B⁠ella didn’t sleep. She heard every sound in the house, every shift of wi⁠nd against the windo⁠ws, every uneven thump of Alfred’s footsteps two rooms away. He’d been pacing for almost an h⁠our. She could sense it through the bond—he was trying to stay calm for her, but someth⁠ing inside him kept slipping.

She sat on the edge of h⁠er bed, hands pres⁠sed against her stomach, ...