LENA
I woke to the sound of birdsong filtering in through the window and the soft rise and fall of Dom's chest beneath my cheek. For a moment, I stayed still, drinking in the peace of it. His arm was wrapped tightly around my waist, his leg hooked over mine like he wasn't taking any chances of me slipping away again. His heartbeat thudded steadily against my ear. Solid and present and so perfect I could weep from the joy of hearing it.
It still felt surreal that I'd made it back to him—that I hadn't died in that cold cell so long ago or disappeared into the forest without ever seeing his face again, but that this time, I'd made it back on my own.
I tilted my head slightly, brushing my lips over his skin. "Shouldn't you be off doing alpha things?"
Dom stirred beneath me, one arm tightening around my body, the other coming up to brush the hair from my face. "I couldn't stand to leave you yet," he murmured, voice thick with sleep. "Not after last night. Not after everything."
