Evaline:
I stood outside River’s bedroom door for a long mont, my fist hovering inches away from the wood. The corridor was quiet, bathed in the dim glow of the night lamps, the rest of the house wrapped in deep sleep. Midnight had long passed, yet my heart refused to slow, my thoughts racing in circles no matter how many tis I told myself to rest.
I had tried.
I really had.
I had lain in bed staring at the ceiling, listening to the distant hum of the wards around the house, counting sheeps, replaying Elion Grey’s words again and again until they blurred together into sothing heavy and suffocating.
Secrets of our heritage.
It felt like a hand curled around my chest, squeezing just enough to keep awake.
So here I was.
Needing River.
I knocked softly, instantly regretting it the mont my knuckles touched the door. What if I woke him? What if he was finally sleeping peacefully after everything with Nightshade Pack? I should have turned around. I could talk to him in the morning. I would talk to him in the morning.
I shifted my weight, already preparing to leave...
The door opened.
River stood there, hair slightly tousled, bare chest exposed, sleep still clinging to him in a way that made my heart twist. One look at his face and I knew I had woken him up.
"I-" guilt rushed in instantly. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t an to wake you. It’s not urgent, really. I can go back-"
I didn’t finish the sentence.
He stepped forward and pulled straight into his arms.
My face pressed against his chest before I could react, the warmth of his skin seeping into instantly. His scent wrapped around like a shield. One large hand ca up to cradle the back of my head as his fingers ruffled my hair gently.
"Why aren’t you wearing slippers?" he murmured sleepily, his voice low and rough from being woken up.
I blinked.
"I-what?"
Only then did I realize my feet were bare against the cool stone floor. I hadn’t even noticed when I left my room.
Before I could respond, River’s arms tightened.
And then the ground vanished.
I gasped softly as he lifted up effortlessly, my instinctive reaction making my legs close around his waist. His hold was secure, familiar, like he had done this a hundred tis before and would do it a hundred tis more.
He nudged the door closed with his foot, locked it, and carried inside as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
My heart thudded painfully - not from surprise, but from the way he made feel so safe without even trying.
He laid gently on the bed, his mattress warm beneath , and joined imdiately, pulling back into his arms before tugging the blanket over both of us. His body curved around mine protectively, one arm wrapped around my waist, the other cradling my head against his chest.
Just like that, the chaos inside softened.
I stayed there for a while, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my ear, letting his fingers run through my hair in slow, soothing strokes. Each pass of his hand smoothed another jagged edge inside . My breathing slowed, my muscles relaxed, and for a mont... I thought I might actually fall asleep.
Then his voice broke the quiet.
"What’s keeping you awake, Angel?"
I sighed softly and shifted, pulling back just enough to look at him. His eyes were heavy-lidded but attentive, completely focused on despite having been dragged out of sleep.
"Are you... really okay with it?" I asked quietly.
"With what?" he murmured, though I knew he already understood.
"With taking Alpha Grey’s offer."
Before he could answer, the words rushed out of , tumbling over one another as if I’d been holding them back for hours.
"I know I’m your mate," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "And I know that ans I should make sure I’m not doing sothing that makes you worry or upsets you. I know that. I have thought about it over and over. But I haven’t been able to forget what Alpha Grey said - that I shouldn’t decline the offer because I don’t like it."
I swallowed.
"Because the truth is... I do like it. I was tempted almost the mont he laid it all out. If it had been anyone else offering it to , I would have said yes without thinking twice."
I placed my hand over his chest, feeling the steady strength of his heart beneath my palm.
"I need you to trust ," I said softly. "I have never felt anything romantic from him. Not once. And if I ever do... if that ever changes... I promise you, River, I’ll walk away on my own. I won’t hesitate. I won’t care what secrets he knows about my bloodline or my healing powers. I just... need you to trust ."
Silence followed.
But it wasn’t heavy.
River had listened to every word without interrupting, his gaze softening with each sentence. When I finished, there was the faintest smile playing on his lips... the kind that wasn’t amused, but deeply affectionate.
He covered my hand with his own, pressing it gently against his chest.
"I have always trusted you," he said simply.
Emotion tightened my throat.
"I never once felt that Elion was attracted to you in that way," River continued.
I blinked.
He sighed quietly. "What he feels toward you... it isn’t desire. It’s admiration. Respect. For your performance at the Academy. For your work here. And for what you are."
"What I am?" I echoed.
"One of the last three living mbers of the Silver Wolf bloodline."
His thumb brushed gently over my knuckles. "I knew from the first day you noticed his hair that your curiosity wasn’t personal. It was instinct. Blood recognizing blood. It’s been about answers."
He fell silent for a mont, his jaw tightening ever so slightly before he spoke again.
"Even without romantic feelings involved... what you and Elion share has the potential to be sothing deep. Sothing important." His eyes t mine, honest and vulnerable. "That’s what makes jealous."
I stared at him, surprised.
"I don’t like the idea that there’s another man out there - soone who isn’t or my brothers - who might know more about you than we do. About your past. Your blood. Your power." He huffed softly. "It’s irrational, I know."
"No," I said quickly. "It’s not."
His gaze softened even more.
"I trust you more than I trust myself," he said quietly. "And I respect your decision. You deserve to know the answers you seek."
Warmth flooded my chest, overwhelming and fierce.
I shifted closer, pressing my forehead to his. "Thank you."
His arm tightened around . "I’m always here for you, Angel. Always."
And for the first ti since stepping out of Alpha Grey’s office, my heart finally began to calm.
Wrapped in River’s arms, surrounded by trust instead of fear, I let myself breathe.
And eventually... I fell asleep in his warmth, love, and trust.
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