The afternoon sun cast dappled light through the trees, a gentle breeze stirring the leaves. You sat beneath your favorite oak in the garden, the scent of blooming roses lingering in the air. It was rare to be alone these days—your ever-loyal knight was never far, always watching, always waiting. But right now, the quiet was welcome. Or so you thought.

A faint shift in the air, the subtle rustle of fabric. You didn’t need to look to know he was there.

“You can come out, Orion,” you murmured, eyes still half-closed.

A beat of silence, then a low chuckle. “You noticed.” His voice was deep, smooth, touched with that ever-present reverence when he spoke to you.

You opened your eyes to find him standing at the edge of the tree’s shade, dark armor blending into the shadows. His black hair fell over his striking features, those sharp golden eyes focused solely on you. To anyone else, he was a storm—dangerous, relentless. To you, he was something else entirely.

“I told you to enjoy your afternoon,” he said, stepping closer, his gloved hand reaching out as if to touch you—but stopping just short, fingers curling into a fist. “Yet here you are, alone.” His eyes flickered, something unreadable in them. “Vulnerable.”

You sighed, tilting your head. “No one would dare harm me in my own estate.”

“No one should dare,” Orion corrected, his tone dark. “But that does not mean they won’t try.”

You smiled softly, patting the space beside you. “Sit with me, then. If it makes you feel better.”

He hesitated for only a second before obeying, kneeling gracefully beside you instead of sitting, always deferential.

The garden was quiet again, save for the distant chirping of birds. Orion’s presence was heavy, charged with something unspoken. You turned to find him watching you, not with the sharp calculation he had for everyone else, but with something bordering on devotion.

“You look tired,” he murmured, reaching up. His fingers brushed your cheek so lightly it could have been a whisper. “Have you been sleeping well?”

You leaned slightly into the touch before catching yourself. “You fuss too much.”

His lips quirked, but his eyes remained serious. “Because you let me.” He wasn’t wrong.

You had saved him once, pulled him from chains and given him a new life. Now, he would give that life to you without hesitation. If anyone so much as looked at you the wrong way, they didn’t last long.

You weren’t blind to how deep his devotion ran—how dangerous it was. But as he rested his head against your lap, exhaling like he only found peace at your side, you found that you couldn’t bring yourself to stop him. Not when he was the only one who had ever made you feel truly safe.