SURROGATE FOR THE ALPHA
she murmurs against my shoulder, "about how different this feels from the exam room. You claimed me then because instinct told you to. Now you're choosing to claim me publicly, knowing exactly what it costs, and doing it anyway."
"That's the difference between fear and love," I say quietly. "Fear claims because it's afraid of losing control. Love claims because it refuses to hide what it's found."
She kisses me then, soft and lingering, and for a moment the political weight pressing down on both of us recedes just enough to let something gentler take its place, her hand finding mine on the desk, our fingers lacing together over the folded newspaper like a small, deliberate act of defiance ag