FAYE
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I woke up with my face buried halfway into Alexander’s pillow, the scent of him warm and familiar against my cheek.
For a second, I forgot I’d fallen asleep last night feeling frustrated–no, irritated was the better word. Irritated that he’d practically ignored me. Irritated that he’d gone quiet and careful and… distant. I had fallen asleep wanting him, and he had acted completely unaffected.
When I finally blinked my eyes open, the first thing I saw was him.
Fully dressed. Looking annoyingly good in a white T–shirt and joggers. Sitting on the couch with his laptop open, brows slightly furrowed as he typed, like one of those magazine covers about ” effortlessly handsome men pretending to work.”
I stared at him for a moment, the irritation from last night stretching inside me like a bruise I’d forgotten until I touched it. He must have sensed the movement because he looked up almost
immediately.
“You’re awake.” His voice softened, warm enough to make my heart beat a little faster. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” I said, though what I really meant was I’m not dying, but I’m still annoyed at you.
He didn’t catch the undertone. Of course he didn’t.
He smiled. “That’s good news,” he continued, already glancing back at his screen while still talking. “I’ve been waiting for you to wake up so I could ask, but I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Somehow, that made my irritation worse. Because he sounded like he genuinely had no idea I’d gone to bed upset, no idea that I’d been wanting him, no idea that I’d lain there trying to get his attention like some rejected puppy.
My eyes narrowed. Sure… great. You waited. You didn’t bother last night though, did you?
And then–because apparently my brain was not done being dramatic–I thought, You shouldn’t have bothered at all, Alexander.
My own sarcasm stung me a little. But before I could even process it, Alexander paused mid–typing.
His fingers froze. His brows pulled slightly together. Then he lifted his head and looked at me.
“Sorry?” he asked.
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< Chapter 224
I blinked. “What?” I wondered briefly if I’d said that out loud.
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He stared for one more second, then shook his head lightly as if convincing himself it didn’t matter. “Nothing. You’re being funny this morning.”
I wasn’t. At all.
But his attention was already back on the laptop. “I just need to finish this and forward it. Five minutes.”
I didn’t respond. Mostly because I didn’t trust what would come out of my mouth.
I pushed the blanket off and swung my legs down, trying to ignore the small ache of
I
embarrassment lingering from last night. Was I being ridiculous? Maybe. But also–my body was changing. I didn’t feel like myself some days. What if he didn’t find me attractive anymore? What if
No. I wasn’t going down that road this early in the morning. I should be getting ready for work.
I went to the bathroom, freshened up, and took a deep breath before stepping back out.
Alexander was still working, still focused, still somehow managing to look good doing absolutely nothing special. And that did nothing to help the insecurity that kept buzzing around my chest.
I hesitated near the edge of the bed, watching him for a long moment.
Should I ask him? Does he not find me attractive anymore? Has my body really changed that
much?
I shut my eyes. No. Terrible idea. Horrible idea. I’ll die of embarrassment.
And that was when it happened.
A voice–sharp, sarcastic, unmistakably familiar–slid through my mind. “Oh, why not ask him then?
”
I froze.
My heart jerked painfully, breath catching in my throat. Because I knew that voice. I knew it down to my bones.
Nova… My wolf.
I swallowed hard, eyes widening. Nova?
But before I could react, I noticed Alexander looking at me again.
“Ask me what?” he asked.
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< Chapter 224
My entire body went still. He heard her too–this is real.
His eyes widened a fraction at the same moment mine did.
It hit him: he wasn’t supposed to hear my thoughts–not without Nova.
For him to respond that quickly, that casually… it meant my wolf hadn’t just spoken to me.
She had spoken through the bond.
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I brought my hand to my chest in pure shock, because suddenly–suddenly–I could feel her. Not fully, not the way before the pregnancy, but the faint pressure of her presence curled somewhere
deep inside me.
“Alexander…” I breathed, voice barely audible.
He had already set his laptop aside. “Faye.” His tone matched mine–half stunned, half reverent, almost disbelieving.
“She–she said something,” I whispered. “I heard her. I… felt her.”
His expression softened with something I couldn’t name. Awe, maybe. Relief. A little fear. A little
wonder.
“Your wolf?” His voice was quiet.
“Yes. And you-“I swallowed, “you heard her too… right?”
For a moment, neither of us moved.
I could feel my heartbeat everywhere–in my throat, in my fingers, in the center of my chest where Nova’s presence moved faintly like a returning echo.
I felt alive… strong. Awake in a way I hadn’t in weeks.
“I can’t believe it,” I whispered. “I thought… I thought she was still sleeping.”
Alexander stood slowly, taking a few steps toward me. “This is good. This is really good.”
“But why now?” I asked. “How? I wasn’t doing anything,”
He brushed a loose strand of hair from my face. “Maybe she’s just… ready. Or maybe it was the bath.” He shrugged.
I let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed and relieved all at once.
I didn’t realize tears had gathered in my eyes until Alexander cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing softly along my skin.
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“Hey,” he said quietly, “You’re okay.”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so I did both.
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A ridiculous sound escaped me–half choked, half delighted–as the tears spilled over and laughter bubbled out of my chest at the same time. Nova, my wolf… after weeks of silence, of emptiness, of feeling like a part of me had been sealed away… she was here. She was really here.
All the irritation I’d been clinging to–everything from last night, even the early–morning sulking- evaporated instantly. Just gone. Like it had never existed. Alexander’s face softened as he watched me, probably very unsure why his mate was apparently having an emotional meltdown on the carpet.
“This-“I hiccupped a laugh, wiping my face, “-this calls for a celebration.”
Alexander agreed. “Of course it does.”
“Yes!” I grinned so wide my cheeks hurt. “We’re celebrating. When I get back from work…”
“Work?” he cut in, eyes narrowing like I’d just told him I was planning to go skydiving without a
parachute.
I blinked. “Yes, Alexander. Work. That thing responsible adults do?”
“You’re not going,” he said flatly.
I stared at him. “I’m fine.”
“You fainted days ago.”
“You know that wasn’t work–related.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re still recovering, Faye,” he said, as if that alone was the entire argument.
“If I’m exhausted at this point, it would be the pregnancy combined with the weather and the fact that you’ve been ignoring me,” I muttered under my breath, not really talking to him.
His eyes narrowed. “What was that?”
“Nothing.” I cleared my throat. “Alexander, listen… I’m fine. I woke up feeling better than I’ve felt in weeks. I’m strong, I’m awake, Nova is awake… I feel great.”
“That’s nice,” he said, totally unimpressed. “You’re still not going.”
I put my hands on my waist. He was just using this as an opportunity to stop me from working because he never liked the idea in the first place. “You know you can’t stop me, right?”
He gave me that look–the one that always meant he absolutely could and absolutely would.
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< Chapter 224
“I’m just saying… call in sick for today,” he said, voice low, calm, annoyingly
you lose the job entirely.”
I gasped. “You wouldn’t.”
He tilted his head, smirking. “Try me.”
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I’ll make sure
I opened my mouth to argue again, but he cut me off by leaning down and kissing me–soft, warm, maddeningly gentle, like he hadn’t just threatened my employment with that calm voice.
He pulled back, tapped my waist lightly with his fingers, and said, “Good girl,” in a tone that was going to haunt me later.
Then he grabbed his phone and walked toward the door like he hadn’t just issued a threat, ended the argument, and kissed me senseless at the same time.
Honestly, it should’ve annoyed me.
Instead, I found myself laughing again.
The way he could be deadly serious, borderline authoritarian, and still kiss me before leaving… it would never, ever stop amusing me.
The door clicked shut behind him.
The room fell quiet. For a breath, nothing happened.
Then-
“Well, he woke up dramatic today, didn’t he?”
Nova’s voice slid through my mind again–clearer now, alive, sarcastic, familiar.
My breath hitched.
And then I screamed into the pillow like a child on sugar.
She was back… She was really back.
And I couldn’t contain the pure, overflowing excitement that burst out of me.
I spun around, laughed into the air, pressed both palms to my chest as her presence pulsed warm and bright beneath my skin.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
