เข้าสู่ระบบMICHAELA'S POV Damon’s gaze drifts over the bowls stacked beside me. Then to the cloth in my hands. Then back to me. “What exactly are you doing?” “Cleaning.” “You folded the same cloth four times.” “I like symmetry.” “You folded it into four different shapes.” I glare at him. “Don’t start.” His mouth twitches. “I haven’t started.” That smile says otherwise. I grab something else. Mostly because it gives my hands something to do. Unfortunately, it also gives Damon another excuse to keep talking. “You’re nervous.” I nearly drop the bowl again. Not carefully this time. “I am not nervous.” “You’re holding that like it’s about to attack you.” I look down. Immediately put it down. Goddess. What is wrong with me today? Damon’s smile widens. I hate that smile. I hate that I know exactly what it looks like when he’s trying not to laugh. I hate that I like it. Sometimes. Most of the time. Aargh. “You seem very pleased with yourself,” I
MICHAELA'S POV “Good morning,” Damon says. I open my mouth. Nothing comes out. Which is unfortunate. Because I had several perfectly reasonable responses prepared. Then he takes another step into the room. I vaguely register the brush of wet feet against the plush carpet. And every single one of my responses vanishes. My gaze betrays me. Just for a second. A very brief second. Unfortunately, that second is enough. I look down. That was my first mistake. My second mistake was continuing to look. My third mistake was having functioning eyes. Because Damon is standing in nothing but a towel. A towel. One towel. One extremely unhelpful towel. The morning light filters through the half-open window behind him, cutting across his shoulders in pale gold. Dust motes drift lazily through the beam like they’ve forgotten how to fall. My eyes immediately dart back to his face. His mouth doesn’t twitch. He doesn’t smile. He just watches me. Still. Patient. Like he has al
DAMON'S POV I wake up to warmth, sunlight... And an elbow in my ribs. For a moment, I have absolutely no idea what is happening. It takes a second for memory to arrive. Last night. Waking up. Seeing her. Then I look down. Michaela is asleep beside me. Half draped across my chest. One arm wrapped around my waist. The elbow responsible for my current suffering is pressed directly into my side. I stare at the ceiling. And decide I would willingly suffer far worse. The thought is alarming. Mostly because I mean it. Entirely. For several minutes, I don't move. Partly because I don't want to wake her. Mostly because I can't stop looking at her. Morning light spills through the room, catching in her fiery hair. A few curls have escaped and settled across her cheek. There is a faint crease beneath one eye from the pillow. She looks exhausted. Beautiful. Comfortably asleep in a way I don't think I've ever seen before. The sight does strange
DAMON'S POV I place one kiss on her forehead. Then another on her brow. She stirs. A small sound escapes her as she buries her face deeper into the sheets. Still asleep. I brush my lips against her temple. Then the bridge of her nose. “Michaela,” I whisper. A sleepy frown appears between her brows. “Damon,” she mumbles. A strange warmth settles beneath my ribs. The sound of my name on her lips still feels unreal. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it. But I know for certain that I'll never stop wanting it. For a moment, I simply stare at her. Because I wasn’t expecting this. Wasn’t expecting her. Wasn’t expecting anything. The last thing I remember is pain. Venom burning through my veins. Dizziness. Her voice. Darkness. Then nothing. Endless, suffocating nothing. And now… I wake up to find her curled beside me. Warm. Beautiful. Close enough to touch. For one ridiculous moment, I wonder if I’ve finally lost my mind. Maybe I’m
MICHAELA'S POV Dorion is already moving.His expression sharpens as he crosses the room and leans over the bed."How is he?" Rhoda asks.She moves to the opposite side of the bed, not sparing me another glance.Her attention never leaves Damon.Things between Rhoda and me have been even worse since we returned.I showed up at the pack house with her brother unconscious, poisoned, and half-dead after disappearing into the forest with him for three days.She hasn't said it outright.She doesn't need to.Every clipped response.Every look.Every silence.They all say the same thing.You were supposed to bring him home alive. Fully alive.It makes me wonder if Mason might have shared his crazy theories with her.I hope not.Dorion doesn't answer her immediately.Then —Dorion's eyes flick briefly toward Rhoda."Give me a moment."Which is healer's code for:I don't know yet.I hate those words.For several long minutes he examines Damon.For several long minutes, we wait in silence whil
MICHAELA'S POVDamon still hasn't woken up.Five days.Five entire days.The healing sleep is taking longer than Dorion anticipated.For werewolves, it is rare.For an Alpha, rarer still.From what I've understood, the body shuts everything else down and focuses on one thing only.Survival.Repair.Healing.At least, that's what Dorion says.Right now, I am having a very difficult time believing any of it.Because healing should look like improvement.Healing should look like progress.Healing should look like waking up.Damon does none of those things.He just lies there.Day after day.Hour after hour.Unmoving.Silent.Too still.I have discovered there are very few things more terrifying than the silence of someone who should not be silent.The first day, I barely left his side.The second day, I don't think I slept properly.By the third day, I found myself checking his breathing every few minutes despite knowing perfectly well that he was alive.I still do it anyway.I find my h
I watch as the car pulls up to the curb.I leave my bedroom window and rush downstairs, taking a steadying breath before opening the front door.Cole remains in the driver’s seat, waiting.He’s been driving Talia and me to school ever since he got his license three years ago. Even after graduating,
I scrub my hands longer than necessary.The sink squeaks when I turn it off.I count to ten before I reach for his door.He hates when I knock before entering his room.I do it anyway.I wait a second before turning the knob and stepping inside.There’s a bottle of sanitizer on the table by his cot
Damon has never let a slight go unpunished. Which means I’m either already dead… or something is very, very wrong. By noon, Damon should have humiliated me. At least twice. He hadn’t even looked at me. I keep glancing over my shoulder, half convinced I woke up in some parallel universe w
What are you doing?Somewhere in the back of my mind, a small, rational voice tries to break through.My fingers grow bolder.They trace a slow path across his shoulder, up the side of his throat, along the sharp line of his jaw.His breathing changes.I hear it.Feel it.The low growl building in h







