VEUX

Fifty

April 4

Saoirse woke long before she opened her eyes.

Her head swam in a dizziness that kept her pinned, trapped beneath what felt like sheets of hot metal. Yet she stayed, swimming through her swirling mind. It might have been something similar to peace, in a daze of silence, and shallow breaths, cocooned in an endless warmth as she sunk deeper.

She cursed every exhale in her foggy state.

Guilty, as she bathed in the Alpha's presence, soaked up the heat from his skin.

Her mind did not wish to move, her body even less. It was certainly a dangerous position to be in, a sheep next to a wolf. Listening to Obsidians soft breaths, with occasional tidbits of snores, the early light of dawn had set off Saoirse's internal alarm clock.

The silence reminded her of the Yoga room. It brought her sensibility in her thoughts.

Perhaps it wasn't so bad, was it? She had good food, clean clothes, and a very sturdy roof over her head. It was certainly three more things than Gabby had ever had, all at once. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to return with Gabby, to give her all of the things she should of never had to go without as a child, but the thought always fell halfway through. Sure, it had been a while since Saoirse had screamed her lungs out or truly spoken her mind about how she felt, but it was the one-sidedness from Obsidian that turned her away more than anything. She had only ever asked him to give her space, for him not to order her around, to let her gain any sort of control over her life back after what he had done. Turning her. Biting her. Marking her.

Her mind swam in the opposite direction now, the change causing waves to make her feel nauseous. Thinking badly of one's own mate was punishable by the Goddess, Saoirse was certain.

She would sacrifice her own comfort of life for Gabby's safety and well-being. It was the hill she would die on.

Thinking about her niece gave Saoirse the strength to crack open her eyes. Some light had ventured its way to the room, but very little due to the blinds. Slowly, Saoirse began to pry her body from Obsidian's warmth and untangle herself from his arms. As she stood, a squeak piped from her lips when a hand grasped her wrist.

"Where are you off to?" Raspy words were barely recognizable in Obsidian's rich morning voice.

His deep timbre shocked Saoirse, causing her legs to squeeze together as she stood at the edge of the mattress. Thankfully, his eyes were still closed as his head was turned towards her old pillow.

Next to Obsidian in bed was a very dangerous position indeed.

"I have to tell you something," She whispered. She was met with a very slight grumble that could've been mistaken for a snore. "That's the last night I sleep in here. Do you understand me?"

This caught his attention, turning his head just enough to pry open his eyes and look at her, caught like prey in his palm. He began to pull her back down into the bed.

"Stop," Saoirse said softly, only using enough strength to not fall back into his trap. "Do you understand me?"

Perhaps Saoirse could put everything behind her, and start a new, and forgive him, but first, the pair would have to learn to respect each other as equals.

--

"Goddess!" Novak spun on his heel as he exited the bathroom, naked as the day he was born. "Luna, you are not supposed to be in here!"

Saoirse kept her inner grin to herself as she caught a glimpse of his body turned into the corner of the wall, bare for the world to see. He side shuffled back into his bathroom connected to his room, grabbing a bath towel to conceal himself.