POV - James
The drive home was quiet, but not the kind of quiet that hurts.
It was the kind that waits — a fragile, trembling thing suspended between apology and hope.
When we arrived, the house was already lit.
Soft amber light spilled through the tall windows, the scent of wood and rain clinging to the night air.
I opened her door, watched her step out — careful, composed, like she was still holding something together inside.
"Welcome home," I said softly.
She glanced up at me, eyes unreadable. "You say that like I live here."
"You do," I said simply. "Even if you haven't realized it yet."
The smallest smile touched her lips — the first I'd seen in days.
Inside, the warmth of the house wrapped around us like something alive.
The scent of cedarwood candles filled the space, faintly mixed with jasmine — her scent, from the evenings she'd spent here before everything had gone wrong.
It lingered in the air, and I felt a pulse of something deep in my chest.
I'd missed her. Not just her presence, but her energy.
The way her laughter softened the hard edges of this place.
The way my wolf calmed whenever she walked into a room.
She slipped out of her blazer, placed it neatly over the back of the sofa, and glanced around like she was seeing the house for the first time — cautious, curious, unsure.
I took her hand before she could say anything.
"Elena."
She looked at me — and gods, the way she looked at me. Even now, even with doubt clouding her gaze, she was everything.
"I need to say something," I said. "About Victoria."
Her expression tightened, but she didn't pull away.
"She shouldn't have come to you. She had no right." My jaw tensed before I could stop it. "Whatever her intentions were, she crossed a line. And I'm angry — not just because of what she said, but because she thought she could still decide how my life is shaped."
"James—"
"No," I said quietly. "Please. Let me finish."
I led her to the sofa, where the fire was already lit — soft, steady, gold flickering against the stone hearth. We sat close, but I made sure not to crowd her. She needed honesty, not control.
"I respected Victoria once," I continued, voice low. "She was part of my life during years when I didn't know who I was yet. I was younger. Broken in places I didn't even see. And she helped me through that. I'll never deny it. But she and I were never this."
I looked at her then, really looked — the way her hands rested tensely on her lap, the faint shimmer in her eyes.
"She was comfort. You're home," I said softly. "There's a difference. One fades when you walk away. The other… never leaves you."
Her eyes widened, the smallest breath catching in her throat.
I reached out, took her hand — slow, deliberate. "I never meant to hurt you. I would never hurt you, Elena. Not you."
She squeezed my fingers gently. "I know you wouldn't. I just…" She exhaled shakily. "It's hard not to wonder if I'm enough."
I felt something crack inside me — a raw, protective instinct so fierce my wolf stirred beneath my skin.
"Don't ever say that," I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. "You are more than enough. You are everything I didn't know I needed until you walked into my office that first day."
Her lips parted, but I wasn't finished.
"You changed everything. You quieted the noise. You made this house feel like something more than walls and obligation. You made me feel human again."
For a moment, the only sound was the crackle of the fire.
Then she moved closer, her shoulder brushing mine. "You really mean that?"
I turned to her, caught her gaze, and smiled faintly. "If I could show you how much, I'd tear the sky open just to prove it."
She laughed — a small, shaky laugh — and I could finally breathe again.
"Stay," I said, the word slipping out before I could stop it. "Tonight. Don't go home. Don't disappear again. Please."
Her hesitation lasted all of a heartbeat. Then she nodded.
"Okay."
Relief flooded me, quiet and profound.
I rose and walked to the kitchen, trying to hide the ridiculous smile that threatened to break across my face. "I cooked something earlier," I said over my shoulder. "It's simple, but edible, I promise."
She followed, amused. "You cook now?"
"Lucian threatened to revoke my Alpha privileges if I kept ordering takeout."
She laughed again — really laughed this time — and I realized how much I'd missed that sound.
Dinner was quiet but easy — roast chicken, rosemary potatoes, a bottle of wine we didn't really need.
We talked about work, about the HR projects she was planning, about normal things that didn't involve destiny or bloodlines or prophecies.
It felt almost ordinary. Almost perfect.
Afterward, I cleared the plates while she leaned against the counter, watching me with that soft, unreadable expression.
"What?" I asked, smiling.
"You," she said simply. "You're… so different here."
"Different?"
She nodded. "Calmer. Real."
I set the last plate down and turned to her, stepping closer until our hands brushed.
"This is the only version of me that's real," I said quietly. "The one you bring out."
She didn't answer — she didn't have to.
The look in her eyes said everything.
I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed it — slow, reverent, a promise and a prayer in one.
"Do you know why I love you?" I asked.
Her voice was a whisper. "Tell me."
"Because you never wanted the Alpha. Or the CEO. Or the man with too much power and too many shadows. You just wanted me. The man who can't sleep unless you're next to him."
Her eyes shimmered in the firelight.
"And I do love you, Elena. More than the pack. More than duty. More than life itself."
She blinked back tears, and I reached up to brush one away before it could fall.
"Hey," I murmured. "No more tears. We're done with the ghosts, remember?"
She smiled — fragile but real — and nodded.
"Then come here," I said softly.
She did.
And as I wrapped my arms around her, holding her against me, I realized that no prophecy, no council, no ghost of my past could ever undo this — the simple truth of two hearts finding peace after a storm.
I kissed her forehead, then her hair, breathing her in.
Her warmth, her scent, her heartbeat steady against mine.
"My home," I whispered against her temple.
…
I placed my hand on her chin and made her lift her face to look at me.
I gave her a soft kiss. and then another.
She tasted of home..of safety..my wolf felt at ease here, next to her.
Suddenly, I gave her an intense kiss..hungry..desirous.. Without breaking the kiss, I took her to my room, stumbling a little.
Once in my room, I took off her blouse, button by button, without ever separating our lips. At the same time, she unbuttoned the buttons on my blouse. My hands then moved to the small of her back, unzipping her skirt. In a hungry movement, I pulled her skirt down, bringing it to her feet.
I was blinded by desire for her.
As soon as I took off her skirt, I opened my own belt and unbuttoned my pants, pushing them down and then removing them completely with my feet. All so as not to interrupt that kiss.
I left her in just lingerie and kept my boxers on, but my manhood was already clearly visible.
Elena was running her hands over my torso, and when she ran her hands right along my lower belly, she lightly touched my manhood.
I growled, a growl filled with desire.
I laid her on the bed and enjoyed the view, making her blush.
Matching red lace lingerie, the panties were a thong so sexy it almost made me come just looking at them.
I turned her onto her stomach and with my hands pulled her ass slightly up, forcing her legs to stand on all fours. But with her face and shoulders on the mattress. Just that perfect ass high in the air. I could already hear her breathing quicken, half from nervousness, half from anticipation. I pulled her thong aside and licked her. All over. From pussy to ass.
God. She's delicious.
My tongue roamed her entrances, doing everything possible to please her. Her moans were muffled against the mattress. Her body trembled, her legs felt like jelly, and her pussy was soaking wet.
My fingers begin searching for the magic spot, while my tongue does its best to pleasure this woman whose moans almost make me come. I stick a finger in her pussy. She moans, and her thighs feel like they're being shocked. My tongue in her ass and two fingers in her pussy. I think she's about to come. But I want her to come on my manhood. In one swift movement, I place myself inside her in this same position. Slowly, while kissing her back. Her moans are muffled against the mattress but still delicious. I'm covered in goosebumps, her moans—she's dripping wet for me. She starts moving her ass, showing she wants more.
I start fucking her hard, but still gently. I put a finger in her ass and continue to thrust. Her moans grew louder, and within seconds we both came.
I felt her pussy throb around my manhood as my seed spread inside her hot cunt.
Our hearts beat, synchronized but fast. I lay on top of her, gently pulling her hair so her face was turned toward me, and kissed her.
"Elena... I love you."