*Runze's POV*
Something hurts.
Not enough to frighten me or enough to make me panic. But enough to pull me out of sleep.
My eyes stay closed while I try to figure out what's wrong. The room is warm, the blankets are heavy, and a dull, persistent ache settles low in my abdomen, pressing against me with an uncomfortable weight.
I take a slow breath. The familiar, clean scent surrounding me answers another question before I even ask it.
Bael.
His arm is wrapped securely around my waist, holding me against his chest. For a moment, the physical discomfort fades, my thoughts drifting back to last night. The empty nursery. His raw apology. The way he pressed his cheek against my stomach while promising that we'd figure things out together.
Heat creeps into my face. Then I shift, trying to adjust my legs, and a very different kind of soreness spreads through my body.
My eyes snap open. Right. *That* happened, too.
