Morning sunlight slipped through the golden curtains of Demeter's chamber.
She woke gently in Sharky's arms, her head resting against his chest, her hair spread across him like strands of harvest-gold. For the first time in centuries, Demeter felt peace instead of loneliness.
She looked up softly, her fingers tracing the line of his jaw.
Demeter said warmly, "Last night… you healed a wound inside me that I thought would never close."
Sharky brushed her cheek, calm and composed.
"You healed me," she whispered, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "With your presence, your warmth… you mended the broken pieces of my soul."
Sharky remained silent, his touch gentle and steady.
She leaned forward and kissed him again, soft, grateful, driven by newfound affection.
From that moment, she accepted herself as his lover without hesitation, as naturally as sunlight meeting the earth she governed.
