Hazel's POV
Pip's tiny body felt warm against my chest as she slept peacefully in my arms. Her soft curls tickled my chin, and her small hand clutched my shirt like it was her lifeline. The weight of her—this child who had known nothing but cruelty and captivity—anchored me to reality in a way nothing else could right now.
I stroked her back gently, watching the steady rise and fall of her breathing while my mind raced with thoughts about the man sitting beside me.
Kael. The Lycan King. My supposed fated mate.
The silence between us stretched after his question about keeping Pip. That simple word—"we"—had unlocked something dangerous inside me. A vision of possibilities I wasn't ready to face.
"When all this is over," Kael said, breaking the silence, "we'll return to my territory. The children will be safe there."
I tensed at his words. Not a question or suggestion—a statement. A decision already made.
"*We*?" I echoed, my voice soft but firm. "Kael, there is no 'we' yet."
