I was still trembling from the nightmare, my breath uneven as if I had been dragged under a deep, dark river. The sensation of suffocation clung to me even after I opened my eyes, my instincts still trapped between dream and reality.
Elliot's presence anchored me back to the room, his hand moving slowly through my hair in a steady, grounding rhythm, like an Alpha calming a panicked packmate caught in instinctual fear.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here," he said, his voice low and certain, and something inside my chest finally began to settle.
Only then did I realize how tightly I was holding onto him, my arms locked around him as if releasing him would send me back into that void.
Heat rushed to my face in an instant, and I let go abruptly, embarrassed by how completely my instincts had betrayed me. "Sorry…" I murmured, pulling back.
He exhaled as if amused, sitting at the edge of the bed with an easy dominance that made the space feel smaller around him.
