Chapter 102 The next morning

Chapter 102: Chapter 102 The next morning

Talia’s POV

I woke up slowly, with the morning light filtering through the window.

The fire had died during the night, and the room was cool. I blinked against the pale light, trying to remember where I was. The ceiling above me was familiar, but everything felt different, softer, and warmer.

Then I felt his arm around my waist, and it all came back.

I remembered the stumble on the stairs, the accidental brush of lips, and the kiss that had started soft and gentle and then deepened into something I had never experienced before.

My face burned.

I remembered that I had kissed him back. I had wrapped my fingers in his shirt and pulled him closer, and I had not wanted him to stop.

I still did not want him to stop.

The coldness of the room should have affected me, but I was not cold. Because Kaelen’s warmth pressed against my back, and his arm held my petite waist, like if he let go even a little bit, I might disappear.

Kaelen’s chest rose and fell against my back, slow and steady. He was not asleep, and I could tell by the way his breathing changed, and by the way his fingers twitched against my hip.

I knew I should move. I should climb out of bed and pretend last night had not happened, and I should put distance between us before things became more complicated than they already were.

But I did not move, because I did not want to move.

His warmth seeped into my skin, and for the first time in weeks, I felt safe. Not because he was an Alpha, and not because he could protect me from enemies.

But because he was him.

We were tangled together, and my head was resting on his shoulder, and his body was curled around mine. I could feel his breath on my hair, slow and steady.

When we fell asleep, we were not tangled together. But somehow, we woke up like this, and it felt like I was dreaming. And maybe if I woke up for real, I would realize it was all a dream.

But I felt his arm move gently on my waist, and I confirmed that this was not a dream.

The fire had burned down to embers, casting a soft orange glow across the room. The shadows were not visible on the walls in the morning light, and the air smelled of smoke and pine and him.

I wondered what he was thinking. If he regretted last night, or if he wished he had walked away instead of kissing me.

But I did not regret it.

I knew I should have regretted it. We were mates, but we were also strangers in so many ways, and there was so much we did not know about each other.

But in that moment, on those stairs, none of that had mattered.

Only he had mattered.

His fingers tightened on my hip when I shifted, and I held my breath, waiting for him to speak, waiting for him to tell me it was a mistake, and waiting for him to pull away.

But he did not.

His thumb traced small circles on my hip, slow and deliberate, like he was not in a hurry for anything today. He was also not uncomfortable, like I thought he would.

He was just... there.

I let out a breath I did not know I was holding, thinking, maybe he did not regret it either, or maybe he was as confused as I was.

Maybe we were both trying to figure out what this meant.

I did not move, and neither did he.

The silence stretched between us, but it was not uncomfortable. It was heavy, weighted with questions neither of us knew how to ask.

I stared at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the stone. Kaelen’s arm was still around my waist, and his hand was still on my hip.

"I should say something," I thought to myself. "I should break the silence before it swallows us whole."

But what was there to say?

Sorry for kissing you? I was not sorry.

Thank you for kissing me? That felt too vulnerable.

I love you? I did not even know what love was supposed to feel like.

So I said nothing.

The room was quiet. The fire crackled softly in the hearth, and the shadows danced on the walls.

"We should not have done that," he said finally. His voice was low and quiet, but not cold.

I looked at him. His gray eyes were soft in the morning light, but his face was unreadable.

"Probably not," I said with a little bit of pain in my voice.

He said nothing else, but still neither of us moved. And that made my heart relax.

His arm stayed around my waist, his hand rested on my hip, and I could feel the warmth of his palm through the thin fabric of my nightgown.

Soon a knock came at the door, and Kaelen stood up to answer it.

He covered me with his blanket and moved to the door. When he opened it, a servant stood there with a tray of breakfast.

"Here is the breakfast you requested for, Alpha," she bowed. "I also want to start the fire again, as you requested."

Kaelen moved from the door, and the servant entered and dropped the tray of food on the desk. Then she went to the fireplace and made the fire, before bowing to me and to Kaelen again, before leaving.

As she left, and Kaelen returned to bed, I wondered when he went out to give orders, and I wanted to ask. But then I remembered that every pack had a mind-link. So he must have mind-linked the cook.

The fire crackled, and the room was warm.

I lay down beside him again, and surprisingly, he pulled me to himself.

I turned my head to look at him, and his gray eyes were already on me, watching me with an intensity that made my heart skip.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

"You are staring," I said.

"I am allowed to stare," he answered.

"At what?" I asked.

"At my mate," he replied.

My face burned again, as I froze in place for just a moment. Then I looked away, but his hand came up to cup my cheek, turning my face back toward him.

"Do not look away," he said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because I want to see you," he said in a low whisper that was close to my ear.

With his voice that close, my body shook from the inside, with a feeling I could not understand.

I looked up and held his gaze as my heart pounded, and for a moment, neither of us breathed.

I did not know what would happen next. I did not know if he regretted last night, and I did not know if I regretted it.

But for now, this was enough.

I closed my eyes and felt his heart beating, and I listened to him breathe.