Kael
I didn’t know how long we lay there.
Time seemed to dissolve after the marking, leaving only the steady rhythm of our breathing and the quiet hum of the bond that now connected us. Reddick’s arm rested across my waist, his warmth grounding me in a way I hadn’t expected. For the first time in years, I felt a sense of peace—of belonging.
But beneath that calm, something else lingered.
Tension.
At first, I tried to ignore it, assuming it was simply the weight of everything we had endured. Yet the longer the silence stretched, the more unmistakable it became. Through the newly formed bond, I could feel it coiled within him—uncertainty, hesitation… and guilt.
I lifted my head from his chest and studied his face. He was staring at the ceiling, his jaw tight, as though bracing himself
