Chapter 10

• The air in their secluded dwelling was heavy with the lingering scent of pine and something uniquely Kael – a wild, earthy musk that spoke of the forest and his untamed nature. Tallia watched him, a quiet observer as he moved with a panther-like grace that still, after all this time, mesmerized her. He was tending to a small, crackling fire, the flames casting dancing shadows across his chiseled features. The earlier formality of the pack introductions had receded, replaced by a comfortable intimacy that was still achingly new to her.
• "You seem lost in thought," Kael’s voice, a low rumble, broke the silence. He turned, his golden eyes, flecked with amber, meeting hers. There was a warmth in them now, a tenderness that had begun to chip away at the fortress she hadn’t realized she’d built around her heart.
• Tallia flushed slightly, a tell-tale sign of her inner workings that Kael seemed to find endlessly endearing. “Just… trying to process it all,” she admitted, gesturing vaguely. “It’s so much. Your world, your people… and us.” The last word hung in the air, fragile and significant.