Chapter 143 Peaceful Night
Author's POV
The estate’s guest wing had fallen into a hush after dinner. Plates were cleared, wine glasses rinsed in the deep farmhouse sink, the long oak table wiped until it gleamed under the low chandelier light.
July and Freddy had wandered off first, still buzzing from the wine and the long day, claiming adjoining rooms on the second floor with matching yawns and promises to “catch up properly tomorrow—no excuses.”
Rowan had disappeared quietly into his childhood bedroom in the east wing, door clicking shut with the same soft finality it always had since he was twelve. Cian followed a minute later, giving Malia and Aiden only a small nod—silent, steady, the way he always said goodnight without needing words.
Aiden led Malia down the wide hallway to the master suite at the far end. The room that would one day formally belong to him when the title passed. For now it was simply the place he stayed whenever the family gathered at the estate.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the dark forest and the moon-silvered lake beyond. Heavy cream curtains were drawn halfway, letting pale light spill across the wide bed, the thick Persian rug, the low armchair by the unlit fireplace. The air smelled faintly of cedar from the logs stacked beside the hearth and the lavender sachets someone had tucked into the linens years ago.
Peaceful. Private. Perfect.
Malia stood at the window, still in the black leggings and oversized gray t-shirt she’d borrowed from Aiden after training. Her hair hung loose now, waves falling past her shoulders, catching the moonlight in soft glints. She looked—content. Relaxed in a way she hadn’t been in weeks. The tension that had lived in her shoulders for so long had finally eased, just a little. She breathed slowly, watching the lake reflect the stars like scattered diamonds.
Aiden came up behind her, barefoot, wearing only loose black sweatpants that hung low on his hips. He wrapped both arms around her waist from behind, pulled her gently back against his chest, and rested his chin on her shoulder. His skin was warm. Solid. Safe.
“What are you thinking?” he murmured, lips brushing the shell of her ear.
She leaned into him, letting her head tip back against his collarbone. “That today was good.” A small, almost surprised laugh escaped her. “Really good. I didn’t think I could do it. Access her without pain. Without losing control.”
“I knew you could.” He pressed a slow kiss to her temple, lingering there. “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. Always have been.”
She reached up, covered his forearm with her hand, squeezing lightly. “I felt her today. Really felt her. Not as this foreign thing trying to claw its way out. But as… part of me. Like you said.”
His arms tightened just a fraction. “That’s what she is. Always has been. You just had to meet her halfway.”
Malia turned in his hold so she could face him. The moonlight painted half his face in silver, the other half in soft shadow. She lifted both hands to his cheeks, thumbs brushing the faint stubble along his jaw.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “For pushing me. For believing I could do it when I didn’t believe in myself.”
Aiden’s eyes softened. He leaned down until their foreheads touched. “That’s what I’m here for.” His voice dropped lower, rougher with emotion. “And Malia… I’m so damn proud of you. Of how hard you worked today. Of how brave you were, even when you were scared. You didn’t back down. Not once.”
Her eyes welled up. She tried to blink the tears away. “Don’t make me cry. I’ve done enough crying lately.”
“Happy tears are allowed.” He caught the one that escaped with his thumb, wiped it gently away. “These are definitely happy tears.”
She laughed—wet, shaky, real. “Maybe. A little.”
He smiled against her mouth, then kissed her. Softly at first. Just lips brushing lips. Tasting salt from the tear. Tasting relief.
l
She kissed him back, hands sliding up to curl around his neck, pulling him closer. The kiss deepened slowly, naturally, like breathing. Tongues touched, retreated, touched again. His hands moved—one sliding up her spine under the t-shirt, the other settling low on her back, pressing her flush against him.
When they parted, both breathing harder, he rested his forehead against hers again.
“We should sleep,” he said, though the roughness in his voice betrayed him. “You’re exhausted from training. You need rest.”
Malia shook her head, fingers tightening in his hair. “I need you more.” She kissed the corner of his mouth, then the line of his jaw, then the sensitive spot below his ear that always made him shiver. “Please. I want—I need to feel close to you. After today. After everything.”
A low groan rumbled in his chest. “You make it very hard to be responsible.”
“Good.” She smiled against his skin. “Stop being responsible. Just be here. With me.”
That was all the permission he needed.
He kissed her again—deeper, hungrier. Walked her backward toward the bed without breaking contact. They fell onto the mattress together, tangled, laughing softly when their elbows knocked. Clothes came off slowly—his sweatpants sliding down his thighs, her leggings peeled away, the t-shirt sliding up and over her head. Hands roamed. Mouths followed. Every touch reverent. Every kiss deliberate.
He took his time.
Kissed down her throat, across her collarbone, between her breasts. Whispered her name like a prayer every time she gasped. When he reached the curve of her hip he paused, looked up at her with dark, burning eyes.
“You’re beautiful,” he said simply. “Every inch of you. Every part. Wolf. Human. Hybrid. Mine.”
Tears pricked her eyes again. Happy ones. She reached for him, pulled him back up so she could kiss him properly.
“You’re mine too,” she whispered against his mouth. “All of you. Every stubborn, protective, beautiful inch.”
He groaned, buried his face in her neck for a second. “God, I love you.”
“I love you more.”
They moved together with the ease of lovers who knew each other’s bodies by heart. Slow at first—long, rolling thrusts, hands clasped, eyes locked. Then faster. Harder. More desperate. She arched beneath him, nails digging into his shoulders.
He groaned her name like it was the only word he remembered. When she came it was sudden, shattering—back bowing, cry muffled against his shoulder. He followed seconds later, hips stuttering, face buried in her throat, whispering broken, reverent things against her skin.
They collapsed together, breathing hard, hearts hammering in tandem.
Aiden rolled them so she was tucked against his chest, leg hooked over his hip, his arms wrapped securely around her. He pulled the comforter over them both, tucking it around her shoulders.
“Better?” he murmured, kissing her forehead.
“Much better.” She nuzzled closer, already half-asleep. “Stay?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He settled deeper into the pillows, bringing her with him. “Right here. All night. Every night.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Her breathing evened out within minutes. Exhaustion from training, from emotional release, from simply feeling safe finally caught up. But even in sleep she stayed pressed against him—trusting, seeking contact. Her hand curled over his heart like she needed to feel it beating.
Aiden lay awake longer, watching moonlight shift across the ceiling. Listening to her breathe. Feeling the steady rise and fall of her chest against his ribs.
Today had been a victory. Small but real. She’d accessed her wolf without pain. Without fear taking over. She’d taken the first true step toward control. Toward understanding what she was instead of fighting it.
But the war wasn’t over.
The Council still watched. Vespa still documented. Wolves still hunted in the dark. The threats remained.
Tomorrow they’d return to campus. Back to being observed. Back to pretending normalcy while every step was measured, every word weighed.
But tonight—
Tonight she slept peacefully in his arms. No nightmares. No clenched fists. No bitten lip to keep from crying out. Just—resting. Healing. Being.
That was enough. More than enough.
He tightened his arms around her, pressed one more kiss to her hair.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered into the dark. “Always. No matter what comes. I’ve got you.”
She shifted slightly in her sleep, hand flexing over his heart like even unconscious she needed the reassurance.
He covered her hand with his. Held it there.
Outside, the forest was alive with night sounds—crickets, distant owl calls, wind moving through the pines. The natural symphony he’d grown up hearing.
Inside, just peace. Quiet. The girl he loved sleeping safely against him.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Eventually, sleep claimed him too. Still holding her. Still protecting her even in unconsciousness.
The way it should be. The way it would always be.
Pack didn’t abandon each other. Mates didn’t leave each other vulnerable. Love didn’t falter when things got hard.
They stayed. They fought. They protected.
Always.
And as Aiden drifted off, wrapped around Malia like a shield, he made a silent vow to whatever powers might be listening:
Nothing would touch her. Nothing would harm her. Nothing would take her from him. He’d burn down the school itself before he let them invoke their protocols.
He’d fight every wolf they sent. He’d defy every authority that tried to separate them.
Whatever it took. However long it took.She was his. He was hers.
And that was Simple. True. Unbreakable.