His wholeeverythingwas wrapped around her and the absolute certainty that his bones would break before hers ever did again.
It made a guy want to cry. It really did.
Ours, too.I pushed into the mess of fear and devotion.You think we’d let anything, even each other, hurt her?
A flicker of doubt. The pressure on Casimir’s windpipe eased a hair as the wolf’s ear flicked.
We’re on your side, remember? You don’t have to keep her safe alone anymore. Ko and Cas were just, ah.We hadn’t thought about this part, how to explain to the pup that we were testing him.Playing. Yeah, alphas play rough sometimes, but never to hurt her.
I let him into the memory of Ko carrying her inside that first day, the way Cas sewed up her arm, how I fed her chicken noodle soup.
His growl stuttered.
She’s safe here with us.I showed him Ko reading her poetry, Cas kneeling to shoe her, my own dumbass serenading her in the pianoroom.You did good. Better than good. But baby girl’s scared. Let Cas up so she can breathe, yeah?
Brumous hesitated, then retracted his claws from Cas’ shoulders and lifted his head.
No more for Seri, Alpha Fun,he huffed, standing down and planting both front paws on Casimir’s sternum.Say to Alpha Boom and Alpha Sharp. Rough play not for Seri.
I bit my cheek to stifle the laugh threatening to spill. Alpha Boom and Alpha Sharp? Bat’s bones, he reallywasa drama queen!
All right, but which one is Sharp?I wondered if he’d noticed Ko’s obsession with stabby things or meant something else.
This.He lowered his head and snuffled Cas’ belly button, making my brother suck in a breath. Eyes sharp. Moves sharp. Words sharp. Smell sharp. Sharp like…
Ozone was the smell he shared with me, paired with the image of a lightning strike.
Truer than you know,I agreed, holding back my snickers at his assessment, then asked aloud, “Truce?”
What means?
“Means we’re all friends again.”
Brummy eyed me for three heartbeats before bowing his head.
All friends, Alpha Fun. All Seri kill guard. Kill guard brothers.
I blinked, working my way through that last thought until he shared a little clip of me and my brothers standing with him atop a pile of bones as the sun set behind us, Seri scratching behind our ears as she praised us for being her good boys.
Why was this fang-rotted murder machine so moon-damned cute?
“We’re all friends, and we’re all brothers in Seri’s kill guard.”
“Seri’s kill guard?” Ko raised his eyebrows.
I shrugged. Seemed a fine enough group handle to me.
Seri sagged against me, her choked sob morphing into hysterical giggles when Cas sat up spitting out wisteria leaves. Brummy slunk off him, his apology roll textbook, all paws in the air and neck exposed. Somewhere behind us, Addison dropped a bucket.
I crouched to meet the wolf’s eyes.
“Good boy.” My knuckles scratched under his chin, careful of the wicked scar there. “Solid nine outta ten on the protective bullshit scale. Minus a point for nearly neutering Daddy Cas.”
“My brave boy!” Seri launched herself at Brumeister, burying her face in his chest. “My fierce boy!”
The pup whined, nosing her hair as Cas stood and brushed debris off of himself.
Koa caught my eye over Seri’s head, his thumb brushing the shallow dents Brumsy’s teeth had left in his forearm. Three slow blinks, the first silent signal we ever created. My answering nod came automatically, as natural as breathing. Casimir mirrored it while picking purple buds from his hair.
