Page 142 of His Forsaken Alpha

Cav kicked off his shoes and unbuckled his jeans, watching Wynter closely. Wynter drew a pair of pajama pants from the luggage in the corner and removed his shirt. “You could go grab your pajamas, if you needed to. I’d be okay alone for a few minutes.”

“I don’t sleep in pajamas. Just briefs.”

Wynter hid a smile before he slid his pants down his hips. “Okay.”

“You don’t have to wear those pajamas on my account,” Cav said. “Not like I haven’t seen you in less.”

“Right, true,” Wynter said, tossing the pajama bottoms aside and kicking out of his pants. He turned to face Cav in only his briefs, his body mostly unchanged, all but his slightly swollen pecs. It was then he remembered Wynter had nursed his later two sons.

Wynter crossed his arms over his chest. “You need to stop looking at me like that.”

Cav crossed the bedroom and sat down on the bed, facing Wynter. He unwound his omega’s hands. “Why are you hiding from me?”

“My body’s older. I’m not nineteen anymore.”

Cav gripped Wynter’s hip, noticing the faint stretch marks imprinting both sides. “A body lived in and used. I’m no young man myself.”

“A little older, sure, but you look just as handsome as ever to me.”

“I don’t remember these last time,” Cav asked, tracing the stretch marks.

Wynter tried to pull from his grip.

“I’m not judging you. You’ve given birth, and there’s no shame in that.” He traced them lovingly. “But you’d already had one child when we met, and I don’t recall these.”

“Jamie was tiny when he was born. I didn’t get very big with him,” Wynter said. “Maybe my age helped there, too. But Wilder and Vaughn werehugebabies and they left their mark. Especially Wilder. He was my biggest.”

Cav smiled, tracing the lines again. “Battle scars.”

Wynter’s lips twerked into a smile. “You could say that.”

He allowed his hands to roam upward. After trailing up the silky skin along Wynter’s belly, he cupped the puffy pecs, the remnants of his omega’s body having fed his son. “I think this is sexy.”

“Stop,”Wynter whispered. “You don’t have to lie on my account.”

“I’m not lying. I’d love to have seen you full and swollen with our son… and then watched your body continue to sustain that life. It’s a miracle.” He pressed a kiss in the middle of Wynter’s chest.“You’rea miracle.”

Wynter leaned closer, his body relaxing.

Cav laid a few more kisses, his hands gliding over Wynter’s arms. He stopped at the scars on Wynter’s wrists. It pained him tothink of Wynter so lost that he’d given up hope. Even more than Warden had done the bare fucking minimum to help. He kissed each scar before lifting his gaze to Wynter, thankful the attempt hadn’t been successful. While his omega’s life hadn’t been easy, he couldn’t imagine a world without Wynter in it. “I love you—and we’re going to make things right. No denying the help you need, baby. Okay?”

Wynter’s eyes shone with tears.“I love you.”

Cav lifted Wynter’s hands to his lips again and pressed soft kisses there. The drive to claim his mate roared in his ears but he fought the urge. Wynter wanted to wait, so they would wait. “We should go to bed. Like Wilder said, we have an early morning. We’re going to need to be up before the sun.” He wished they could explore one another again. He wanted to relearn the curves and hollows of his omega and see what other new spots might’ve emerged.

Wynter held Cav’s gaze, disappointment hinted in his expression. “Yeah. I suppose we should.”

Cav rose and pulled back the bedding, urging Wynter under the thin coverlet and sheet. He crossed to the other side and slid in himself before flipping off the light on the nightstand. Lying on his back, he stared up at the ceiling, his body demanding he drag Wynter into his arms. Instead, he focused on the steady sound of Wynter’s breathing, waiting to see when his omega drifted off. Maybe then, he’d be able to sleep. Yet he sensed Wynter lay awake at his side, silently pretending to rest.

“I can’t sleep like this,” Wynter finally complained. He rolled over and cuddled into the crook of Cav’s arm.

They lay there like that in semi-awkward silence for a minute.

“If that’s okay?” Wynter asked, his voice low.

Cav smiled down at his omega and pressed a kiss to the silken, silver hair shining in the moonlight the window allowed in.“Of courseit is.”

“Night, Cav,” Wynter murmured.

---