Matias exhaled, the sound somewhere between a sigh and a low growl. His massive paws shifted against the earth.
Slowly, Aleksasha reached out.
The fur beneath her fingers was thick and coarse, bristling with the tension still wound tight through his frame. She could feel the warmth of him, the steady rise and fall of his breathing. He had not fully calmed. He was still caught between the instincts of the beast and the control of the man.
But he stayed.
Aleksasha released a slow breath, her fingers curling slightly in his fur.
"Good," she murmured. "Stay with me."
The night stretched quiet again, but this time, the silence was not so empty. The forest still carried its unease, the trees whispering with unseen movements, but she was no longer standing in the dark alone.
She pressed a hand to his side, feeling the powerful ripple of muscle beneath his coat.
"Let's go," she said softly. "Before something else finds us first."
