Page 25 of The Alpha's Grave Secrets

Slipping into bed beside him without a word, he doesn’t protest. He doesn’t say anything aloud. Instead, he drapes his arm over my waist, pulling me close. I can feel every breath he takes, steady but a little too deep, like he’s trying too hard to relax like me.

I should be able to sleep. I’m exhausted, yet here I am, wide awake. Every inch of my body is hyperaware of Kato—of how his chest presses against my back, the slow rise and fall of his breathing, the heat of his skin against mine. It would be so easy to just… let go. To let myself feel it all again.

But I can’t. We can’t.

The bond tugs at me like it always does—a relentless pull that never fades. It’s worse now, after what happened in the forest. My mouth goes dry just thinking about Kato’s fingers inside of me, and my heart skips a beat.

His hands are on my breasts, toying with my nipples, goddess. I can’t be thinking about that right now. Not when we are like this, so close, and I can feel the weight of his emotions bleeding into mine.

He’s trying to hold it together like he always does. Strong and controlled, even when I know he’s thinking the same things I am.

I shift slightly, and his grip tightens, pulling me closer without a word. My heart stumbles, and I hate that it does. This shouldn’t feel like home. But it does.

My fingers curl into the sheets. The cool fabric beneath my palm is a stark contrast to the fire spreading through me just from being wrapped in his arms.

I close my eyes and focus on something other than the steady beat of Kato’s heart. It is so close, steady, and entrancing, like it’s calling out to mine.

After a moment of failing miserably at trying to think of anything other than our hearts seeming to beat as one, I speak, breaking through the silence of the room, “Kato,” I whisper unsteadily, my voice betraying my attempt at confidence.

“Hmm?” His voice is low, rough with exhaustion, but something else exists. Something he’s trying to push down, just like me.

I hate how the idea excites me and sends shivers down my body. I can’t seem to control myself with him.

“I don’t know if…” I trail off, not sure how to finish. I don’t know if this is a good idea. I don’t know if I can keep doing this. I don’t know if being this close to him will break me.

He doesn’t answer right away, but I feel his arms shift, his hand splaying across my stomach, holding me in a place like he knows I’m about to bolt. “I know,” he says quietly, his breath warm against my neck. “But it’s harder to stay away.”

Silence falls between us again. That’s the truth, isn’t it? It’s impossible to be near him without wanting more. It’s impossible to see his grin and not fall in love with him all over again.

I swallow hard, staring at the shadows dancing across the wall. I shouldn’t have agreed to come here—I shouldn’t have agreed to stay with him.What was I thinking?

That’s the problem, I wasn’t thinking. I was following my feelings. I feel safer with Kato than with anyone else. Certainly, much safer than I feel with Ezra.

But still, now that we’ve crossed this line, I don’t think we will be able to uncross it. What if we’ve just made a colossal mistake? How are we supposed to return to living our respective lives after this?

“I don’t know what we’re doing,” I admit, my voice tight, my fingers still fisted in the sheets. Kato’s heartbeat quickens against my back, and I want to caress him to tell him everything will be okay.

His silence says enough. He doesn’t know either. But he doesn’t let go, doesn’t move away. Instead, he leans in just enough that I can feel the soft press of his lips against the back of my neck. It’s barely a kiss, more of a reminder—of what we had, of what’s still there, no matter how hard we try to ignore it.

I bite my lip. Trying to squeeze away the ache that swells in my chest as I shut my eyes. If I turn around and let myself face him like I want to, I won’t be able to resist. But I can’t bring myself to pull away either.

So, there we lie, tangled in each other’s arms, teetering on the edge of something more dangerous than the killer we are hunting. Neither of us is moving. Neither of us is sleeping.

And neither of us is willing to let go.

Chapter 13

Kato

The soft buzz of my phone pulls me out of the kind of sleep I haven’t had in weeks. For a moment, I’m disoriented, caught between the warmth of Elara beside me and the weight of responsibility settling back into my chest. Her body is still curled into mine, and I almost ignore the call, not wanting to break the spell of this perfect moment.

Almost.

Sighing, I grab my phone, squinting as the blue light from the screen..it assaults my senses. It’s Gunnolf. I know it’s bad news before I even answer. He wouldn’t be calling past midnight if it wasn’t.

“Kato, we’ve got a missing person report who fits the victim profile. Her credit card shows that she was at ‘Nothing Here’ before she disappeared. Social media, too, and that’s the last we have on her.” He says, with no humor in his voice, and he is far too quick to the point.

I exhale, carefully untangling myself from Elara and sitting up slowly to not wake her.So, the killer wasn’t bluffing.“How’d you get into her credit statement so quickly?”

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