Caelan POV
We must have fallen back asleep at some point.
Not deeply or for long, just that quiet drift that comes after bodies are spent and the bond settles into something steady and complete. I surface slowly, awareness returning in layers, the room still washed in pale morning light and the sheets carrying the scent of us both.
Elara is already up when I wake properly.
She stands near the window with her back to me, tugging her hair into a loose tie. She’s dressed for the day ahead; fitted gym leggings, trainers waiting by the door, and a soft hoodie pulled on against the morning chill still clinging to the air.
She bends to pick something up, and the hoodie shifts just enough for the faint edge of her mark to show before the fabric settles again and hides it.
Something in me sti
