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Even if he made my heart sing, and my body light up.
“They do?” My heart ached. It ached for all that Jeffrey had been through. The fact that he’d suffered enough that he could confidently say that there was light at the end of the tunnel.
“They do,” Jeffrey nodded, stronger now. “Shit happens, you know?” he offered. “And it hurts. And it haunts you. But…it always gets better.” He pressed a kiss to my lips and it tasted like relief. “Just like hair grows.”
“And wounds heal,” I echoed, my voice rough.
“It’s hard.” Jeffrey’s voice was full of emotion. It wasn’t until he spoke again that I understood why he was so affected by his own words. Because they weren’t his. They were mine—from weeks ago. “But one day it won’t be.” My heart hurt. “There will be a day when you forget the pain. When it is simply a memory.”
“Wise words.” My eyes burned. There wouldn’t be time for me to move on, but again, I didn’t say that. Because this felt pivotal, and I was honored to be here for such a precious moment.
“Some guy told me that,” Jeffrey shrugged. “I’ve thought about it a lot.”
“You have?” It was silly, but the fact that my comfort had so affected him meant more than I cared to admit.
“Every day,” Jeffrey admitted. “He’s pretty smart.”
“He is?” No one had ever called me smart before.
“Hot too.”
I jolted, a laugh bubbling up. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to cheer me up or not, but he certainly was. “Really?” My tail thumped against the chair.
“Really, really.”
“He’s kinda perfect actually,” Jeffrey added, his voice tight. “If dopey himbo werewolves are your type.”
“Are they yours?” I didn’t know what himbo was. I only knew dopey because of the dwarf from Snow White, but I got the sense that Jeffrey didn’t mean it as an insult. In fact…if I listened to the thump, thump of his heart and the fizzy brightness of his scent, I knew it had been a compliment.
“Yeah,” Jeffrey bumped our noses together, and my heart jerked in my chest. “They are.”
My body hurt and my mind was a mess—but Jeffrey was right. Already, I felt better.
“You know…” Jeffrey trailed off, his eyes dark and searching. “Sometimes there are burdens that are too heavy for one person to carry.” I had no doubt that it was hard for him to admit that. “You taught me that.” He swallowed. “Because every time I open up to you, I feel lighter.”
This wasn’t the same kind of wound that left him aching, but still…his comfort meant the world. Wolves were tactile creatures. I couldn’t count the amount of times my brothers and I had flopped together in a puppy pile as kids just because it felt right to do so. We craved warmth and pack and a sense of belonging.
Since the day I’d begun to go feral it had felt like the ties that connected me to my pack had begun to fade. They grew fainter and fainter, until one day they would simply snap. When Jeffrey touched me, I didn’t feel that aching loss anymore. New ties formed, reaching for him, tangling around his heart where it beat strong and sure.
He couldn’t be my mate.
He couldn’t save my life.
But that didn’t mean he hadn’t saved me.
I grinned.
“You are so lovely,” I said honestly, the ache in my body fading away as I curled tightly around him, tugging him in close. “The loveliest.”
“Yeah, okay, Casanova.” It was the second time he’d called me that.
“So smart, so brave, so strong—” I squeezed him and he was solid, and warm, and home. “You have healed my heart.”
He felt like home.
“Ouch, easy on the goods—” Jeffrey cackled but his scent wasn’t hurt. It was sunshine. He was sunshine. I squeezed him harder, hard enough I wished he’d leave an imprint on my body.
I got the feeling this was the first time Jeffrey had ever sympathized with himself.