Chapter 42

Mathias POV

I woke up to the soft, steady breathing of my mate, Autumn, lying beside me.

There she lay, all wrapped in my sheets, her hair splayed across the pillow, wild and pretty.

She looked different from the first time I had seen her; gone was the soft meek girl, and here lay a wild beauty, tussled and turned.

The early morning light escaping through the curtains bathed her in a warm glow; it highlighted the delicate features of her face. Her skin flushed in the soft warmth.

Autumn looked so peaceful, almost ethereal, and I couldn't help but smile.

This was my doing. I closed my eyes to remember the past night. A small frown marred my face when nothing but a dark wall came to mind.

“I guess I must be getting old,” I murmured, my voice intentionally lowered not to wake the sleeping woman.

Still, I smiled wider, as I told myself it didn't matter if I remembered our first act of love; there would be many more times to do it.

Gently, I reached out to caress her hair, my fingers light