her hoping the next day would be better, even though experience taught her it probably wouldn't.
On rare occasions, Fate delivered a gift, like a tax refund or a compliment from her boss or a basket of muffins from the old lady who lived next door. But more Fate sent overdue bills, drivers who cut her off, and lewd comments from her coworkers.
And sometimes, the ol' bitch sent Darcy tearing into the heart of the Boundarylands and wrapping her car around a tree.
That was her life, and while it wasn't exactly thrilling, she'd learned to live with it.
But this—lolling in bed with a huge, slumbering alpha for days on end—was completely different.
Right now, Darcy felt calm, her urges sated. She felt…complete. Whole. Like she was exactly where she was meant to be.
Her stomach grumbled.
Darcy smiled to her herself. Okay, maybe she wasn't completely whole. Maybe there was still a little empty space inside her that could be filled up with breakfast.
"I'll make us some eggs," Zeke said.
Darcy hadn't even realized he was awake, but with far more gentleness than she expected from his massive hands, he rolled her off his chest and onto a soft nest of pillows and blankets.
Darcy found herself licking her lips at the sight of Zeke's gloriously naked body as he got out of bed and stretched, his muscle rippling, his tendons standing out in stark relief.
Maybe breakfast wasn't the only thing she was hungry for.
"I'll come down and help you," Darcy murmured, trying to sit up in bed, but it was no use. Her limbs felt like rubber.
Zeke shot her a grin as he pulled on his pants. "You've just come through your first heat. Your body is beyond exhausted. It's going to take you some time to recover."
"How long?" Darcy asked, covering a yawn.
The change that came over Zeke was subtle. If Darcy hadn't been such an experienced student of trouble, she might have missed the twitch at the corner of his eyes, the tightening of his jaw. With only two words, Darcy had accidentally just touched off a storm.
"Why do you want to know?" Zeke demanded. "You got someplace you'd rather be?"
"Maybe a bath later," Darcy said lightly, giving him a placating smile.
But her words didn't soothe him. Zeke was scowling as he left the room.
Well, so much for her little dose of contentment. Darcy should have known better than to expect it to last—that kind of luck was for other girls.
She wasn't Stephanie.
Darcy wasn't going to leave him.
There was a part of Zeke that believed this down to the marrow of his bones.
But another part—the part that had been burned before and carried the scars to prove it—called bullshit, screaming with rage to cover the fear.
As he went down the stairs to the kitchen, Zeke fought to silence his doubts. Darcy's need for him was the strongest note in her scent. Hell, he'd felt the strength of her emotions in every touch. Tasted their growing bond with every kiss.
But fear didn't give a shit about rational evidence.
It stood on the sidelines, shouting that he was going down. That he should have gotten out while he could. That he was doomed.
Fear didn't want to focus on the pleasure he'd felt in the last four days. It denied the deep connection and release. It only wanted him to remember the pain of the past, screaming a warning that, at any moment, it could happen again.
And this time, he wouldn't recover. No amount of grit or determination would save him. The pain would pull him under and hold him there until he drowned.
Zeke set the cast iron skillet down hard on the stove, the dull clang reverberating through the house. He lit the fire, breaking up kindling with his hands. He tossed a chunk of butter into the pan and watched it melt before cracking half a dozen eggs and throwing in a few strips of bacon for good measure.
Standing over the stove did nothing to cool his mood. His blood simmered right along with the blazing fire and sizzling food. By the time he reached for a couple of plates, he was so wrapped up in his dark thoughts that he dropped one, the plate shattering on the tile.
"So are you going to tell me what the hell is wrong, or just break everything in the house instead?"
Zeke turned to find Darcy coming down the stairs. He'd been so distracted that he hadn't heard her moving around.
And he hadn't been expecting her. He wasn't even