CHAPTER 210

CHAPTER 210
Closeness stopped being a choice they had to make every moment and began to become a silent habit, one of those that is born without asking permission and ends up settling into the soul with a disarming naturalness. Geneva remained standing before Catalina without feeling the need to fill the air with words; it was enough simply to watch the way the light outlined the contours of her face, the subtle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, the firmness that had always defined the alpha and that, only when they were alone, seemed to give way to a serenity Geneva had never seen before. She had spent far too many years surviving among fear, chains, and darkness to imagine that one day the mere presence of another person could bring her such a strange and unfamiliar peace.
Catalina was the first to break the silence, though she did so without taking her eyes off Geneva, as if she feared that looking away might cause that fragile calm to disappear.
"I never thought silence could feel like this."
A faint smile touched Geneva's lips.
"Like what?"
The alpha took several seconds before answering. She seemed to be searching for the right words, something unusual for someone who had always delivered orders with unwavering certainty.
"Comfortable... Not heavy. Not uncomfortable. Just... enough. I always believed silence was the place where danger appeared, where you had to remain alert, but with you it's the opposite. The less we speak, the more I feel like I can breathe."
Geneva felt those words awaken a gentle warmth that slowly spread through her chest.
"I used to be afraid of silence too. For many years it was my worst enemy. Every time everything became quiet, I knew someone was preparing the next punishment. I learned to distrust peace... but now... with you... it's different."
Catalina lowered her head slightly.
"Different?"
"Because with you, silence doesn't announce pain. It announces rest."
That confession slipped through Catalina's defenses with a disarming ease. Accustomed to suppressing any emotion that could become a weakness, she was discovering that in front of Geneva, the effort of hiding herself was far more exhausting than simply allowing herself to be seen.
Slowly, she lifted one hand and gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from Geneva's forehead. Her fingertips barely grazed her skin, yet that tiny, simple gesture sent a shiver running through Geneva from head to toe.
"I still find it hard to believe you're real," Catalina admitted with the faintest smile.
Geneva raised an eyebrow.
"And why wouldn't I be?"
"Because I never imagined I'd meet someone capable of seeing beyond the alpha everyone knows."
Geneva held her intense gaze for several long moments before answering.
"Because that wasn't the first woman I saw."
Catalina looked puzzled.
"It wasn't?"
"No."
Geneva slowly raised her hand and rested her palm over Catalina's chest, directly above her heart.
"I saw a woman who was exhausted."
The alpha remained perfectly still.
"I saw someone carrying far too much on her shoulders."
Her fingers applied the slightest pressure.
"I saw someone who had spent so many years protecting everyone else... that she had completely forgotten how to let someone protect her."
Catalina swallowed hard.
Those words had found exactly the place that hurt the most.
For years she had been the unquestioned authority of the pack, the strategist, the warrior, the woman who could never hesitate before those who followed her. She had learned that an alpha did not cry, did not doubt, and above all, never allowed anyone to witness her wounds.
Yet Geneva was seeing every one of them.
And she wasn't stepping away.
If anything...
She was moving even closer.
"Do you know when I started falling in love with you?" Geneva asked in a voice so gentle it felt almost like a caress.
Catalina's eyes widened.
"Falling in love...?"
Geneva smiled.
"Yes."
The alpha became completely still.
It wasn't the words themselves.
It was the calm with which they had been spoken.
Without fear.
Without hesitation.
Without any need to hide them.
Geneva slowly caressed the fabric of the shirt covering Catalina's chest.
"It wasn't when you protected me."
Catalina frowned slightly.
"It wasn't when everyone obeyed you either."
She shook her head.
"Not even when I realized how powerful you were."
She lifted her gaze until it disappeared once again into those gray eyes.
"It was the day I realized you were alone."
Catalina felt her breathing stop.
"Everyone followed you... but no one truly walked beside you. Everyone expected decisions, answers, or strength. No one ever asked who was carrying the woman who carried an entire pack."
Catalina's throat tightened.
No one.
No one had ever asked that question.
Geneva smiled with a tenderness that was almost painful.
"That was the day I understood that beneath all that strength was someone who also needed to rest."
Catalina lowered her eyes for the first time since they had been together.
Not because of shame.
But because she felt that if she kept looking into Geneva's eyes, she would reveal far more than she had ever allowed anyone to see.
Geneva took a small step forward until her body rested completely against Catalina's.
There was no urgency.
Only the need to be close.
With infinite gentleness, she rested her head against Catalina's shoulder.
The alpha remained motionless for several seconds before slowly wrapping both arms around her.
The embrace came into being gradually.
Without force.
Without desperation.
As though they were both learning an entirely new way to exist.
Geneva closed her eyes.
She could hear the steady beat of Catalina's heart.
It was strong.
Constant.
But also racing.
She smiled where Catalina couldn't see.
"Your heart is giving you away."
Catalina let out a soft laugh.
"That's your fault."
"Oh, really?"
"Completely."
Geneva lifted her face just enough to look at her.
"Explain."
Catalina slowly stroked her back, savoring the warmth radiating from her body.
"I've spent years keeping everything under control. My breathing, my emotions, even my instincts... and then you came into my life... and suddenly my heart decided to ignore every order I try to give it."
Geneva laughed quietly.
"I think your heart is much smarter than you are."
Catalina arched an eyebrow in mock offense.
"That almost sounded like an insult to an alpha."
"No. It sounded like a compliment."
Catalina's smile finally blossomed completely.
It was different.
Brighter.
Younger.
Geneva watched her for several seconds before speaking again.
"I like it when you smile like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you've stopped carrying the weight of the world for a few minutes."
Catalina rested her forehead against Geneva's.
"It only happens when I'm with you."
Geneva felt those words settle slowly inside her chest.
They didn't need grand promises.
Or solemn vows.
Only that simple truth.
She lifted both hands and gently wrapped them around Catalina's neck.
"Then promise me just one thing."
"Anything."
"When the rest of the world starts demanding things from the alpha again... when the war, the impossible decisions, and all the responsibilities return... don't forget that here I don't need the leader of the pack."
Catalina looked at her with all the tenderness she had hidden away for years.
"Who do you need?"
Geneva slowly caressed her cheek.
"The woman who just smiled at me."
For several long seconds, neither of them spoke.
Catalina kissed her again, slowly, without urgency, savoring the moment as though she wanted to engrave it into her memory forever. The kiss was long, warm, and filled with a quiet intimacy that spoke more of trust than desire, and when they finally pulled apart, they remained wrapped in each other's arms, listening only to the steady rhythm of their breathing.
For the first time in a very long while, neither of them thought about the war between the packs, the ancient prophecies, or the threats still waiting beyond those walls.
For that brief moment, there were only two women who, in the middle of a world ruled by the strength of alphas and the violence of wolves, had found the most unexpected refuge of all:
Each other's hearts.