Cassian did not answer.
He simply looked at her, giving her all his time; those piercing blue eyes held an emotion she could not understand, something quiet and restrained, as though he had been searching for her far longer than she could possibly imagine.
They looked at her so endearingly and so softly; sometimes it looked pleasing and sometimes too confusing.
Lena tilted her head slightly, her smile never fading.
“If you’re a dream…” she murmured, “…don’t disappear on me at any time soon.” Her hand drifted from his cheek to the collar of his shirt before she gave the fabric a gentle tug, drawing him a little closer.
“I’ve already lost enough today.”
The words were barely louder than a whisper, yet they struck him with unexpected force.
Cassian looked down at the woman standing before him, her cheeks lightly flushed from the wine, her eyes shimmering with exhaustion more than intoxication.
Beneath the lingering scent of rain, jasmine, and warm vanilla, he could still sense the quiet ache buried deep within her heart.
She was not really seeing him.
In her wine-clouded state, Cassian was less a man she had just met and more a comforting presence who had appeared at the exact moment when she needed someone to make the pain disappear, and yet the way she looked at him stirred something deep within him that years of discipline had never prepared him to face.
His wolf surged beneath his control with renewed intensity, the possessive instinct growing stronger now that she was standing so close.
The invisible thread connecting them seemed to draw tighter, and the warmth beneath his ribs spread steadily through his chest until one certainty overwhelmed every other thought.
Mine.
The word reverberated through his mind, carrying a depth of recognition that unsettled even him.
She was here, finally within his reach, and every instinct inside him seemed determined to remind him that he had spent twenty-nine years waiting for this moment without ever knowing what he was waiting for.
Cassian slowly lifted one hand, giving her every opportunity to step away, but Lena remained exactly where she was.
His fingertips brushed a damp strand of hair away from her face before settling gently against her cheek.
She blinked up at him, her expression softening with sleepy curiosity.
“You know my name.”
“I do.”
A low, soft laugh escaped her as though she found the answer strangely amusing.
“Then you really are a nice dream.”
The corners of Cassian’s mouth lifted into the faintest smile, and his thumb moved gently across her cheek, wiping away the last trace of moisture left there.
“You’ve cried enough for one day.”
The smile on Lena’s face slowly faded, and for a moment she simply looked at him.
Something about the certainty in his voice seemed to reach through the haze of the alcohol and touch the part of her that had spent the entire day hurting.
Without thinking, she leaned into his palm, closing her eyes briefly as she allowed herself to enjoy the warmth of his touch.
Cassian felt the bond respond immediately.
A powerful warmth moved through him, spreading from the place where his hand touched her skin until it seemed to settle around his entire body.
His wolf, which had been restless, finally grew quiet—not because the instinct had disappeared, but because it had found what it had been searching for.
For several moments neither of them spoke.
The rain continued falling against the windows, but the sound seemed distant now, almost insignificant compared with the quietness between them.
Lena opened her eyes and found Cassian still watching her.
There was something different in his gaze now, something she could not understand, but instead of making her uncomfortable, it made her feel strangely safe.
Neither of them moved.
Although every instinct urged him to close the remaining distance between them, he hesitated for a moment, giving her one final chance to step away, but she did not.
Instead, Lena remained close, her fingers lightly gripping the front of his shirt as she looked up at him with trust.
Cassian leaned toward her slowly, and when their lips finally met, the kiss was gentle and unhurried, carrying none of the urgency his wolf had been demanding.
The instant their lips touched, however, the bond between them responded with startling force, sending a wave of warmth through both of them and drawing their instincts into perfect recognition.
Cassian’s wolf answered with a deep, satisfied rumble, while Lena instinctively moved closer, her fingers tightening slightly against his shirt as though the strange connection between them had become the safest thing she had felt all day.
When they finally parted, neither of them immediately moved away.
Their foreheads remained lightly touching as they stood together in the quiet room, breathing softly while the rain whispered against the glass.
Neither Lena nor Cassian understood what had just awakened between them.
For several seconds, Lena remained completely still, her forehead resting against his as she tried to understand the strange warmth spreading through her body.
The wine had left her thoughts pleasantly hazy, yet the man standing before her felt clearer than anything else in the room.
She could feel his steady heartbeat beneath her fingertips, hear the controlled rhythm of his breathing, and sense something between them that she could not explain but instinctively trusted.
A small smile returned to her lips.
“You really are here,” she whispered.
Before Cassian could answer, Lena’s hands moved to his chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt.
She gave him a gentle push—not with enough force to hurt him, but enough to make him take a step backward.
Cassian allowed himself to be guided toward the bed, his eyes never leaving her face.
Lena followed closely, her movements unsteady from the wine but determined enough to make her intentions clear.