Chapter 248 248

Chapter 248 248
Nova's POV

"Please," I whispered. "Caden, please."
He withdrew his hand and I whimpered at the loss, but then he was positioning himself between my thighs, the blunt head of him pressing against my entrance. His hand found mine and he laced our fingers together, pinning my arm above my head.
"I love you," he said again, his voice breaking on the words. "God, Nova, I love you so much."
The first press of him inside me was slow, controlled, and I gasped at the stretch. He sank deeper inch by inch, giving me time to adjust, and when he was fully seated I could barely breathe. He felt different this time. Bigger. Or maybe I was just more present, more aware of every sensation.
He stayed still for a long moment, his forehead pressed to mine, his free hand stroking my face like I was something precious. "Okay?"
I nodded, not trusting my voice, and rolled my hips to show him I needed him to move.
He did. Long, slow strokes that built the tension between us until I was trembling beneath him, my body arching to meet each thrust. The position left me completely open to him, vulnerable in a way that should have terrified me but didn't. His eyes never left my face, cataloging every reaction, learning what made me gasp and what made me moan.
"That's it," he murmured when I clenched around him. "Let me see you. Don't hide from me."
I turned my face into his wrist and kissed the pulse point there, tasting salt and something uniquely him. His rhythm stuttered and he cursed, shifting the angle until the next thrust hit something inside me that made stars burst behind my eyelids.
I cried out and he did it again, harder this time, his free hand sliding between us to circle the bundle of nerves at my center. The dual sensation was too much and not enough all at once, and I could feel myself spiraling toward the edge.
"Come for me," he said against my mouth. "I want to feel it."
His thumb pressed down and I shattered, my body clenching around his as the orgasm tore through me. I didn't turn away, didn't close my eyes. I let him see all of it, every unguarded moment, every breathless gasp, and the look on his face was worth every second of vulnerability.
He followed me over a moment later, his hips snapping forward as he buried himself deep and said my name like it was the only word that mattered.
We stayed like that for a long time after, tangled together on the forest floor with the stars overhead. His arms were wrapped around me, one hand stroking lazy patterns on my spine, and I could feel his heartbeat against my cheek. Steady. Strong.
"This doesn't fix everything," I said eventually. The words came out quieter than I meant them to, almost lost in the night air.
"I know." His lips brushed my temple. "But it's a start."
I tilted my head back to look at him. "I'm still scared you'll..." I stopped, not sure how to finish that sentence. Scared he'd leave? Scared he'd change his mind? Scared I'd wake up and this would all be gone?
He seemed to understand anyway. "Then I'll prove it to you. Every single day. However long it takes."
The certainty in his voice made something settle in my chest. Not all the way, not completely, but enough that I could take a full breath for the first time in what felt like years.
I kissed him again, softer this time, and felt him smile against my mouth. When we finally pulled apart, he helped me to my feet and we walked hand in hand back to where we'd left our clothes before shifting. We dressed in comfortable silence, my legs still shaky, and he steadied me with a hand on my waist.
The walk back to the packhouse was quiet, neither of us needing to fill the silence with words. Something fundamental had shifted between us tonight, something I couldn't take back even if I wanted to.
And the terrifying part?
I didn't want to.
I woke to the sound of crying.
For a moment I couldn't place it, my mind still fuzzy with sleep and the weight of an arm draped across my waist. Then Hudson's wail pierced through the baby monitor on my nightstand and everything snapped into focus. My room. My bed. The fact that Caden had followed me here last night instead of going back to his own.
I started to sit up but the arm around me tightened, pulling me back against a warm chest.
"I've got him." Caden's voice was rough with sleep, his breath warm against my neck. "Go back to sleep."
"He's probably hungry," I mumbled, but I was already relaxing into his hold.
"Then I'll bring him to you." He pressed a kiss to my shoulder and rolled out of bed, completely unbothered by his nakedness.
I let myself look. The moonlight had been flattering last night, but morning sun streaming through the curtains was even better. The play of muscle across his back as he stretched, the dip of his spine, the way his ass looked when he bent to grab his jeans from the floor.
He glanced back over his shoulder and caught me staring. One eyebrow arched. "See something you like?"
I grabbed the nearest pillow and launched it at his head.
He caught it one-handed, laughing, and tossed it back onto the bed. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Just go get our son before he wakes the entire pack."
"Yes, ma'am." He tugged on his jeans, still grinning, and disappeared into the hallway.
I reached for the tablet on my nightstand, pulling up the camera feed from Hudson's room. The image flickered to life and there was Caden, already lifting our son from the crib. Hudson's face was blotchy and tear-streaked, his little fists rubbing at his eyes as he wailed his displeasure at being awake.
Caden settled him against his chest, one large hand cradling the back of Hudson's head. "Hey, little man. You're alright. I've got you."
Hudson's crying hitched, confusion replacing outrage as he realized it was his father holding him and not me. He blinked up at Caden, lower lip still trembling, and let out a pitiful whimper.
"I know, I know." Caden pressed a kiss to the top of his head, swaying gently. "You want Mama. She's waiting for you, but first we need to get you changed. You're soaked through, buddy."
Hudson blabbed something unintelligible in response, his tone indignant, and Caden chuckled.
"Yeah? Well, that's what happens when you drink half your body weight before bed."
I watched as he laid Hudson on the changing table, keeping one hand on his stomach while he reached for a clean diaper with the other. The movements were practiced now, confident in a way they hadn't been those first few days. Hudson kicked his legs and Caden caught his ankle gently, pressing a kiss to the sole of his foot that made our son giggle.
Something in my chest squeezed tight.
He was good at this. Better than I'd expected when I first showed up at Shadowcrest with a secret toddler in tow. He'd taken to fatherhood like he'd been preparing for it his whole life, learning Hudson's moods and quirks faster than I thought possible. The way he could calm him down from a tantrum with nothing but his scent and his presence. The careful attention he paid to every milestone, every new word.
The thought should have made me happy.
Instead, it triggered something else. A memory from yesterday that I'd shoved to the back of my mind because I hadn't known what to do with it.
Josh might not be Paul's child.