Sera lifted her chin.
"I know you like to boss people around."
"That's not what I asked. An Alpha commands. And the pack obeys."
"Some kind of leader," she said.
"Yeah," Eric said. "So people generally do what I tell them to. And as long as you are here, you will do exactly as I say." His eyes flicked to her—assessing, annoyed. "Get into bed."
His bossiness grated down her raw nerves. Fever or not, she still had a functioning mouth. "You know what," she sighed, fighting the urge to roll her eyes, "I am too sick to argue with you." The mattress dipped slightly as she eased into it, pulling the blanket around her. Even wrapped tight, a violent shiver shot through her body.
Eric cursed quietly. He stared at her shaking form, jaw tightening. Then, without a word, he lifted the covers.
Before she could protest, he slid in beside her.
She jerked up, alarm surging through her. "What… what are you doing?"
"Sharing my body heat with you," Eric said. "Werewolves are warm. I'll warm you up."
"No!" she yelped, instinct flaring.
"Shut up," he muttered, completely unbothered by her outrage. He grabbed her by the waist—firm, strong hands that radiated heat—and tugged her back against him. The blanket cocooned them both, trapping his furnace-like body against her chilled skin.
"I hate this!" Sera protested, even as her body gave a traitorous sigh of relief and melted into the warmth of him. Heat seeped into her, soothing the ache in her bones.
"Me and you both, darling," Eric said dryly. "Me and you both."
The room settled into a stillness thick with shared breath and unwanted intimacy. A few minutes passed, enough for her temperature to stabilize. Enough for her to become painfully aware of the new kind of heat pooling low in her stomach.
She told herself she could ignore it.
She absolutely failed.
Because now she felt it—his erection, pressed intimately behind her, unmistakable even through the layers of fabric. She tried to will her body into sleep, to pretend she didn't feel the slow burn sweeping through her nerves.
Then she tried to shift, just a little. Just enough to escape the hard shape nudging between her thighs.
Instead, she trapped him even further.
A sharp inhale punched out of Eric's chest.
Her eyes widened. "Oh my God."
Then, very quietly, very tightly, he gritted, "Sera… stop. Moving."
"I'm not moving!" she whispered, mortified.
"You're… doing something."
Heat surged into her cheeks. "I swear I'm not!"
"You're killing me," he said.
"I just wanted to…" Sera began, trying once again to wiggle free, but her attempts were pathetic. Every time she tried to escape his embrace, she only ended up brushing against more of the solid length of his cock.
"Stay still, goddamnit!!!" Eric growled.
"I'm fine now," she snapped. "You can go to your room."
"Fine!" he bit back instantly. But he didn't move. Not even a twitch. His body stayed molded to hers, one arm locked around her waist. Truth was, he didn't want to leave. Couldn't. Being pressed against her… it quieted the restless, haunted part of him that never slept. The part shaped by his beast, shifting moons, and leadership he never asked for.
"You're not leaving."
He inhaled sharply, then blurted, "I changed my mind. This is my house!"
It came out defensive and childish, and immediately she turned her head to glare at him.
"You're making me uncomfortable," Sera said. She wasn't lying—she was painfully aware of every inch of him.
"Why?" Eric shot back, blunt as always. "Cause you made my dick hard?"
Sera let out a mortified squeak and buried her face in the pillow. She wanted to dig a grave in the mattress and descend into it immediately.
Eric, the menace, shifted his fingers and held her hand. Then he guided her fingers downward, moving them until she felt the rigid outline of him through his sweatpants. She stiffened, shocked, and tried to snatch her hand away, but he held her still.
"Have you ever felt one as hard as this?"
His whisper was rough.
Her throat tightened. "Eric, please go."
His grip loosened. His breath hitched. And when he spoke again, she heard it—the pain. Real, unguarded pain.
"I want to stay, please. Rarely am I at peace like this, Sera. Let me."
Sera's heart clenched. Instinct rose inside her. She didn't know why she felt the urge to protect him, to soothe him, but she did. Maybe it was the fever. Or maybe it was the way his voice cracked on that one word—peace.
She slid her fingers away gently, and he let her.
Then she turned. Until she faced him. Eric looked startled.
Without overthinking it, she slid her arm around his body, her palm resting against his back. A quiet acceptance.
Eric's breath shuddered out of him.
He held her.
She held him back.
And neither of them had any idea what that meant.
Eric smiled faintly, a rare, fleeting expression that didn't often touch his sharp features. "I promise I'll be gone before you wake up," he whispered. Sera nodded once, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion, and watched as he curled himself against the blanket at the edge of her bed, pretending to give her privacy while secretly anchoring himself close to her. Soon, her own breathing evened out.
Somewhere in the middle of the night, when thought and reason had no dominion and their bodies were surrendered to unconsciousness, their wolves—the silent parts of themselves—sensed each other. A soft, ethereal light spiraled around them, weaving an invisible bond. Neither Sera nor Eric stirred; neither knew that their connection had already begun, stitching them together in a web that would tighten with every shared glance, every heated argument, every reluctant brush of hands.
*****
Brianna limped cautiously to the door, each step slow and measured. The pounding of the rain against the roof and windows was relentless, echoing the anxiety pounding in her chest. For the first time in nearly twenty years, she had allowed herself to sleep in a house without the reassuring presence of Sera beside her.