Page 51 of Crystal Luna

He floundered for words, coming up empty. Thankfully, Velora broke the silence.

“Can I read here?” she asked, shyly holding up her book.

“Of course.”

She timidly walked over to the large reading chair that Curtis used to insist was his and sat down. He forced himself to look away from her and back to his budget reports, but nothing much came of it. Velora, seemingly exhausted, fell asleep with her book on her chest just ten minutes later.

Heath wasn’t sure what to do. His first instinct was to carry her to bed, but was that what she wanted? Would she rather him wake her up?

Deciding on neither, he got up and covered her with a fluffy blanket before returning to his desk. With the blanket keeping her warm she seemed to be falling deeper into her sleep, leaving Heath’s mind spinning with the same questions as before.

When an hour had passed, he stood up and walked over to the chair, pushing his hands underneath Velora’s body, and lifting her to his chest. She stirred slightly, but she didn’t open her eyes. He carried her out of the office still wrapped in the blanket.

“I’ll just lay you on the couch,” he hummed, keeping his voice low so as not to startle her.

“Stay,” she mumbled, her cheek rubbing against his chest.

How could he say no?

Instead of laying her down, he sat on the couch and cradled her in his arms. He looked down, a storm of emotions brewing inside him. He felt guilty for wanting another woman in his life, for enjoying her presence. He wasn’t sure what Laureen would say if she saw him in her living room with Velora. Logically, he knew that she wouldn’t have wanted him to be alone forever. But that didn’t stop a part of his brain from picturing her hurt and angry.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, holding Velora even tighter for his own comfort rather than hers. She was so young—far too young—and he wasn’t her mate. What if she regretted this? What if he was only using her vulnerability to ease his own loneliness? Had she only come back because she was afraid he’d make her leave the pack?

He tensed when she moved, working her hand from beneath the blanket and slipping it under his shirt, her palm resting against his bare skin.

Then his heart melted. That small gesture calmed the storm. He didn’t want to wake her, so he laid his head back where he was and closed his eyes. He soaked in the moment, knowing these kinds of things were far too precious.

When he opened his eyes again, he was laying down. Velora was pressed to his side with her head on his chest and their legs tangled together. He froze, unsure how they ended up wrapped up in each other but relieved they still had clothes on. What a nightmare that would have been. He carefully reached for the blanket by his feet and covered them both.

She was so deeply asleep that she didn’t even move. As soon as they were warm under the blanket again, he closed his eyes and took in the moment. For the first time in a long time, he hadn’t had any night terrors. Yes, he’d still dreamed about Laureen but this time they were good memories.

Timid footsteps let him know Curtis was awake. Heath kept his eyes closed, hoping Curtis wouldn’t see them, but he stopped in his tracks, pausing for a moment before the footsteps retreated to his bedroom. Heath sighed. He’d have to talk to him later, but there was no way he was moving yet.

A little while later, Mia woke up and sighed. But before he could decide on what to do, Curtis was already on top of it.

“Shhh, Daddy is asleep in the living room. Why don’t I read to you?”

Mia must have agreed because the next thing he heard was Curtis reading her favourite book. As usual around this time the front door opened, and Wayne stepped in. Heath picked his head up just in time to meet his beta’s wide eyes.

‘Curtis is keeping Mia busy. She hasn’t seen Velora yet.’

Wayne got the hint and quietly walked down the hall to keep the kids occupied. Heath gently ran his fingers over Velora’s cheek until she stirred.

“Velora,” he hushed. “I’m sorry but it’s time to wake up.”

She stirred more, her eyes fluttering open as she took in her surroundings. Then they shot open.

“It’s okay,” he tried to calm her. “You’re alright. You fell asleep reading your book last night. I brought you to the couch and you asked me to stay.”

She rushed to sit up and nearly fell off the couch. He quickly stabilised her with an arm around her waist. “I’m so sorry,” she stammered. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I guess we both were tired. I wasn’t sure if you wanted to leave before the kids saw you. I don’t mind whatever you decide.”

She bit her cheek again, clearly uncomfortable.

He sat himself up, putting a little more distance between the two of them. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“You didn’t.”