|| Lilac's POV ||

I lay on the couch, my head resting against Alaric’s arm, the steady rise and fall of his chest a comforting rhythm beneath me. The room was quiet, save for the soft crackling of the fire in the hearth, its warm glow casting flickering shadows across the walls. But despite the peacefulness of the moment, guilt gnawed at me, a relentless ache that refused to be ignored. Why do I feel so restless? Why I had pulled away from him before? The questions swirled in my ...