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Strong arms catch me before I can hit the ground.

I want to fight. I do. But the warmth is already pulling me under, the weight of exhaustion finally tipping me over the edge.

I don’t fight when they carry me back to the nest. Don’t fight when I’m tucked back into the cocoon of scent and heat. A deep inhale, and my body melts against the blankets.

Sleep takes me before I can remember why I was resisting at all.

XAR

The moment her body goes slack, Blaise is there to catch her.

His arms curve around her like it’s instinct. Like there was never any chance he’d let her fall. He draws her into him so gently, so naturally, it’s like his body knew what to do before his brain even caught up.

He lowers her into the nest, one arm still looped around her back, the other pulling the blankets up around her shoulders. Her breath evens out almost instantly, her body curling into the warmth like she’s been waiting for this permission to rest. The tension bleeds out of her in soft, invisible threads.

She fought so hard.

And still, she lost.

I exhale slowly. The weight of it presses into my chest like lead. This was inevitable – her body’s still healing from heat, her nervous system shot from keeping us all at arm’s length. But this doesn’t feel like relief. It feels like a surrender she never wanted to give.

Blaise’s gaze flicks to mine as he finishes tucking the blanket around her like it’s something sacred.

“She’s done,” he murmurs. His voice is low, reverent. “She won’t wake up for a while.”

I nod once. “Stay with her.”

There’s no hesitation. Of course he will.

Evie won’t want to wake up alone – she won’t say it, maybe can’t, but we all know. She needs to beheld.

Needs to know someone is watching the door.

I sigh, dragging a hand through my hair. “Why does she have to be so damn stubborn?”

Blaise’s mouth quirks, but his eyes stay on her. “We wouldn’t love her if she wasn’t.”

I freeze.

Love.

He says it like it’s already decided. Like it was never even a question.

And maybe it wasn’t – not for him.

The truth of it settles between us like gravity.

Blaise…lovesher.

That cocky bastard with a chip on his shoulder the size of London has fallencompletelyunder her spell. I can see it now in the softness of his touch, the calm in his eyes. There’s a depth to him I’ve never seen before. A steadiness. Not to mention his apology and the complete shift in his behaviour. It’s not an act. He’s a changed man. Thanks to her.

I no longer want to punch him every time I look at him.

That’s how I know it’s real.

I glance down at her, at the little crease between her brows even in sleep, and feel something pull tight in my chest. I’ve known since the first moment I saw her that she was going to change everything.

But I didn’t expect her to changeme. To change us. Our pack. For the better.