That grin still didn’t make me confident about how upstanding it was.
“How about we talk about how my mother called Macy a flake?” Braun picked a good way to change the conversation and he chuckled as I shook my head. “And you thought we’d have to find a polite way to bring up the problem.”
“We should’ve had to be polite.” Sylvia just hadn’t seen it that way. “I’m a wuss but I’m very glad we didn’t have to be the ones to point that out.”
Braun snorted. “You and me both. I didn’t want to come across like an asshole who thought he could just claim people.”
Like Otto…whatever he was.
We’d tried to work through everything on the drive to dinner, but all we’d come up with was that he’d done something terrible and the magic had taken his ability to be Alpha at some point. Itwas good to see there was at least some kind of magical checks and balances, but we were just going to have to wait for the details and hope someone filled in the blanks eventually.
And eventually we’d need to pass along theEmeric the potential Alphasituation as well as about his mother.
For the time being, though, I was going to make the executive decision that we were done with everything sad, serious, or traumatizing.
“Did I hear you promise Emeric two chapters tonight?” His wince had me trying not to smile. “Really? Two?”
“It was either that or explain why we weren’t fully mated yet.” Braun grinned as I felt my eyes widen. “You were in the bathroom for that one.”
Oh.
“Um, yes we probably need to have that discussion at some point.” Braun had said penetrative sex wasn’t necessary for it, but we hadn’t gotten enough truealone timefor bonding to finish taking place.
Magic didn’t like quiet quickies evidently.
“Two chapters it is.” Because we were not going to tell Emeric our lack of privacy was dragging out that process. “But after showers because once he relaxes, he’s going to crash.”
He’d been doing his best to act Alpha Braun-level cool about everything, but the relief he had to be feeling would be exhausting.
I knew it was for me and there was nothing more I wanted than to snuggle up to Braun and give him hell for scaring me earlier.
We had a few things to discuss about that, and I hadn’t forgotten it, no matter what he seemed to be hoping.
Chapter 32
Braun
“Alpha?” Emeric’s serious expression as he stood in the doorway of my office would’ve made me worried, but he’d worn the same look yesterday when he’d asked me where the rest of the brownies had gone.
“Yes.” Pushing my chair back, I ignored the last of the grant that was on my computer screen and focused on the pup. “Come here.”
His slow walk said I was supposed to be taking the conversation very seriously, but he still sat down on my lap like the pup he was at least half the time.
The internet said that with human children in similar situations he might need more hugs and physical contact because he hadn’t gotten it before, but it’d also warned us about mood swings and anger he couldn’t explain.
We’d found a therapist and had the first session scheduled for next week, but this didn’t feel like aneeds therapykind of situation.
Had I accidentally eaten something he was saving for Dorian?
“How are you doing?” It seemed like a good starting place, especially when he sighed.
Ancestors above, he was learning to channel my mother.
“We need to talk.” Yep, that was my mother coming out. “Our family has a problem.”
With what?
I hadn’t eaten anything I shouldn’t have this time.
