Those two don’t need anyone else as long as they have each other. August will always be my mate’s priority, and honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way. He deserves every ounce of the love she gives him.
“Nevaeh?” A broken whisper shatters my illusion of peace.
Harvey hasn’t moved from the elevator. He’s frozen, terror plain in his eyes, and the sight makes me push off the couch.
He doesn’t look at me. His eyes are stuck on August, the horror on his face twisting in my stomach like a cold knife.
Nevaeh has gone completely still.Quiet.
Before she can speak, Harvey rasps out the words like they’re poison. “Is he… is he yours?”
The longer Nevaeh stays silent, the more agitated Harvey becomes.
I don’t like this silent back-and-forth between them. I need to know what’s made Harvey so mad, and my mate so petrified.
Nevaeh finally gains some composure and breathes out, “He is mine, but not in that sense. We were in the dungeon, and I… they—”
“Monkey!”
That snaps August wide awake. He clings tighter to Nevaeh and stares Harvey down like a tiny warrior. Raising his voice at Neaveh in front of the little werewolf is a bad idea. That boy is fearless when it comes to protecting my mate.
I want to pull him away from this conversation, but the way Harvey just lashed out at Nevaeh, taking August from her right now would only make things worse.
Tension floats around the room, and August is starting to pick up on it.
Channeling my Divine, I link my boy.“It’s okay, Monkey. Nevaeh is safe. I’m right here. Nothing’s going to happen to her or you. Relax, kiddo.”
August blinks once, then settles his head back on Nevaeh’s shoulder, trusting me to take care of whatever this is.
Everyone thinks August doesn’t speak, and technically, it’s true. But once we bonded a little, I created a link between us so he could reach out to me without having to speak. He’s still shy and doesn’t use it much, but it’s still progress.
“Promise, Papa?”
Like every time August calls me that, it hits me square in the chest.“Promise.”
The first time August referred to Nevaeh and me as“Mama” and “Papa,”I thought it was an innocent mistake. The second time, I thought he was just confused and probably missing his real parents, but didn’t know how to make sense of their absence.
But after the third time, I had to ask Khatri for advice. He’s the only one I trust with something this personal outside my family. And he has kids, so that automatically makes him an expert.
It took me some time, but eventually I realized August wasn’t confused. He was choosing—replacing—his parents with us. He felt the same love and safety he had with his parents, and for a little kid, the two people who care for you, like we’ve been doing, simply mean we areMamaandPapa.
I didn’t know whether to cry because he thought it was normal to have a new set of parents just like that, or feel relieved that he understands we’re not going anywhere. He’s ours forever.
Once I know August has zoned out of the conversation, I turn my attention back to whatever Nevaeh and Harvey are trying to brush under the carpet.
“You’re not making any sense, Nevaeh. Did that happen again? Because I swear on Fates if anyone dared to touch—” She cuts him off, but one look at her pale face, and I start piecing it all together.
Again?
My blood freezes at the realization. Someonetouchedmy mate.Withouther consent. When she was hurting… vulnerable.
The more I think about it, the angrier I get. I wasn’t there. I didn’t protect her. The signs were right in front of me, but I didn’t see them.
“No! It’s not like that. Nothing happened. I swear. They tried… but Harvey—he came and—” Nevaeh bites her bottom lip to stop herself from saying any more.
She can barely get the words out, and I’m barely hearing her. My mind is feeding me all the worst versions of her truth.
“Angel, nothing happened, I swear.” She’s begging me with her eyes, pleading for me to let it go before she’s forced to put her deepest scars on display.
