Seraphina did not pull away from him. Instead, she leaned into his embrace, her forehead pressing lightly against his chest as her hands clutched the fabric of his shirt.
For the first time since she could remember, she felt like she was not standing alone. The Queen was gone, the coven was broken, and the world felt unfamiliar, yet in that moment, there was someone beside her. The feeling unsettled her, but at the same time, it made her feel strangely safe.
Her heart beat unevenly, stuttering in her chest, because this was the first time she had ever been held like this by a man, not in anger or confrontation, but in quiet support.
She cried for a while longer, her shoulders shaking as the weight of everything she had been holding back finally spilled out. When the tears began to slow, she straightened slightly, inhaling deeply as if forcing herself to regain control.
