LOGINAuroraLucas is instantly at my side before I can even process what’s happening. His hands are on my waist, and suddenly, my feet leave the ground.A startled yelp escapes my lips as he lifts me effortlessly and carries me toward the couch. My fingers clutch the front of his shirt on reflex, more out of surprise than fear. “Lucas...what are you doing?”“Keeping you from stepping on more glass,” he mutters, his tone light but edged with concern.Behind him, the little girl giggles, her sleepy voice still soft and raspy. “Silly Uncle Lucas,” she says, and the sound brings a small, involuntary smile to my lips.Mikhail’s voice draws my attention before I even realize I’ve turned toward him. He’s kneeling now, gathering the both of the children into his arms. His boy's little hands clutch at his shirt while the littlge girl leans into his shoulder, whispering something that makes him smile, not a big smile, just a quiet lift of the lips that softens his whole face.It catches me off guard
AuroraOur family.The words echo in my head, sinking deep and spreading warmth through me. Our family. Not his. Not theirs. Ours. Something soft breaks open inside me, like a fragile piece of my heart finally finding something that it craved for.“Hey, Aurora,” one of the men says as he steps forward. His voice carries a natural confidence, the kind that doesn’t need to be forced or raised to be heard. His smile reaches his eyes, warm and steady, and I feel myself relax without meaning to. “I’m Jake, his big brother. And now yours too.”I study him quietly, taking in the details. His shoulders are relaxed but his stance firm, his posture speaking of someone who has spent his life standing between people and their problems. There is an air of authority around him, not intimidating or controlling, but reassuring. It’s the kind of authority that promises protection. He looks like someone who would step up for anyone he cares about, someone dependable, someone who would solve your probl
AuroraThe car slows before I even realize we’ve left the main road. The smooth stretch of asphalt fades into a dirt path, framed by tall trees that look like they’ve been standing there forever. Branches arch over us, forming a canopy that filters the fading sunlight into soft streaks of gold. The deeper we go, the quieter it becomes, until all I can hear is the crunch of gravel beneath the tires and the low hum of the engine.The air feels different here... cooler, cleaner, scented faintly with pine and damp earth. I lower the window a little, and the breeze rushes in, brushing against my face like a secret. There’s something wild and beautiful about it, something untouched. I can’t help but lean forward slightly, my eyes tracing the way the light flickers through the trees, catching on the leaves as if trying to hold on before the sun disappears completely.The forest stretches endlessly around us, dense and alive. The fading sunlight spills through in narrow bands, painting everyt
AuroraThe farther we drive, the more I feel myself relaxing, like every mile between us and the town, my dad, my house, is peeling something heavy off my shoulders.I don’t know where Lucas is taking me. I should probably care. I should ask, at least once, but I don’t. I just don’t. The air feels lighter, and that’s enough.His warmth seeps through the space between us, the kind that wraps around me without even touching. It’s not just the heat of his body, it’s his presence, the steady pull of it, the quiet safety that comes with being near him. His scent fills the car, masculine and something darker I can’t name. It’s intoxicating. I breathe it in without meaning to, and suddenly it’s everywhere, cocooning me, sinking under my skin.The phone in my bag vibrates for the third time. I don’t even look at it. A few hours ago, I would’ve answered it immediately, heart racing, trying to explain myself or giving them update minute by minute. But right now, I can’t bring myself to care.It
LucasAurora sits beside me, her body turned slightly toward the window, but her attention… it’s everywhere.Her silence isn’t the kind that makes me uneasy or doubtful. It’s the kind that pulls me in. The kind that fills the car in a way noise never could. I can feel it, the quiet hum of her mind working, her thoughts moving behind those wide eyes.I see it in the way her gaze drifts across the dashboard, following the small scratches on the surface, pausing over the buttons and air vents as if she’s memorizing their shape. She doesn’t reach out to touch anything, doesn’t speak, but I can tell she’s observing. Cataloguing. Trying to understand the man beside her through the car he drives, the music playing low through the speakers, the faint scuff marks on the steering wheel where my thumb rests.It’s almost cute. No, it’s more than that, it’s fascinating.Most people would just talk, fill the air with questions or small talk. But not her. She reads things instead. The way the engine
LucasOutside, the air feels cooler, sharper, like it knows we’re crossing a line we can’t uncross.I feel her shiver, just once, before she leans into me. My arm finds her without thought, pulling her in until her head rests against my shoulder. She fits there like she’s meant to. Like she’s always belonged.The world fades, blurring at the edges. There are people around us, I know that much. Engines hum, someone shouts an order, a door slams, but all of it turns into nothing more than background static. Because of her. She is like that mute button, that wasn't there in my life earlier... when she is with me other things go silent.Her hair brushes my jaw when the wind picks up. Her scent almost makes me want to press my nose in her hair and fill my lungs with her scent.Her breath comes a little uneven, still catching from everything that just happened. But she looks up at me anyway, and there’s something in her eyes that hits harder than any bullet ever could.My wolf stirs, quiet b







