Aurora's POV
The night was quiet, but my mind was restless. Oliver had insisted I stay in his bed, wrapped in his arms. We didn't have sex again that night; he just held me with a fragile kind of care, as if he were afraid he might break me if he squeezed too hard. I lay there against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat and feeling like a complete fraud. He was at peace because his beast had been fed, while I was wide awake, still feeling the phantom grip of his hands on my hips and the heat of a desire I wasn't supposed to like.
The next morning, the sun drifted through the curtains, waking me up. Oliver was already up, dressed in a sharp suit that made him look every bit the powerful Alpha King.
"I have a council meeting," he said, leaning over the bed to brush a stray hair from my face. "It's confidential, so I don't need you to attend as my assistant today. Stay here and rest, Aurora. Or go out and clear your head."
