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I nod. “The herd leader’s word is law.”

“Why didn’t you run away?”

“I tried. Fled, was captured, and brought back. Not only was I useless, but I was now a traitor. They used me for the lowest, menial chores. Not that I cared about that. But I was also beaten, mocked, and fed scraps tossed to the floor.” It was little wonder that my inner stag, once so gentle and confused, turned feral, but that is not an excuse. “Seven arrived with his royal guards when one such beating was occurring. Usually, I was kept well away from the hall during rare royal visits, but this was unplanned and surprised my herd leader. Seven demanded to know what it was about. The herd leader began feeding Seven lies about how I had attacked a girl, dragged my niece forward, who was the sweetest child, and claimed I had hurt her.” My heart is racing. Time does not dim the potency of the memory. “What happened next is hazy and disjointed. I remember Nox at Seven’s side. His expression thunderous, he strode over to me as Seven continued to question the herd leader. I thought he was going to end me. He didn’t. He called a nearby servant to bring me water. That act of compassion broke me. I didn’t even care about the lies being weaved on the other side of the hall. Maybe I would die or be exiled… My niece tried to speak—I knew she was going to defend me. She was only six and used to sneak me food. But before she could say more than a word, the herd leader grasped her roughly by the throat. Something snapped inside me. I charged, wretched and broken as I was, determined to save her. His sonkicked me to the ground. Nox shifted, planted his antlers in his belly, and tossed him aside before he could kick me again. That’s when my stag rose to the surface. I don’t remember moving, just the rage… The herd leader lay dead. His blood was all over my antlers.”

I’m shaking just in the telling. The blood and the rage are still like an aftertaste on my tongue, one I can never purge.

Her hand cups my cheek, drawing me to look at her. I don’t want to, but I must face the consequences of what I did.

“The herd leader,” she says, her eyes searching mine. “He was your father?”

Surely, I should feel something: shame, regret, and even remorse. That I feel none of those things is a sign I am beyond redemption. “He was.”

Fawn

My heart breaks hearing his story.

It breaks more because he is waiting for me to reject him. As if I cannot see how terrible it must have been for him, how desperate, alone, wounded, and hopeless he must have felt for his stag to finally rise and end the misery.

“I love you. I love your stag. He was your protector when you had none.” He goes to speak, but I do not want to hear all his reasons why I should not love him anymore. “Your father was wicked, and your brothers were no better. You cannot help your nature. That they changed your stag breaks my heart. I do not think badly of you, only of those who did you wrong. You are here now.” I keep my hand on his jaw, holding him when he tries to turn away. “Your father was hurting your niece, who was kindto you, trying to defend you. I’m glad your stag rose. Seven and Nox saw what you did, and they loved you anyway, maybe even because of what you did. Why would you think I would be any different? If the king of all the herds loves you, how could I not?”

He doesn’t have an answer.

My smile is gentle. “I love you, Eiden. My doe is gentle, and she also loves your stag. There is no part of you we do not. If your father could not find it in his heart to love you as you are, he should have let you go. While I disagree with that outcome, what he did was so much worse: keeping you close so he could abuse you over and over again. Bringing his herd and your brothers into his web of misery. He is a monster, and I am not sorry he is gone.”

I kiss his lips hard. He resists briefly before I feel him let go. His arms come around me, holding me close. I press my cheek against his chest, comforted by the steady beat of his heart.

“What happened to your former herd? And your sweet niece?”

“Alora is all grown up now and lives in a herd on the other side of the portal with her mate and two children.” I hear the smile in his voice. “She had quite the crush on Nox after he came to my defense. As for the herd, Seven disbanded it. Their lands were amalgamated into surrounding herds.”

“And your brothers?”

“Exiled,” he says.

“Good. It is no less than they deserve. And as for Alora. It must have been a terrifying place to live and to watch all that cruelty. She was very brave. I already love her well that she helped you as she did.”

Eiden

Her acceptance slays me, as does her love. I hoped, but I also feared for the worst. Nox and Seven are warriors with many years of experience, which has hardened them. They are not the same as a sweet doe.

“When did you realize you loved Nox?” she asks with a smile, her sorrow fading.

“Instantly,” I admit, dryly. “He cornered my wild, terrified stag and brought him down through sheer force of will. He was so fierce and commanding, but he also had a steadiness that made you safe to let go… It doesn’t hurt that he is handsome… and thinks people who suffer from prejudices are idiots of the highest order… He also does not treat me like I am broken.”

“My doe likes him.”

I raise a brow. “Only likes?”

“Fine. She is obsessed with him… I also like that he does not treat you like you are broken. I mean, I can see you enjoy it when he… ah… what is edging, exactly?”

I groan. How did we go from my sorrowful tale and thinking she would leave me to talking about Nox and edging?

I don’t know, and I don’t care. My past still holds me prisoner, even though I thought I’d escaped it. I never really can. There will be times when my insecurities will rise, but I will learn to get through them. As Nox has often told me, neither my father nor my brothers deserve to take up space in my thoughts or heart.

Today, I am in a nest with my Fawn. I want to join with her, claim her, and become one with her in the most basic ways.

In short, I want to fuck her right here in her nest.