(Elena’s POV)The penthouse door closed behind us with a quiet click, and for a moment, the world outside—hospital lights, sterile hallways, whispered footsteps—felt impossibly far away. I sank against the door, letting the exhaustion of the day hit me like a wave. My legs trembled slightly, and my fingers dug into the sweater I had changed into, feeling the soft fabric against my skin.Alaric didn’t speak immediately. He simply came up behind me, his presence solid, grounding, as he draped a hand gently across my shoulders. The warmth of him pressed lightly into my back, and I shivered—not from the cold, but from the way he made me feel safe even in my most vulnerable moments.“You did fine,” he murmured, his voice low, almost reverent. “Everything went smoothly.”I gave a small laugh, hollow and shaky. “Smoothly? That’s one word for it. I felt like a science experiment with a side of anxiety.”He smirked, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “You were the most composed patient I
Last Updated : 2026-03-11 Read more