I woke before dawn. Before he woke up.
He'd begged me last night. Asked me to fight beside him, take back everything they'd tried to force from us. Because he didn't want to win without me. Because he still loved me so much that he refused to win without me.
And the worst part?
I'd wanted to believe him. I'd wanted to believe myself. I wanted to believe this wasn't just biology and instinct pulling the strings.
I wanted the heat gone, so I gave in one more time. Not because I was weak. Because I needed clarity. I needed to know if there was anything real left beneath all the chaos. I stood, grabbed his wallet, and pulled out the last condom. I handed it to him.
"It stays on this time. I'll already have enough to deal with if Dalia is with pup. Or pups."
He didn't argue. He just kiss
