GRACE POV
I woke up already bracing for pain.
That was the strangest part.
My body prepared for it automatically, muscles tensing, breath shallow, like it expected agony the same way you expect gravity. Except it didn’t come. No fire ripping through my veins. No pressure crushing my ribs. No violent backlash from magic burned too hot and too fast.
Just warmth.
Solid. Enclosing. Real.
My cheek was pressed against something broad and steady, the familiar rhythm of a heartbeat thrumming against my ear. Slow. Strong. Alive. My fingers twitched before I even opened my eyes, instinctively curling into fabric that smelled like sweat, blood, rain, and Connor.
My mate.
The world filtered back in piece by piece instead of crashing all at once, which felt like a small mercy. The low hum of an
