“Perfect,” Magnus growled, his voice low and sated as his knot slowly began to deflate.
Killian slowly pulled out of my ass after his knot came down too, and a whimper slipped from my lips.
“Shhh, I’ve got you, mate,” he murmured, his hands caressing me.
Magnus lifted me off of his cock and laid me down in the furs. His expression softened as he looked down at me.
“Rest now,” he said, a genuine smile spreading across his face.
I didn’t need to be told twice.
The warmth of the fire danced across my skin, and I closed my eyes, the exhaustion and satisfaction settling deep into my bones.
As I drifted off, I felt the pack’s hands on me, their fingers stroking my hair, their lips brushing my skin. I felt one or several of them using the damp blanket to clean me off and then a soft fur was laid over me.
“Sleep, Zara,” Tobias whispered soothingly. “We’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Always,” Callum murmured.
“Forever,” Killian added.
“And ever,” Thorne finished.
CHAPTER 20
Callum
I sat near the hearth, turning the rabbits that I’d caught in the wee hours of the morning while everyone else still slept, over the fire, the smell of roasting meat filling the quiet space. Thorne leaned against the doorway, his eyes scanning the horizon outside.
My eyes drifted to where Zara lay nestled in a pile of furs, her body relaxed in a way I hadn’t seen before. She looked peaceful, her lips slightly parted, her chest rising and falling with soft, even breaths.
It was hard to reconcile this Zara—soft, sleeping, vulnerable—with the fierce, determined woman who had faced down ferals and freed us from that tribe of cannibals. She was a contradiction in every way, and I loved every bit of it.
Her dark hair spilled over the edge of the furs, the morning light catching on the waves and giving them a warm, golden sheen. Her skin, pale and smooth, was dotted with faint bruises and scratches from her time in the caves, but those marks didn’tdiminish her beauty. If anything, they only added to it, proof of her strength and resilience.
Something occurred to me just then.
She would make a great mother.
I caught myself smiling, the image of her belly round and full with our child flashing unbidden through my mind. The thought stirred something deep inside me, a longing I hadn’t realized I carried. A future with her wasn’t just possible—it felt inevitable.
The others began to stir, their movements quiet as they shook off the last remnants of sleep. Magnus stretched, his dark hair catching the light as he ran a hand through it, his sharp eyes flicking toward Zara. Tobias sat up next, his dark gaze lingering on her for a moment before he stood, his usual stoicism tempered by something softer. Killian woke last, yawning as he ran his fingers through his sleep-mussed hair.
“She’s still asleep?” Magnus asked, his voice low.
I nodded, turning the rabbits over again. “She needed the rest.”
“Didn’t we all,” Tobias muttered, his tone dry, but lacking its usual bite.
As if sensing the weight of our gazes, Zara stirred, her dark lashes fluttering before her eyes opened. She blinked, the morning light catching in her deep blue eyes as she looked around, confusion shifting across her face before she relaxed.
“Morning,” I said, offering her a warm smile.
“Morning,” she murmured, her voice still thick with sleep.
I grabbed the cooked rabbits from the fire, tearing off a piece and handing it to her. “Eat. You’ll need your strength.”
She sat up slowly, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders as she accepted the food.