HAZEL
My fingers traced lazy circles on Baruch's chest. His skin was still warm, still damp with sweat. The rhythm of his heartbeat thrummed beneath my palm.
"I'm going to have to marry pretty soon," I said.
His chest rose with a breath. "To that Alpha heir?"
I nodded against him. "He was a choice on my mind for the yearly shifter ball. I didn't think it would be remotely possible if I'm being honest." My finger paused mid-circle. "But the universe still paid me in kind despite what Fia tried to do. Despite what the goddess punished me with."
The words tasted bitter. I swallowed them down.
