Chapter 21
Selene’s POV
Getting Ethan Caldwell into the car was a challenge all on its own.
He stumbled with every other step, his tall frame slumping heavily against me as I wrestled him
into the backseat.
Once inside, he collapsed against my shoulder with a deep sigh, his breath warm and tinged with the unmistakable tang of alcohol.
I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
O
“You know you can’t handle that much, and yet you still tried to outdrink Elder Clark,” I teased under my breath.
“Now look at you, drunk as a wolf cub on moon ale.”
He mumbled something in response, low and unintelligible.
Then, as if sensing my amusement, he shifted-
pressing closer, rubbing his forehead lightly against my neck.
I stiffened, heat creeping up my skin.
His soft hair brushed my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.
I edged away instinctively, but he only muttered a sleepy protest and resettled against me, heavier
than before.
I sighed and let him be.
His scent–normally fresh pine and clean soap–was now laced with the rich, earthy undertone of
drunkenness,
but somehow it didn’t smell unpleasant.
It smelled… warm.
The car rumbled forward through the quiet Yorian streets, headlights slicing through the dark.
“Selene…” he murmured, his voice almost lost in the hum of the engine and passing traffic.
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I tilted my head toward him, trying to catch the rest, but the words blurred into the night.
TEE
Before I could lean in closer, the driver announced that we had arrived.
Regret pricked at me, sharp and quick.
But I pushed it aside, paid the fare, and half–carried, half–dragged Ethan toward his apartment
building.
Thank the Moon for elevators.
I wasn’t sure I could have hauled him up ten flights of stairs otherwise.
Inside his home, familiar in the way only Pack spaces could be–practical, sparse, comfortable–I managed to guide him toward the bedroom.
He seemed to recognize his surroundings, his steps growing marginally steadier as he staggered
toward his bed.
I exhaled in relief.
He flopped onto the mattress like a felled tree, sprawled across it in a way that was both undignified
and strangely endearing.
But just as I turned to leave, a loud thump startled me.
I whirled back.
Ethan lay on the floor beside the bed, eyes closed, breathing slow and steady.
I stared for a moment, torn between exasperation and laughter.
Apparently, he had managed to fall off the bed while half–asleep.
With another sigh, I bent down and heaved him back onto the mattress.
As I pulled the covers over him, a strong arm snaked around my waist.
I gasped, instinctively trying to wriggle free.
But his grip only tightened.
A protective, possessive hold-
the kind only a wolf who trusted you completely would dare use, even unconsciously.
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D
My face burned.
His body radiated heat, his heartbeat steady against my side, his breath ghosting across my skin.
And then, in the stillness, I heard it clearly this time:
“Selene… I like you…”
The whispered confession wrapped around me like a second heartbeat.
I froze.
For a moment, I considered waking him, demanding he clarify what he meant, if he even
remembered it come morning.
But another part of me–the part that still craved connection, still yearned for safe harbor–just let
it be.
I tried to escape his embrace again, but the alcohol–heavy sleep made his grip unyielding.
Eventually, exhaustion dragged me under, and I fell asleep curled against him.
For the first time in a long while, I slept without nightmares.
The next morning.
I woke slowly, warm and drowsy, cocooned in a nest of heat and steady breathing.
For a few blissful seconds, I didn’t question it and even didn’t think
I simply shifted, trying to snuggle deeper into the comforting weight against my side.
Except-
the “pillow” beneath me shifted back.
Muscle.
Breath.
Heat.
I froze.
My eyes snapped open, and I found myself face–to–face with Ethan Caldwell.
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Or more precisely, with the burning red of his flushed face, only inches away.
His golden eyes were wide, staring at me with the exact same horror thudding inside my own chest.
For one unbearable heartbeat, we both just stared at each other.
Then I bolted upright, scrambling backward so fast I nearly fell off the bed.
My heart hammered against my ribs as if trying to break free.
I ran a hand through my tangled hair, mortified.
How could I have fallen asleep like that?
How could I have stayed curled up in his arms all night like some lovesick pup?
“Uh-“I croaked, my voice cracking like dry bark.
“I just… I only meant to bring you home. You were drunk and then you
I stopped, horrified by what I was saying.
Ethan, still sitting frozen on the bed, nodded stiffly.
“Right,” he mumbled, not meeting my eyes. “My fault.”
An awkward, suffocating silence swallowed the room.
Heat bloomed across my cheeks, spreading to the tips of my ears.
I needed to get out of here.
Now.
I stumbled toward the door, my hand fumbling for the handle.
I just needed to leave, to put a wall between us until the burning in my face cooled down.
My fingers brushed the cold metal of the knob-
And another hand covered mine.
Chapter 21
