt you like this?"The questions came rapid-fire, each one laced with pa
After ensuring Henry had additional security posted around the hospital, Trent returned to collect Zora. The conversation with his old friend had left him on edge—if rogues were actively searching for Zora, every moment she spent away from his direct protection was a risk he couldn't take.He collected the car that Henry brought, and drove back to the hospital as he got to the hospital. He peeped through the door and saw Zora laughing with her parents, relief washed over him and he took a tour of the surrounding hospital hoping to see any clues. He began secretly smelling anyone who passed his front. Maybe he would smell scent concealer but smelt none, people began to suspect the way he was staring at them and coming closer to them. In the evening, he went in and said that they needed the shelter his friend provided for them."We're going to the hotel now," he told her parents, his tone brooking no argument. Her father nodded approvingly, while her mother squeezed Zora's hand. "Go
Trent slipped his phone back into his pocket, a smile still tugging at his lips despite the gravity of their situation. The way Zora had laughed at his confession about her father's bone-crushing handshake had sent warmth spreading through his chest. And that slip—calling her "my love"—it had felt so natural, so right, even if it had caught him off guard.He was still replaying the sound of her voice when footsteps approached from behind."Well, well. If it isn't the infamous Trent Salvatore."Trent turned at the familiar voice, his face breaking into a genuine grin despite the circumstances. A tall, broad-shouldered man in his late twenties stood before him, but despite the years that had passed and the stress lines around his eyes, Trent recognised him immediately."Henry Morrison," Trent said, pulling his old friend into a bear hug. "You look like hell, by the way.""Thanks, you always were a charmer," Henry laughed, though the sound was strained. "Ten years since Lunar Ridge Acade