CHAPTER 41: HAPPY MOMENTS

I was just as stunned as Lewis.

Even though I had been twenty-eight when I died, my only physical moment with Julian had been one messy, hazy night when we were both drunk out of our minds. The next morning I woke up sore and confused, the whole thing blurry like a broken memory.

But this... this was different.

The heat of Lewis’s body pressed against mine, the slow rise and fall of his chest, the warmth of a wolf wrapped around me

I felt it all so clearly.

My wolf trembled under my skin, confused and alert at the same time.

Panicking, I tried to untangle my leg from around his waist

but in my haste, my knee brushed against a very sensitive spot.

Lewis inhaled sharply.

"Mmm... don’t move."

My breath hitched.

Slowly, I looked up at him.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, struggling to stay contained.

His face was so close.

Too close.

Eventually, Lewis loosened his grip on my waist.

Carefully. Slowly. Like pulling back from a cliff’s edge.

I slipped out of the bed in a rush, the cold air hitting me like a bucket of icy water.

The spell broke instantly.

Flustered, I stammered, "I I was supposed to leave after the therapy, but you suddenly grabbed me. You didn’t let go, and I didn’t want to wake you."

He just said quietly, "Sorry."

I shook my head and forced a small laugh, even though heat still burned my cheeks.

"It’s okay. I’ll... go wash up."

I rushed into the bathroom with shaky legs.

Inside, I turned the shower on and let warm water pour over me, hoping it would calm my racing wolf.

I always assumed that because of his injuries... or maybe the walls he kept around his heart... Lewis wouldn’t react like other wolves.

But I had been wrong.

Very wrong.

And now...

I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I splashed cold water on my face, trying to snap out of it.

What was wrong with me?

How could I even think like that?

Lewis had always been like an older wolf to me... a guide... someone calm, dependable, distant.

But now everything felt flipped upside down.

While I tried to gather myself, I heard footsteps outside.

Theo had entered the bedroom.

"Mr. Hale," he said softly, "here’s the full profile on Ms. Ashbourne."

"Mm." Lewis’s voice was low but alert.

Theo moved around quietly, preparing clothes for him.

But even with the water running, I heard Lewis dismiss him firmly.

"You may go."

"Yes, Alpha," Theo said before quickly leaving.

Then silence.

Inside the bathroom, I let out a long breath. Only then did I realize I’d rushed in without grabbing any clothes. Living with another wolf... an Alpha... yeah, I wasn’t used to that yet.

Thankfully, one of Lewis’s pack attendants had left a soft robe hanging behind the door. I slipped it on quickly.

Underneath, I had nothing on.

Just skin. Warm and still tingling from what happened earlier.

Only then did I really look at my new body Riley’s body.

My old body had been fine, but this one...

This one was something else entirely.

Smooth pale skin.

A tiny waist.

Long, slim legs.

A full chest that didn’t even need support to stay lifted.

I tied the robe as tight as I could, but it still clung to me in ways I didn’t expect. At least Lewis wasn’t the type to disrespect boundaries. That gave me a tiny bit of comfort.

I opened the bathroom door, planning to slip into my room to change.

But the moment I stepped out, I felt it.

Lewis was staring right at me.

He sat on the edge of the bed, blanket draped around his hips, his gray sleep shirt wrinkled. His dark eyes were sharp, unreadable, almost too focused.

And something deeper Alpha control struggling to stay intact.

"Mr. Hale?" I asked softly. "Do you need something?"

He blinked once and replied in a tone too calm for how intense he looked,

"No. Just wondering what you’d like for breakfast."

Breakfast.

Seriously?

I expected him to accuse me of something or question last night or that he had noticed something strange about my scent or instincts.

But breakfast?

"Oh! Uh... anything is fine. I’m not picky."

He tapped the tablet in his hand rhythmically an Alpha habit.

Even though he looked relaxed, there was a pressure in the air, the kind only a dominant wolf could create.

"You’ve married into my pack," he said quietly. "I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable here."

His voice was gentle.

Kind.

Nothing like Julian’s cold selfishness.

I smiled genuinely. "Thank you. In that case... I usually like juice and something light. Maybe granola."

"You like juice?" he asked.

"I do."

"Sweet or sour?"

"I’m okay with either," I said, still flustered. "I’ll go change now."

He nodded slowly, though his eyes lingered on me like he couldn’t quite look away.

I turned toward the wardrobe, but I could feel his gaze trailing down my back.

My wolf felt it too alert, warm, confused.

Inside the wardrobe were clothes Riley had owned before.

Soft colors. Pretty fabrics.

Nothing like the dark, stiff suits I used to wear as Elena.

I picked a pastel pink coat, a white turtleneck, and jeans.

Light makeup.

A loose bun.

I bent down to grab shoes when a voice behind me said, "That pair of white ones."

I turned.

Lewis was pointing at a pair of fluffy white slippers.

"Alright," I said, slipping them on.

Once I was dressed, I did a little twirl in front of him lighthearted and playful in a way I hadn’t allowed myself to be in years.

"Do they look good?" I asked, smiling brightly.

Lewis didn’t answer at first.

His gaze swept over me slowly, quietly, intensely.

Then he said, in a low, husky voice "You look beautiful."

My heart stumbled.

My wolf lifted her head.

And suddenly... everything in the room felt warmer.