Page 94 of Alpha Heat

Urho choked beside him.

“So that’s the truth of me. The worst thing I’ve ever been or done. I’ve never told anyone before. I’ll understand if you hate me.”

“I love you, dammit,” Urho croaked.

Xan’s heart clenched with a burst of joy amid the pain.He loves me.

“And that’s what’s killing me now. Because I love you and I hate myself. Why can’t I turn back time and make it all go away? Make him go away. I want to hurt him like I’ve never wanted to hurt another man. I want to send him to a place he’ll never come back from.” The darkness in Urho’s voice was something Xan had never heard, and it scared him. “I want him dead.”

“Urho…”

“I want to see him spit-roasted and burned alive.”

“Please…” Xan didn’t know what to say. The darkness was terrifying. Especially because he couldn’t say that some part of him didn’t want the same thing. “Leave it behind. That kind of hate will just ruin whatever future we could have now. And we have to think of Caleb.”

Urho jerked at that, his bright, dark eyes catching Xan’s. “Yes, it’s our responsibility to protect him.”

“Mine, actually,” Xan said. “He’s my omega. I’ll take care of him.”

“And you’remyomega,” Urho whispered. “I’ll take care of you.”

Xan’s eyes filled with tears but he held them back. “We’ll take care of each other.”

“I’m sorry I let you down.”

“You didn’t.” Xan unbuckled his seat belt to reach out and touch Urho’s cheek again. “Neither of us could have known…” He trailed off, looking up at the lights on in the house. There was beautiful warmth that came from knowing people waited for them, men who loved them both in various ways. “What we have now is too good to waste on what could have been. Forgive yourself. Please.” A tear fell, and Urho touched it with the pad of his thumb, wiping it away. “Because if you can forgive yourself, then I can forgive myself too.”

“My sweet alpha-shaped omega…”

“We all have room for improvement in our lives. I’m working on being a better alpha to my omega, and being a good lover to you. I want to be a better son to my father, and a better leader for Heelies Enterprises. So I figure you can work on this one thing to complete your perfection. Feel free to take your time.”

“I’m not perfect.” Urho placed his hand on the back of Xan’s neck, rubbing his fingers back and forth possessively.

“I know. You’re human.” Xan smiled. “I love you. Flaws and all.”

They kissed over the gear shift as the moon poured around the car. Their love overflowed in the sight of wolf’s own eye, and it was pure.

That night, Urhoheld Xan for a long time before they made love. He kissed every place he remembered being bruised after the last time Xan had gone to Monhundy, and he kissed every place that might haveeverbeen bruised by that demon’s hands. His mind flashed to the smarmy, smug, handsome face of the man who’d hurt his beloved.

Urho wasn’t going to let it go, no matter what Xan wanted. But he was going to let it rest.For now.Bide his time. Make good, strong choices for them all. Because that’s what an alpha did when he was protecting his family.

Xan was his family now. He’d protect him with all his heart and soul, from damage past and future. And that meant protecting Caleb, too.

He’d protect them both always.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

In the detachedwing along the west side of the house, beneath the servant’s quarters on the upper floor, Caleb had installed his printing machine. It’d been transported several weeks ago now from the city via a rented Sabel truck, along with boxes upon boxes of Caleb’s artwork and supplies.

From what Urho could gather, the room had probably been intended as a servants’ hall, but since Caleb and Xan had designated their out-of-the-way, and never-used ballroom and gaming rooms in the main house for their live-in beta servants’ pleasure, the big room in the detached wing was left open for appropriation.

There’d been a vast number of square stones unloaded and carted into the new studio, which Urho had found himself curious about. To Xan’s surprise and obvious envy, Urho’s questions to Caleb had earned him an exclusive invitation into the print studio to see how everything worked.

“When am I going to get an invitation to your studio?” Xan asked over breakfast. He was still flushed from that morning’s exertions in the garden. Urho was teaching him to box. He never wanted his alpha-shaped omega in a position where he couldn’t defend himself against a brute like Monhundy. And so boxing lessons had started the morning after their trip to the gentlemen’s club. They were going well so far. Xan was strong and sturdy, despite being small.

This morning the three of them were eating alone because Vale and Jason had taken to rising later and later as the pregnancy progressed. All flushed and healthy, Xan looked exceptionally handsome in the suit he’d chosen to wear into the newly finished office. Though Urho found he could no longer trust his judgement in that regard, because his opinion of Xan’s looks grew more biased daily.

Several weeks had passed since the night at the gentlemen’s club, and Xan looked healthier and more radiant by the hour. He positively glowed with beauty, and his scent made Urho’s mouth water and his prick stiffen at even the most inappropriate times.