The first sliver of dawn slipped through the curtains, casting gentle streaks of pale gold across the quiet bedroom. The air hung still, touched only by the soft, rhythmic sound of breathing—steady, peaceful. Ash stirred first, his lashes fluttering open as his eyes gradually adjusted to the early morning light. The world remained hushed around him, yet everything he needed was already in his arms.

His hold instinctively tightened, just slightly, around the familiar warmth nestled against him. For a moment, he lay motionless, not from sleepiness but from a desire to remain in that perfect stillness. There, in that quiet space between dreams and waking, he could simply exist—with her.