Roman’s POV
The pets had all settled into their places for the night. Vixen curled up in her newly gifted bed, Fluffy nestled faithfully beside her, and the little hamster, round with overeating, lay sprawled in the small basket I had brought him in, sleeping as though he were dead to the world.
We headed to my room. Though we had the guest room ready—the one she stayed in when we first brought her here—the fear of leaving her alone and her ending up doing something to herself didn’t allow us to keep her there. We settled that she was going to stay in my room, as she was more comfortable with me, and I had marked her as well.
Once inside the room, I didn’t really know how to go about it. But I decided it was time to take a step ahead, at least one step at a time.
She sat at the edge of the bed, her attention fixed on the photograph Lucian had gifted her. The frame rested lightly in her hands, her gaze distant yet intent.
"It will look perfect on the bedside table," I told her as I sat beside her. "Lucian will bring more. Maybe we can arrange them on the wall, in smaller frames. How about on this side?" I pointed to the bare stretch of wall.
She followed the direction of my hand, silent, though I could see her already picturing it.
"We’ll take some of your pictures too," I added gently. "With your pets. And yes, with Vixen’s babies as well."
Once again, I had leaned on her pets—and Alice—to draw her attention, to stir some reaction from her. But that was fine. I believed, in time, things would change.
"Give it to me," I said, extending my hand.
Her fingers tightened around the frame, clutching it as though I meant to take it from her entirely.
"I’m only going to set it on the bedside table, on your side," I assured her softly.
She handed it over to me and I moved to keep it on the side table.
Since her sessions with the doctor, and after the drug test, she had stopped lashing out. Her defiance had given way to obedience—gentler, quieter. But I could not tell how long it would last, nor when the storm within her might break free again.
As I settled back, I decided it was time to speak. "Eira, you do know I marked you."
She gave no response, her gaze fixed blankly on the floor.
Gently, I reached for her hand and drew her toward me, turning her so she faced me. "Look at me."
Her eyes lifted at last, meeting mine, but there was nothing in them—no anger, no warmth, just emptiness.
"Please, listen to me," I murmured, my voice steady, my thumb brushing over her cold skin as I cupped her cheek. "Don’t shut me out. Don’t block me from reaching you."
Her silence pressed heavy against me, yet I continued. "I know you are hurt. I know you are wounded. And I know it is our fault. You may never forgive us—that’s fine. We will keep asking for forgiveness until the end of our lives if we must."
She did not stir, her expression unreadable, as though my words had slipped past her without meaning. It was frustrating, but I swallowed it down. We deserved this. Every one of us.
"I want you to understand," I said softly, my eyes never leaving hers, "the world is not the same as the one you endured these past six years. Not everyone is like that. You don’t have to remain the same either. You can be yourself with us."
Even now, silence was all she gave me in return.
"The things that hurt you—they won’t be the same with us," I promised. "And I want to show you that, slowly, step by step." I leaned closer until my face hovered just inches from hers. My voice lowered, a vow carried on my breath. "Though I have marked you, I will never mate with you unless you truly want it. But one day, I will make sure you do."
She did not recoil. She did not even blink. Perhaps my nearness was not foreign to her, or perhaps she was simply too used to such closeness after the life she had endured.
"Don’t treat me like those men, alright?" I whispered, though I wasn’t sure if the words even reached her. "You will see it’s not the same with me. You will know how much I love you, how much you mean to me."



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