CONNOR POV
I woke up smiling.
Actually smiling.
Something I hadn’t done, really done, in years.
My body felt warm, loose, sore in the best f*****g way. My muscles still hummed with the ghost of last night. The bond in my chest hummed faintly, a steady pulse tied to hers, like a second heartbeat beneath my skin.
My mate.
My very marked mate.
For a few perfect seconds, that was all my brain held onto.
Her scent on my pillow.
Her warmth lingering on the sheets.
Her laugh echoing somewhere inside my skull.
Her body, soft, trembling, perfect, wrapping around mine.
Everything felt right. Balanced. Like the world had finally clicked into place after years of being misaligned.
I reached for her without opening my eyes.
My hand met… air.
Hmm.
I cracked an eye open, smiling lazily. T
