My fingers tighten around the phone 66

Aria’s POV
Thunder boomed outside the window, rain slashing against the glass like desperate fingers trying to get in. I stood,
frozen in place, watching Ethan cradle my son against his chest. Lucas had always been terrified of thunderstorms, and
for years, I’d been his only comfort during these moments of fear. Yet here he was, nestled against Ethan’s broad chest as
if he belonged there, his small fingers clutching the alpha’s expensive shirt without a care for wrinkling the fabric.
“I’ll get you an umbrella,” I said, my voice sounding strained even to my own ears. I needed to break this strange,
intimate tableau forming in my living room. “So you can head back.”
Ethan lifted his gaze to meet mine, those forest-green eyes pinning me in place with their intensity. “That won’t be
necessary,” he replied, his deep voice resonating with quiet authority. “The child needs me. I’m staying.” The alpha energy
that accompanied his words wasn’t aggressive, but it carried an unmistakable certainty.
Lucas peered up from the safety of Ethan’s arms, hope glistening in those identical emerald eyes. “Please, Mom? Let
Uncle Ethan stay?” His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper that wasn’t nearly quiet enough. “You’re scared of
thunderstorms too, aren’t you?”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. I’d never told Lucas I was afraid of storms—I’d always been careful to appear strong for him.
But somehow, he’d noticed. Children see everything, even the things we try to hide.
“I’ll make up the couch,” I muttered, retreating toward my bedroom to gather spare blankets and pillows. The faster I moved, the sooner I could escape this unsettling atmosphere.
Ethan followed me down the narrow hallway, his large frame making the space feel even smaller.
I yanked open my linen closet, pulling out my spare comforter and pillow. As I shook out the comforter to check for dust,
something fluttered from between its folds, landing right at Ethan’s feet.
My heart stopped.
There, on the hardwood floor, lay my only pair of black lace underwear—the single “sexy” item in my otherwise practical wardrobe, purchased in a moment of weakness during a rare shopping trip with Zoe. Time seemed to suspend as the
delicate, revealing fabric lay fully exposed between us, a mortifying black lace confession on my bedroom floor.
Before I could react, Ethan bent down. My breath caught in my throat as his fingers gently lifted the underwear, his
expression unreadable.
My face burned with such intensity I thought my skin might actually catch fire. I couldn’t meet his eyes, couldn’t bear to
see whatever might be lurking in those forest-green depths.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, snatching the lace from his fingers and stuffing it unceremoniously into my pocket. I busied
myself with aggressively fluffing a pillow, desperate for any distraction.
Another boom of thunder rattled the windows, making me jump and drop the pillow entirely.
“With this storm,” I said, trying to sound casual despite my flaming cheeks, “I suppose we won’t be able to make it to
your mother’s today, will we?”
Ethan’s lips quirked at one corner in that subtle half-smile that always made my stomach flutter traitorously. “I’ve already
messaged her. We’ll go tomorrow instead.”
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“I’m not afraid of the storm,” I insisted, desperate to salvage the last shreds of my dignity after the underwear debacle.
“And you should really go home. Don’t waste your time for us.”
Lightning flashed, illuminating the room in stark white light, followed instantly by a thunderclap so loud it made the
dishes rattle in the kitchen cabinets. I flinched violently, betraying my brave words.
Ethan’s eyebrow rose slightly, but mercifully, he didn’t comment on my obvious lie. Instead, he took the comforter from
my trembling hands with an infuriating gentleness.
Ethan’s POV
I followed Aria back to the living room, my mind still replaying the moment her lace underwear had fallen between us.
The delicate black fabric had ignited something primal in Felix, who growled appreciatively within me. I’d moved to pick it
up instinctively, only realizing the intimacy of the gesture as the gossamer-light material rested between my fingers.
The sight of her—cheeks flushed crimson, eyes wide with mortification, lips parted in silent horror—had stirred
something unexpected in my chest. It made my alpha instincts surge with the desire to protect. And perhaps to claim.
The way she’d snatched the undergarment from my hand, her fingers trembling slightly, had awakened a hunger I hadn’t
felt in years. Perhaps ever.
In the living room, Lucas had transformed one end of the worn sofa into what resembled a makeshift fortress. Lucas’s
eyes brightened when he spotted us, his small face alight with excitement. “I’m making Uncle Ethan a special wolf den!”
he proclaimed proudly, patting the cushion arrangement with a proprietary air. He looked up at me, then at his mother,
hope written clearly in those forest-green eyes that mirrored my own. “Is he really staying, Mom?”
Before Aria could respond, a phone chimed from the coffee table. Lucas lunged for it with the boundless energy only
children possess, his small fingers deftly swiping across the screen. His expression immediately brightened further, a wide
smile breaking across his face.
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“It’s Uncle Leo!” he announced, voice pitched high with excitement. “He says he’ll be here in fifteen minutes!” The child’s
eyes sparkled as he continued, “He always comes to check on us during thunderstorms. He brings hot chocolate and
those special cookies from the bakery near his house!”
Felix, who had been contentedly watching this cozy family scene, suddenly reared up in my mind with a possessive snarl
so fierce I had to clench my jaw to keep it from escaping my throat. My hands balled into fists at my sides. My shoulders
tensed.
“Leo comes over during thunderstorms?” I kept my voice carefully modulated, though I could feel my jaw clenching so
tightly it was a wonder my teeth didn’t crack. I fought to maintain my composure, aware that Lucas was watching me with
innocent curiosity.
The boy nodded enthusiastically, completely oblivious to the sudden tension thickening the air. “Uncle Leo says he’s
already on his way,” he continued, scrolling through the message with childish delight. “He says the rain is really bad and
he’s worried about us.”
Lucas yawned widely, his small head growing heavy against my chest as his eyelids began to droop. I found myself
inhaling deeply, taking in his scent. He smelled like Aria—that distinctive blend that had haunted my dreams for years—
but with something else mixed in, something uniquely his own that made my heart beat faster.
“I’ll take him to bed,” Aria whispered, stepping closer with her arms outstretched to take her son.
As she leaned in, a fresh wave of her scent hit me—the light, clean fragrance of her shower gel mingled with silver moonflower essence and that underlying scent that was purely, intoxicatingly Aria. My nostrils flared, drinking in the
combination that made Felix rumble with contentment inside me.
I stepped back, watching as Aria tucked the blankets around him with practiced tenderness. When she bent to press a
soft kiss against his forehead, something shifted in my chest—a strange, powerful ache that wasn’t quite pain.
Yet I couldn’t look away