“How the fuck do we build a nest?”
I swallow. “We have one upstairs.”
Three gazes swing to me with varying degrees of surprise. I’ve never let anyone go into the space that was meant for Em.
“Niko,” Luc says softly. “We don’t need to use that.”
Emery’s space. Emery’s nest. The one she never got to make.
Ava’s lifeless face stares back at me and resolve settles in my chest.
“Yes,” I say firmly. “Yes, we do.”
ChapterThirty-One
Ava
Idrift, endlessly.
Sometimes, I can hear voices. They sound muted, almost as if I’m underwater.
I can’tfeelanything, though. I’m completely, utterly and blissfully numb.
And I don’t want to go back.
ChapterThirty-Two
Bastien
Ilinger at the door of Ava’s makeshift nest.
My fist raises to knock, before I drop it and turn away, shoulders sagging.
This isn’t for you.
I hate this. I hate that I can’t help to fix this mess that I’ve created.
I can’t help her because I’m not an alpha. Just a useless beta.
Heading out of the house and down to my tech room, I quietly close the door and turn to my screens.
This, I can do. I can make sure none of her father’s men get anywhere near her. I can make sure she’s safe and secure with us. That no one who means her any harm will ever lay a hand on her again.
Hours later, I groan and stretch out in my chair, popping my muscles. The door opens and I turn to Leah, gratefully accepting the coffee she hands me. “Nash is asleep. Thought you could do with this.”
“Thanks, Lee.”
I expect her to leave, but instead she slips into the chair next to me. When I glance at her, she looks at me expectantly.
“What?” My voice is flat.
“Nothing,” she remarks. “Just watching you get in your own way.”
A laugh huffs out of me. “What the hell does that mean?”
Leah shrugs. “It means you’re letting old feelings cloud your judgment. Nobody cares that you’re a beta, but you’re moping around like it makes some sort of difference.”
“It does make a difference.” I stare at the screens in front of me. “I can’t help her, because I’m not an alpha.”
