AARYN
Aaryn wasn't sure what had shifted the night before, but something was different between them.
They were both still tense. Aaryn still felt the weight of grief weighing on his shoulders. He still felt the creep of dread at the thought of staring at the ceiling that night while she slept. But when she'd given herself to him so freely, some chain had broken within him. Something had been freed.
And Elreth… she was still Queen. She marched through that day barking orders and standing her ground with the elders and Alphas that sought her out to question her plan. And yet… something in her had been freed, as well. She was softer, somehow—at least with him. He'd caught her eyes on him more than once through the day and each time, their gazes held and she'd been biting back a smile.