108: I miss this

Rune’s POV

We sat there, wrapped in the quiet, with her body pressed against mine as her breathing began to steady. The only sounds in the room were the soft hum of the air conditioning and the slow, rhythmic beat of her heart, still erratic from the crying.

I stroked her back gently, letting my fingers trace the curves of her spine. She felt so small, so fragile in my arms, like she might shatter if I let her go.

For a moment, everything else faded. The world outside of this room, the family, the pack, the war looming on the horizon, it all disappeared. It was just us. Just Alora and me, like it used to be before everything fell apart. I held onto that feeling as long as I could, unwilling to let it slip away just yet.

But reality had a way of creeping back in.

“I don’t know how to fix this,” she whispered after what felt like an eternity.

Her voice was hoarse from the crying, a stark contrast to the defiance she’d shown earlier. Now, all I could hear was exhaustion. I should hav