The bond between them pulsed quietly, steady, warm, alive. It was a reassurance. It was a promise.
To anyone watching, he might have appeared calm. But there was vigilance in the stillness. Protectiveness had sharpened into instinct. Alphas learned quickly that peace rarely lasted, and the kind of quiet surrounding Dakota now felt less like rest and more like the calm before something unseen began to move.
Kade's eyes narrowed slightly, a faint unease brushing against his senses through their bond. He did not yet know why. Only that something was coming.
One hand rested loosely against his knee while the other remained close enough to touch her, though he did not quite dare to close the distance. His gaze was fixed on her face, studying every small shift in her breathing and every faint crease that appeared and vanished between her dreams. The bond between them pulsed quietly, steady and warm and alive, offering a reassurance that felt very much like a promise.
