Eira’s POV
I fell asleep while thinking about Raven. When I woke up the next morning, the place next to me was empty.
Kael and Raven weren’t on the bed.
Worried something had happened to Raven, I sat up in bed in panic, only to see Kael was sitting on the couch with Raven sleeping on his chest like a little bunny.
Both of them looked to be in deep sleep.
I let out a sigh of relief that Raven was fine.
’Had he been sleeping on the couch instead of on the bed?’ That didn’t really look comfortable.
I noticed the sheets Kael had pulled over them had slipped down.
Slowly, I got down from the bed, tiptoed toward them, and pulled up the sheets over them gently to cover them without disturbing their sleep.
Up close, I couldn’t help but admire them. They both looked at peace. Like always, I couldn’t help but envy Kael. It must feel so good to sleep while holding the little bunny. Raven’s soft cheek was pressed against Kael’s chest, and drool was seeping onto his shirt—but neither of them seemed to mind. So cute.
Making sure the sheet was fixed, I turned to leave, but then my hand was held, stopping me before I could take a step away. I turned and saw Kael awake, his sleepy, enticing eyes looking at me.
’Did I wake him up?’ Just as I thought that, he tugged my hand lightly and I ended up sitting next to him.
"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
"I was just..." I tried to speak, but his hand guided my head to rest against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around me.
He pecked my head. "Stay for a while."
What’s going on?
I obeyed and let myself rest against him. My face was so close to Raven’s, who was using this hard chest of a man as his cushion. A light smile painted my lips and I caressed his cheek gently.
’Why did he have to be so adorable?’ My fingers felt the softness of his baby-smooth, radiant skin.
"What happened to him last night?" I asked in a low voice. almost a whisper.
"His body was responding to the trauma he had," Kael replied in an equally low voice.
I moved my head up to look at him, and he looked back at me as if knowing what I was going to ask. "The people he was with—they weren’t kind to him. They tried some dangerous drugs on him, which caused him pain."
Damn! My blood boiled. What kind of monsters are there in the world to not leave even a child alone? First it was Roman, and now Raven as well.
My eyes turned moist as I couldn’t help but feel hurt for him. "Can’t we treat him?"
"We are already doing it," Kael explained. "Liam has given him drugs to flush out the ones in his body. Though the drug is no longer in his blood, the body still remembers the pain."
"Is he like this every night?" I asked.
He hummed.
"Can’t we do anything about it?"
"We have to give it time. Over time, he will stop feeling it."
My hand caressed his small head to make him feel better. "I wish I could take all his pain away."
"If it was possible, I would have taken his pain for myself," Kael said. "And yours as well."
His words made me look at him, and he spoke again. "It’s my responsibility to take the pain, not yours. All you have to do is be happy."
I didn’t know how to react or what to say.
The feeling of being cared for was still foreign to me, though they had been showering me with it for a long time already.
And, this man before me had caused me so much pain, that there’s still a thorn stuck in my heart which would never let me forget it—but somehow, at this moment, I couldn’t bring myself to hate him.
Why?
Am I being a spineless woman to forgive a man just because he is being good to me now, and forget what he did to me back then?
I couldn’t comprehend anything.
But if the thought of having my son back and giving him a good life was what made me a spineless and selfish woman, then let it be. This world and its people were no saints either.
If they were the ones who ruined my and my son’s life, then they should be the ones to fix it for us. So, I am going to stay here with my Ray, as this is the only place that can protect him.
For his sake, I was ready to forget my pain and embrace the new life ahead.
Back then, I even made a five-year deal with those traffickers worth suffering in hell so I could meet my son after that. Then, these five were far better than them. At least I know they won’t harm me or my son.
I can’t change what happened to me, but I can bring change to my son’s life. And I am going to use them for it.
Lost in my thoughts, I ended up snuggling against Kael, forgetting he was even there.
His scent is so good, the warmth feels more comforting than anything that could.
I closed my eyes. How I wished to stay close to him just like this and let myself drown in his presence, in this closeness.
"What are you thinking about?"
I heard his voice over my head, and I came back to my senses.
What am I doing?
I looked up at him, his face so close that my heart almost jumped out. My eyes stuck to his handsome face as if I had never seen him before. My heart was beating fast; my skin felt a shiver.
What’s happening to me? Did he do something? I feel like he is seducing me—or is it just the lustful wolf inside me? I swallowed hard under the intensity of his gaze.
He raised a brow. Could he hear my loud heartbeat? Could he feel the change in me through the bond?
I was about to move away, but he held me. "What happened?"
"I...I need to visit the washroom..." I managed to say.
If I stayed here any moment longer, I wasn’t sure how low I would fall. The damn wolf seemed to be messing with me all of a sudden.
He released me, and I didn’t delay a moment before getting away from him.
Until I walked out of the door, I felt his gaze following me. I’m sure he felt the change in me. So embarrassing.
You idiot wolf. Wasn’t being fucked all these years enough that you crave it even now? I cursed and walked down the stairs to go back to my room.
No. I guess I can’t fault my wolf. There was something wrong with me to feel so many changes in my body at once—overly emotional, hungry like a beast, and now even horny.
Is it truly as they say—I am not mentally stable?
It seemed like it.
I need to get better fast.