For a moment, they stared at each other in silence while phone continued ringing. It fell silent.
“I probably should’ve answered that.”
Leif’s lip curled. “Why?”
Before Aspen could decide why he felt obligated, the phone rang again. Again, neither of them moved.
Leif broke first. “On speaker.”
Aspen gave him a sharp nod. That was for the best. He answered and immediately switched it to speakerphone. “Hello?”
“Rumor is you’ve come into some money. You know whatever belongs to one pack member belongs to the whole pack.”
Aspen’s chest immediately ached. His dad hadn’t even said hello. In fact, Aspen hadn’t heard the man’s voice in years.
Leif jumped in, giving Aspen zero time to cave. “Aspen isn’t part of your pack.” Leif’s voice dripped with malice. He sounded deadlier than Aspen had ever heard before. “He’s my mate. My family. That supersedes any ties he had to you. Don’t call here again.”
“Ah. So you came running back the second he struck it rich, huh? Useless leech.”
Leif rolled his eyes.You know damn well that’s not true, right?
Aspen melted as the words brushed his brain.I know you don’t need money. You’re my mate. This is love. Always has been.Aspen’s spine stiffened. He might be soft, but he wasn’t weak. “You heard my mate. Don’t call here again. You chose to turn your back on me. Now live with the consequences.” He disconnected the call and turned off the phone before it could ring again. For a moment, he stared at nothing. He had to push the pain down. As much as Aspen knew he didn’t owe his old pack a single damn thing, it was hard to know his family didn’t love him. That never got easier to carry.
Leif took Aspen’s phone and set it aside. He towed Aspen into his arms and held him. His lips brushed Aspen’s temple. “I love you. You have me, and you have a new pack. I know it’s not the same as having your parents and brother, but you’re better off here.”
Aspen knew all of that. Some hurts just ran too deep. “I love you too. Don’t worry. I’ll be okay.”
“It’s my job to worry.” He kissed Aspen’s forehead and didn’t move.You still didn’t tell me who you’re saying I love you to. Mentally, at that. Isn’t that supposed to be my thing?
An exasperated laugh escaped Aspen. “It was Kyrie. You could’ve looked in my head and seen that.”
Leif’s lips shaped a smile against Aspen’s skin.I love the sound of your voice.Belying his claim, Aspen felt Leif shifting through his mind.I’ll be damned. Freyr is still out here making kids? Damn. Kyrie must be a fierce wolf, then. Freyr is a lover and also very much a fighter. He’s huge. Kyrie is so tiny. I never would’ve seen the resemblance.
Aspen pulled away enough to see Leif’s face. “That’s the second time today you’ve spoken like you know too much about the heavens.”
Leif shrugged. “I’ve been around a long time.” He twisted and backed Aspen against the counter.
Aspen wouldn’t be dodged. “No. You forget how many years we spent together. This is new. Earlier, you said you’d been there.”
Aspen poked a little at Leif’s brain. He didn’t want secrets in their relationship. A solid wall of black met him—like Leif had thrown up a barrier between them.
“Oh.” Even Aspen heard the massive pain in that one word. There was only one reason Leif wouldn’t let him see his thoughts. There was someone else. Likely someone associated with the heavens. Aspen swallowed. He tried to breathe. No oxygen came. The harder he tried, the less air he got. Aspen stared at the floor. He heard Leif talking, but the words were too muffled by the sound of his pulse pounding in his ears. There was no air. Why was there no air?
The world flipped. The scenery changed. He went from staring at the floor to gazing at the ceiling. Aspen couldn’t lie and say he hadn’t seen himself going out this way. But he had always believed it would be losing Leif that did him in. No way could he have imagined this oxygen-deprived death would come after the miracle of their mating. Here he was, though. He felt the life bleeding from him. A blurry image of Leif hovered above him. His lips moved, but Aspen was beyond hearing. Aspen’s body had given up. Suddenly, Leif went soaring through the air to a destination he couldn’t see. Aspen wasn’t even curious. Nothing would matter soon.
“Fucking breathe, Aspen!”
The words cut through the invisible noose around his neck. His vision cleared enough for Aspen to realize it was Kyrie screaming at him.
“That’s it, sweetie. Slow down. Take smaller breaths. You can do it.”
Aspen followed the sound of Kyrie’s voice and matched the pattern of his breathing. The room cleared a little more every second. Kyrie’s bright yellow eyes glowed more than ever as he held Aspen’s stare. “I’ve got you, angel. Just keep breathing.”
As the room came even more into view, so too did the reason he was in this position. His lungs might work again, but so did his heart, and it was shattered. The tears came fast and hard.
Kyrie moved Aspen into a seated position, leaning him back against the dishwasher. He held Aspen’s hand and rubbed it, soothing him. “Talk to me. There’s too much pain for me to see anything else.”
Aspen still couldn’t see anything except Kyrie. He couldn’t talk. There was an anvil on his throat.
