Page 56 of Sawyer

"Case," I whispered, inching closer to him on the bed, my hand hovering over his shoulder.

I didn’t want to startle him, but I couldn’t just let him suffer like this.

He flinched in his sleep, his brow furrowed as if he was fighting something off.

The sight of him like that, in pain, struggling—broke something inside me.

He had been through so much, more than he ever let on, and here he was, curled up like a wounded animal, battling ghosts I couldn’t fight for him.

“Casey, it’s just a dream,” I murmured, finally placing my hand on his shoulder and gently shaking him.

His skin was damp with sweat, his breathing ragged.

“You’re safe. It’s me, Sawyer,” I told him.

For a moment, nothing changed. He was still locked in whatever nightmare had gripped him.

I hated seeing him like this—so vulnerable, so tormented.

My inner wolf growled in frustration, wanting to tear apart whatever was hurting him, but I knew the only thing I could do was be there.

Be the person he could lean on when the nightmares came.

“Casey,” I tried again, more firmly this time. “It’s just a dream. I’ve got you.”

His eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first, but then they landed on me, and I could see the fear in them slowly dissipate.

His chest heaved, and for a second, I thought he might push me away, retreat into himself like he sometimes did.

But instead, he let out a shaky breath and leaned into my touch, resting his forehead against my chest.

I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close, his body trembling slightly.

I could feel his heartbeat pounding against my own, fast and erratic, like he was still trying to escape whatever had haunted him in his sleep.

“You’re okay,” I whispered, rubbing circles on his back. “It’s over. You’re safe.”

For a long while, we stayed like that, just breathing, the silence of the room settling around us.

The warmth of his body pressed against mine grounded me, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what had just happened.

We were supposed to head to the pack lands today, take that next step—introducing him to the rest of my world.

But I felt like an idiot for not considering how all of this might be affecting him.

His past wasn’t just some story he’d told me in passing.

It was real, it was painful, and it wasn’t something he could just shake off.

I leaned back slightly, brushing a strand of damp hair from his forehead.

“We don’t have to go today,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper. “We can reschedule. You don’t have to?—”

“No,” he interrupted, his voice still shaky but resolute.

He pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes, his expression determined.

“It was just a nightmare. That’s all,” Casey insisted.