Chapter 69: I love you

Aurora’s POV

I woke to warmth.

Not just the physical kind—though there was plenty of that, pressed to my back and tucked beneath my cheek—but the kind that lived in the bones.

A steady hum, two threads braided through my ribcage, pulsing in counterpoint. If I held still and listened, I could tell them apart without opening my eyes.

Zander’s energy was fierce and protective, like a heart that dared the world to try and blow it out.

Rowan’s was quieter, but no less strong—a grounded beat that moved like tidewater, sure and patient, wrapping around rough edges I didn’t know I had.

I lay there, weightless in that feeling, and for a moment I forgot to be overwhelmed. The night before drifted back in soft pieces—the steam curling over my skin.

Zander’s hands gentling every tremble, Rowan’s voice low and steady as he told me to breathe, the shimmering glow of two marks mirrored on my neck.

Somewhere in there, I remembered laughter. Mine. The thought made my throat tighten.

I finally ope