Chapter 39
39
~Darlon’s POV
I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
Not even for a breath.
The club lights moved over her face in soft colors, and her mask hid half her features, but somehow I still saw everything. The nerves in her fingers. The way she kept rubbing her palm against her dress like she wanted to disappear into it. The way she refused to meet my eyes for more than two seconds.
I leaned a little closer. “Elara,” I whispered, “are you alright p>
She blinked slowly, like the whole room was spinning far too gently for her to fight it.
“I’m… fine,” she murmured, but her voice sounded like she wasn’t sure of anything.
I watched her. Really watched her. And I saw the moment the alcohol finally hit her. The moment her cheeks warmed, and her eyes softened, and she stopped pretending she wasn’t overwhelmed.
She looked at the drink in her hand, frowned at it, then looked at me.
“Darlon Her voice slipped, softer than the music. “Do you… do you love Lira p>
I froze.
Of all the questions in the world… that one.
“Elara,” I said carefully, “no. I don’t p>
She squinted at me like she was trying to see through my soul. “You do. I know you do. Not me p>
“That’s not true p>
“It is,” she insisted, her voice wobbling. “You… you like perfect people. Perfect women. Slim. Beautiful. Confident. People like Lira. People like Her words tangled and she sighed. “Not me p>
Something inside me twisted. Hard.
“Elara.” I reached for her hand. “Look at me p>
She didn’t. She looked everywhere else. The lights. The floor. Her glass.
So I gently lifted her chin with my fingers.
And I saw it. The fear. The sadness. The years of thinking she wasn’t enough. It hit me so suddenly it felt like someone had punched me.
“You have no idea what you are doing to me,” I whispered.
Her brows pulled together. “What do you mean p>
“You mean more to me than you think p>
“It’s a lie.” Her lower lip trembled. “Look at me, Darlon… what do I even have? I’m not Her breath shook. “I’m not beautiful like them. I’m not small. I’m too fat. I’m not confident. I’m not anything you would want p>
“Elara p>
“I’m fat,” she whispered, almost breaking. “I’m big. People stare. People laugh. And you… you look like someone carved you out of a magazine. Why would someone like you ever be with someone like me p>
I felt my chest pull so tight I had to inhale slowly to steady myself.
She really believed that.
She’d carried that pain quietly. Too quietly.
“Elara,” I murmured, “don’t say that again. Please p>
She shook her head. “It’s the truth p>
“It’s not p>
“It is. And I know you’ll say sweet things because you’re Alpha and you’re kind and you don’t want to hurt me, but… but I know what I look like p>
Her voice cracked.
And something inside me cracked with it.
“Elara,” I said softly, “you’re the only person I have ever looked at and felt… this.” My voice dropped without warning. “This heaviness in my chest. This fear of losing your attention. This need to keep you close p>
She blinked, confused. “Me p>
“Yes. You p>
She stared at me quietly, eyes watery, face flushed from the drink.
“I’ve never experienced love,” she whispered suddenly. “Never. Except from Janae. She’s the only person who ever made me feel like I mattered. If she wasn’t in my life, I think I would have… broken. I can’t live without her p>
Her words slurred a little, growing slower and slower.
She leaned toward me, almost resting on my arm.
And then p>
She started snoring.
Actual soft snores.
I stared at her for a moment, shocked, then a quiet laugh slipped out of me. I touched her cheek gently, my thumb brushing over the warm skin.
“I can’t live without you either,” I whispered. “And I will do better. I swear it p>
I slid my arms under her and lifted her in a bridal style. She curled into my chest like she’d been waiting for that spot her whole life.
People in the club gasped.
“Oh my goodness, look p>
“It’s the Alpha and his wife p>
“He carried her… that’s so sweet p>
Phones flashed, whispers followed us, but I didn’t look at any of them. I kept my eyes on the woman sleeping in my arms.
Outside, I opened the car door and the cold night air kind of rushed in around us. I didn’t even feel it, to be honest… I was too focused on her. I settled her gently into the seat, guiding her head so it wouldn’t hit anything, then I buckled her in the way you would buckle something precious. Her lashes fluttered a bit, like she was fighting the sleep that kept tugging at her, and for a second I just… looked at her. Maybe longer than a second.
Her head tilted slightly, almost leaning toward me, and I couldn’t help it, I bent down and brushed a soft kiss against her forehead. Just a tiny thing. Barely there. The kind of kiss you give when you’re afraid of wanting more.
She smiled in her sleep.
It hit me harder than it should have.
Then she whispered, so quietly I almost doubted myself, “Darlon… can you truly… fall in love with someone like me p>
Everything inside me stopped moving. Like my body forgot how to breathe for a moment. Her face was soft, peaceful, unaware of what she had just done to me with those few sleepy words.
I touched her cheek, running my thumb along her skin because I wanted to and because she wouldn’t remember. “I already have,” I breathed, barely trusting my own voice.
Then I pulled back, closed her door gently, and went around to the other side. For a moment I stood there, hands on the roof of the car, trying to steady the rush in my chest. Then I drove. Fast. Faster than I usually would. I just needed to get her home.
When we reached the mansion, I didn’t even think about her room. The idea didn’t cross my mind. I went straight to her side, lifted her again, and she melted against me like she had done it a thousand times. She didn’t stir. Not even when I shouldered the door open and carried her inside.
My room felt warmer with her in it. Different.
I laid her gently on my bed, smoothing the sheets around her so she wouldn’t feel cold. Her hair had fallen across her face, so I brushed it back, taking my time without really meaning to.
I removed her heels one by one, careful, almost too careful, like the smallest movement might break the moment. Then I sat beside her and reached for the zipper of her dress. I pulled it down slowly, just enough so she could breathe easily, just enough so she would be comfortable.
For a moment, I just stood there, watching her. Her soft breathing. The way she curled slightly. The quiet innocence of sleep.
Then, suddenly… she opened her eyes.
Still drunk.
She looked at me, really looked at me, then reached up, grabbed my collar, and kissed me.
Soft at first. Then deeper.
I lost myself for a moment, responding, pulling her closer, feeling her melt into me.
But then I stopped. I had to.
“Elara I whispered against her forehead, “not tonight. You’re not sober p>
She blinked slowly, confused.
I kissed her temple. “Sleep p>
I removed my jacket, loosened my shirt, changed quietly, then slipped into bed beside her. I pulled the duvet over us both.
She shifted closer on instinct, placing her head on my chest.
My heart… didn’t calm for a long, long time.