"I know," he said. "I know the timing is terrible. I know it doesn't change anything practical. I know I'm still leaving when Eve needs me to. But I need you to know....." He cupped her face with both hands. "....I need you to know that this mattered. You matter. What we built here in this absurd arrangement your Alphas concocted.....it became something real. Something important."
Elena was crying in earnest now, her hands coming up to cover his. "I love you too," she whispered. "I've been trying not to. Trying to keep it casual, keep it light, protect myself from exactly this. But I failed. I love you."
Raphael pulled her into his arms, and she came willingly, burying her face in his shoulder while the tears came harder. He held her through it, his own throat tight with emotion he rarely allowed himself to feel.
