Kane

Rising from the bed, I headed for the washbasin.

"Let me wash my hands and change, and I’ll feed you," I said to Zara.

"Very well!" she said quietly and leaned back against the pillows. I turned and glanced at her: she had placed one of them, shaped like a dolphin, on her lap.

Entering the bathroom, I thoroughly washed my face and hands and took off my shirt. Opening the laundry chute, I tossed the shirt in and walked out of the bathroom bare-chested.

She was waiting for me, and I saw her eyebrows rise at the sight of me, half-naked. I didn’t care; let her enjoy her eyes. I walked to the table and picked up the tray with the stew and her medicine.

White streams rose from the stew as I brought it in and placed it right where her legs had been spread.

"Let’s put something good in you." Filling the spoon with soup, I swirled it around so it wouldn’t burn itself. Running the tip of my spoon along the rim of the bowl, I poured out the excess stew and offered it to her.

Leaning forward slightly, she took the spoon from my hand, her gaze wandering over my chest. Desire was clearly visible in her gaze, and if I hadn’t been so constrained, I would have teased her.

"Delicious?" I asked, tearing my gaze away, and hers flickered back to my face.

"Yes! Very delicious." I gently urged her to finish the stew, making sure every last drop reached her stomach.

After soup, I picked up the ointment the doctor had prescribed. It was to be applied to the wounds on her shoulder and neck. I walked over to her and stopped by the bed. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Zara, we need to apply this ointment to your wounds." I waved the tube, and she understood what I wanted.

She silently picked up the dolphin pillow from her lap and set it aside. She had changed into a purple nightgown with buttons down the front. She tried to jump up nervously and... I fumbled with the buttons, but the bandages hindered her movements.

"Zara!" I called to her calmly, and she looked up at me, her eyes frozen with unanswered questions.

"Wait, go forward, put your hands on your legs," I ordered.

She obediently did as I said.

Climbing onto the bed behind her, I settled in and pressed myself against her back. Her shoulders tensed as my legs moved to either side of her, and I placed my hands on her shoulders.

"Relax! Everything will be okay. You’re safe," I rasped in her ear, leaning forward. I gently squeezed her shoulders, and the tension evaporated, like birds flying away in winter.

My hands slowly moved from her shoulders to the buttons lined up on her chest.

I carefully unbuttoned the top button, then moved on to the next. My fingers brushed the upper swells of her breasts, which rose like snow-capped peaks, and she shuddered at my touch but remained still.

***

Zara

The touch of his fingers wasn’t at all foreign; on the contrary, it was electric and so gentle, like a caress of peace for my weary heart.

The desire to melt beneath Alpha’s fingers as he slowly unbuttoned my nightgown was unbearable. The heat of his hard yet warm chest penetrated my marrow like a drug I craved with all my soul.

Alpha Kane unbuttoned my shirt and slowly pulled it off my shoulders. I held my hands back so Alpha Kane could easily remove it. He was especially careful around my hands. The cuffs were loose, so I felt no discomfort. The shirt slipped off, and he tossed it aside, leaving me in a strapless bra.

A strap would have damaged my wounds, so I chose this option. I hugged my chest protectively and hugged myself, feeling defenseless.

"Calm down, Zara." His breath was like a soft lullaby on my skin.

Alpha’s firm hands gently touched my shoulders. Time blurred for me, except for his touch on my soft skin. My muscles gave in, succumbing to the music of his palms and fingers.

"Does it hurt?" Alpha’s fingertips tiptoed over the wound on my shoulder.

"No," I croaked, unable to control my racing heartbeat and body temperature.

"This shouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry he hurt you so much..." Alpha’s voice was tinged with pain as he continued. "Erase the traces of his terrible deed?" His words were filled with deep longing.

I nodded without resistance. His silky lips descended on my wounded shoulder, a gentle promise to erase the terrible memories imprinted on my skin.

Trembling like an autumn leaf, I gave in to this electrifying sensation of comfort.

Alpha Kane explored me with slow, measured movements, and I found myself leaning toward him until my back rested against his battle-hardened chest. His hands automatically slid down to my waist, pinning me to him.

"Haa!" A soft moan escaped my lips.

The tip of his tongue slid into the hollow of my shoulder, and his hands approached the bottom of my bra.

My breath caught as I felt his fingers slowly approach, playing with the edge of my bra. A lecherous part of me longed for Alpha’s large hands to cup my breasts and squeeze them.

Alpha’s shiny hair flowed over my skin like warm water, awakening desires I no longer wanted to hide.

The intoxicating scent emanating from him washed away the last vestiges of my defenses as I tilted my head slightly and glanced over my shoulder at him.

Alpha Kane looked up and found me so close that the tips of our noses almost touched. Intoxicated, under his spell, I closed my eyes and was drawn to him like a magnet.

A huge magnet of muscle and lust. Caught in its orbit, I was about to let it consume me. Rewrite the terrible memories we had both recently encountered.

I needed it.

Alpha Kane needed it too.

For in Alpha’s fiery gaze there was as much despair as in me.

Without thinking, I touched Alpha’s lips. Desire gripped my body painfully; it ached for release. He was my release.

Alpha’s lips melted into mine, and his hands moved me, pressing me down onto the soft bed, between the pillows, without breaking our tender kiss.

Lowering himself above me, Alpha Kane gently grasped my wrists with his large hands and pressed them to my head to protect them.

And then our bodies fully met, my legs parted to give him room, and his hardness touched my throbbing wrist. The sensation was so overwhelming that I moaned recklessly into Alpha’s mouth.

Alpha Kane pulled our lips apart, and my heart sank, thinking I’d gone too far. Maybe Alpha Kane didn’t want this.

But his gaze said otherwise; Alpha Kane looked at me with tenderness and adoration.

"Blue Rose, are you sure? I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking advantage of your vulnerability."

That was Alpha Kane’s thing: he spoke so bluntly and demanded the same from others.