Page 45 of Seas the Day
He doesn’t believe you. He thinks you’re being overly sensitive.
But then she looked at him, truly looked. Past the Alpha’s command, to the man who had spent three days and nights at her side. Who had patiently helped her through trembling mobility exercises, who had fed her broth with a focus so tenderit had made her throat ache, who had slept holding her, as if his body alone could shield her from any lingering harm.
This wasn’t Jeremy’s cold dismissal. This was a man operating from a different set of data. He was protecting his pack’s unity, and in his mind, that meant silencing her doubts. He wasn’t calling her weak or irrational; he was asking her to trust his judgement.
The fight drained out of her, replaced by a warmer, more terrifying certainty. He was right about one thing—pushing too hard, too fast, was her oldest mistake. The ghost of her shoulder injury whispered a warning. If she wanted to stand beside him, to be the Luna this pack needed, she couldn’t afford to be reckless with her own recovery. She needed to be a weapon at full strength, not a liability.
“Fine,” she said, the word a soft surrender. She walked away from the bed, not toward the wardrobe, but to the window overlooking the pink ocean. “One more day.”
She heard the rustle of sheets, the soft pad of his footsteps on stone. He came up behind her, his heat radiating against her bare back. “It’s the right choice.”
“I know.” She leaned back slightly, letting her shoulders brush his chest. “But there’s something else. Something I need to talk to you about.”
She felt the subtle tension that rippled through him. The Alpha bracing for another challenge. “What is it?”
Navira turned within the circle of his proximity. She looked up at him—at the fierce, handsome, infuriatingly protective man who had upended her world and was now the unwavering center of it. The doubts about Sylar faded into background noise, overshadowed by the monumental truth that had crystallized during the quiet, intimate siege of the past three days.
Her decision. Her leap.
She reached out, placing her palms flat against the solid warmth of his chest. The feel of his heartbeat under her hands steadied her own.
“It’s not a complaint,” she began, her voice low but clear. She took a deep breath, her blue eyes holding his stormy gaze, letting him see all the vulnerability and certainty swirling within her. “It’s about us.”
THIRTY-ONE
THALRIC
Thalric’s arms encircled Navira’s waist as they stood before the window, the morning light casting golden patterns across their naked bodies. The warmth of her skin against his chest sent familiar sparks through the mate bond, but her words—it’s about us—triggered something far more complex.
A cold knot of dread twisted in his stomach.
She’s going to leave. She thinks this world is too dangerous. She thinks I’m still too much the controlling Alpha.
The thoughts struck him with the force of a wave. Three days. Three days of watching her heal, of feeding her, of holding her through restless nights when the phantom pain of the electric shock made her whimper in her sleep. Three days of believing they were building something unshakable, and now?—
“Before you say anything,” he interrupted, “I need to apologize.”
Her eyebrows lifted in surprise, but he pressed on, the words tumbling out in an uncharacteristic rush.
“My tone. My words about Sylar. I was harsh and dismissive. I reacted like an Alpha protecting his territory instead of a mate listening to his partner.” His hands moved to frame her face, histhumbs brushing the delicate line of her cheekbones. “I’m under pressure with this war, with protecting the pack, with protecting you. And I’ve been on edge ever since you took that hit for me?—”
The memory of her unconscious body in the water, limp and lifeless, threatened to shatter him completely.
“When you started questioning Sylar’s loyalty, I panicked. Not because I didn’t trust you, but because admitting I didn’t see something again, just like I didn’t see that eel, means admitting I failed to protect you. Again.” His voice caught. “I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”
“Thalric.” Her hands pressed against his chest, her fingers splaying over his heart. “Stop.”
The gentle command in her voice stilled his spiraling thoughts. Through the growing mate bond, he felt her emotions. Understanding. Patience. And beneath it all, something warm and steady that made his chest tight.
“I understand the pressure you’re under,” she said, her blue eyes soft with compassion. “I understand the fear you felt after my injury. I can feel your emotions, you know. Through the bond. Your worry, your determination, your—” She paused, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Your love.”
The word hung between them like a confession. Thalric’s breath caught.
“What I wanted to tell you,” she continued, her voice growing stronger, more certain, “is that over the past three days, I came to a realization. I don’t want to leave Nova Aurora.” Her hands slid up to cup his face, mirroring his gesture. “And I don’t want to leave you.”
The world seemed to tilt on its axis. “What are you saying?”
Her smile bloomed into something radiant. “I’m saying that I’m ready to choose you fully. I’m ready to complete the mate bond now.”
