I wake up sometime around midnight to absolute stillness.
The heavy, suffocating heat from earlier has cleared out of the air slightly, and against my back, Bael's breathing is steady, long, and stable. The high fever that had been burning his skin has finally gone down. He is fast asleep, but his arm is still wrapped like a heavy iron bar over my waist, pinning me against his chest.
I stare into the dark room, feeling entirely, utterly stupid.
How did I let myself fall right back into this situation? Why did I even just follow him up to this room in the first place? I should have stopped at the door. I should have dug my heels in.
Not to mention how completely caught off guard I was when he cornered me against the door and asked why I let another Alpha touch my waist.
Thinking about it now, the realization makes my blood run hot with a mix of humiliation and rage.
