Chapter 39

Startled awake by an unexpected quiver in the night, I turned to find Lycan Steven beside me, his body convulsing gently, lips tangled in a dance of mumbled curses and fragmented pleas. His brow was slick, drenched in a sheen of sweat as if he'd been running through his nightmares rather than lying beside me.

The rapid rise and fall of his chest indicated his accelerated breathing, each breath a shallow, ragged gasp as though air itself was scarce in the landscape of his nightmare. Occasionally, a soft moan or a stifled cry would escape his lips, the audible manifestations of his anguish.

"Hey, Steven..." I whispered again, my voice laced with concern.

Despite my gentle tone, he jerked away, his eyes snapping open, wild and unseeing. For a moment, he didn't seem to recognize me, his gaze darting around the room in panic.

"It's me, it's just me," I hurried to reassure him, my voice steady but soft, hoping to pierce through the haze of his terror.

He blinked rapidly, his breathing still