Snow drifted down beneath the streetlights, slow and quiet, turning the city pale and still.
The trees in the courtyard bent under the sharp wind, restless and unable to settle much like the tension that lingered from tonight. It had been long. Heavy. Unavoidable.
Inside the room, warmth wrapped around us like spring. The air smelled faintly of roses, sweet and calming.
Lewis stayed over me, unmoving, as if leaving wasn't even an option his body would accept. His weight felt natural. Protective.
"Elena," he murmured, his voice low and rough from emotion, "you're mine now."
The words sent a shiver straight through me not fear, not doubt. Something deeper. Something that settled in my bones.
I was still floating, my thoughts slow, my voice hoarse when I finally managed,
"…Mm."
So this was what it felt like to truly belong to someone. Not just by name. Not just by words. But by choice. By instinct.
