The den was finally quiet.
Not the tense kind.
Not the grieving kind.
Just… soft.
Warm bodies curled into the nest of furs. The pups were asleep at last—Kael closest to Aiden's side, Ryn half on top of him, Lior tucked in so tightly it almost looked like he was afraid the world might move him away.
Aiden didn't move them.
He didn't want to.
Theron lay on his back near the center of the den, one arm resting loosely above his head, the other still close enough that Aiden could reach him without thinking.
Like a habit.
Like something that had always been there.
Aiden moved first.
Slow.
Careful.
Not asking.
Just climbing onto him.
Theron didn't stop him.
Didn't question it.
His body simply adjusted—instinctively making space as Aiden settled against his chest.
Aiden exhaled softly.
Then pressed closer.
The world outside the den didn't exist like this.
No patrols.
No tension.
No watching eyes.
Just—
Heartbeat.
Steady.
Strong.
Alive.
Aiden rested his ear against Theron's chest.
Listened.
Not because he needed to confirm anything.
But because it grounded him.
Because it made everything feel real.
Theron's hand moved slightly.
Fingers brushing through Aiden's hair.
Slow.
Unforced.
Aiden's wolf stirred faintly.
Not restless.
Not protective.
Just… present.
Comforted.
Minutes passed.
Maybe more.
Time didn't matter like this.
Then—
Aiden spoke.
Quietly.
Almost like he wasn't sure he meant to.
"…when did you feel in love with me?"
Theron's hand paused.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Aiden didn't look up.
He kept listening to the heartbeat.
Like if he stopped—
He might lose the courage to ask.
"…like," Aiden added softly, "long before this lifetime."
Silence.
Theron didn't answer immediately.
Not because he didn't know.
But because the question wasn't simple.
It never had been.
His chest rose slowly beneath Aiden's head.
Measured.
Steady.
"…before you remembered me," Theron said finally.
His voice was low.
Careful.
Almost distant.
"As far back as I can trace you… you were already there."
Aiden blinked slowly.
But didn't move.
Theron continued, quieter now.
"I didn't understand it at first."
A pause.
"I thought it was duty. Or instinct."
His fingers brushed lightly through Aiden's hair again.
"…but it wasn't."
Aiden's breath shifted slightly.
Theron's gaze softened as he stared at the ceiling.
"I used to watch you in every life."
The words landed gently.
But deeply.
"Different faces. Different names. Different endings."
A faint exhale.
"…but always the same feeling when I found you again."
Aiden's grip on his shirt tightened just slightly.
Not fear.
Not surprise.
Just… listening harder.
Theron's voice dropped further.
"I don't think there was a moment I started loving you."
A pause.
"I think I just… never stopped."
Silence returned.
Not heavy this time.
Just full.
Aiden shifted slightly against his chest.
Closer.
Subconsciously.
"…that's unfair," he murmured.
A faint breath of something almost like amusement left Theron.
"…how?"
Aiden didn't answer right away.
Then—
"…because I don't remember any of it."
Theron's hand stopped again.
But only briefly.
Then resumed.
Slower this time.
Gentler.
"That doesn't mean it wasn't real," he said quietly.
Aiden stayed silent.
But he didn't pull away.
Outside the den, the wind moved through the trees.
Soft.
Distant.
Harmless.
Inside—
Aiden closed his eyes.
Listening to the heartbeat beneath him.
Grounding himself in it.
"…then you better not stop now," he said finally.
Quiet.
Small.
Almost like a warning.
Almost like a request.
Theron's hand tightened just slightly in his hair.
"…I won't."
And for the first time in a long while—
Neither of them felt like they were holding the world up alone.