Chapter 107 Afterwards entanglement 1

Chapter 107: Chapter 107 Afterwards entanglement 1

Talia’s POV

We lay tangled together, breathing hard.

The room was quiet except for the crackling fire. Shadows danced on the walls, and the air smelled of smoke and sweat and us.

The flames of the fire cast a warm glow across the ceiling, and I watched the shadows flicker and dance. Outside, the wind had picked up, but I could not hear it. The only sounds were the fire, our breathing, and the steady beat of his heart beneath my ear.

I had never felt so safe, so protected, and so... seen, all my life.

For years, I had slept alone in a cold storage room, listening to the sounds of the pack house above me. I had wrapped my arms around myself and pretended someone was holding me.

But now, someone actually was, and I did not have to pretend anymore.

Kaelen’s hand rested on my stomach, and his thumb traced small circles on my skin. His touch was light, and almost absent-minded, like he was not even aware he was doing it.

I watched his hand move, and I watched the way his fingers followed the curve of my waist, and the dip of my hip. His touch was feather-light, and almost teasing, but it grounded me, and reminded me that this was real.

I reached up and touched his face. His jaw was rough with stubble, and his skin was warm. As my fingers traced his face, he turned his head and kissed my palm.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

I was quiet for a moment, then I said, "That I do not want to wake up tomorrow."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I am afraid this is a dream," I said honestly.

He pulled me closer. "It is not a dream."

My head was on his chest, and I could hear his heartbeat. It was still fast, but it was slowing down, and matching mine.

Neither of us spoke for the next few minutes, and the silence was comfortable, not awkward.

There were no words that could capture what had just happened between us. No apology or explanation or confession that would make it mean more than it already did.

I thought about how he had looked at me. The way his gray eyes had softened when he asked if I was okay, and the way he had stopped every time I tensed, waiting for me to breathe, to relax, and to trust him.

He had been patient, gentle, and everything I did not know I needed.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He looked down at me. "For what?"

"For not hurting me, for waiting, and for... being you," I said.

He kissed my forehead. "I will always be gentle with you, Talia. Always."

I thought about the bond. About how it had pulled us together from the very first moment we saw each other. I thought about how I had fought it, and how he had fought it, and how neither of us had won.

Maybe that was the point. Maybe the bond was not something to win or lose, maybe it was just something to surrender to.

I thought about my mother, about the fire, and about all the years I had spent waiting for her to come back.

I had been waiting for someone to save me, but no one had come. No one except Piper, and she could only do so much.

But Kaelen had come. He had walked into Cresswood and looked at me like I was not invisible, and like I mattered.

And now, I was here, in his bed, and in his arms.

"I was alone for so long," I said. "I did not think I would ever have this."

"Have what?" he asked.

"Have someone to hold me, someone to trust, and someone to..." I trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence.

He finished it for me. "Someone to love you."

My heart skipped at his words.

He pulled the blanket over us, tucking it around my shoulders. The fabric was soft and warm, and I burrowed deeper into his side.

Then his arm tightened around me.

I shifted, pressing closer to him. My leg tangled with his, and my hand rested on his chest, and I could feel the steady thrum of his heart beneath my palm.

He kissed the top of my head, and his lips lingered there for a moment, giving me a warm and soft feeling.

I closed my eyes and breathed him in.

I took in his pine scent, and warm air that had replaced the cold one, and something else that was just him.

I did not know how long we stayed like that. Whether it was minutes or hours, because time had lost its meaning to us.

The fire crackled, and the shadows danced, like they were celebrating something.

The room was warm, and I was tucked against his side, safe and secure, and I never wanted to leave.

"Alpha Kaelen?" I whispered.

"Hmm?" He raised his head to look at me.

"Thank you for not giving up on me," I said.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "First of all, do not call me that again. To you, my name is Kaelen, but to others it’s Alpha Kaelen. So you can drop the Alpha title, for the pack members and other people. Okay? Secondly, I will never give up on you, Talia. Not ever."