Page 346 of Alpha Mates

Wait for a moment,I instruct while I watch Aiden stoop.

“You’re a real fighter, huh?” he mumbles while he wipes the pup’s lips. Surprisingly, the boy doesn’t draw away, but stays right where he is, staring up at Aiden. “Do you want to stay with us?”

My eyes bulge, but then the boy nods for the first time, and any argument I have dies on my tongue.

Aiden picks the boy up with a full-toothed grin and plants him on his hip as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. The boy wraps his little arms around his neck and stares at Aiden before he turns and blinks back at me.

I startle at the attention and his sudden change of heart, but maintain his gaze. I wait for him to hide like most kids do when facing me, but this one doesn’t. His stare remains firm.

I look at Aiden next, giving him a look that conveys all the things I can’t say in front of the pup.

How can we take a pup home with us???We don’t know the first thing about childcare???And right now? I don’t know if we were even in the right frame of mind to look after him. Think about this, Aiden.

“It’s only until we find his family,” he replies to all of it. That would be fine if not for the fact that the boy grew miserable every time we mentioned the prospect. But Goddess … going home without him meant focusing on the picture of Oliver slumped beneath that tree and I …I can’t.

Facing the pup, I take a breath before I lean in to ask, “Do we get a name for taking you home?”

He frowns minutely, actually pondering it before he swallows and says, “Levi.”

His voice is a hoarse whisper that hurts, but I take the progress for what it is and smile.

“Nice to meet you, Levi,” I say, and for the first time, the boy looks away.

Lips twitching, I leave him be while I steal a moment with the healer to discuss symptoms to look out for should the boy be unwell—and apologise while I’m at it for the bite. But she’s already healing and waves me off with a gracious bow before she rejoins the fray where she’s needed.

With nothing left to do or say, I rejoin my mate’s side and with Levi seated on Aiden’s hip, we head home with the strange little fighter.

“So, you can stay in this roo—”

The door slams shut in our faces the second Levi slips behind it, and the lock clicks into place right after.

Stunned, I blink at the white door of our guest room before I turn to face Aiden. He smiles sympathetically at me as he grasps my elbow and eases me a step away from the door.

“When I came back, I didn’t talk for months. I spent most of my time in my room, alone,” Aiden explains with a solemn shrug. “He doesn’t know us, so it’ll probably be worse. We should just focus on being close and taking care of him while the Council looks for his family.”

“So, what do we do tonight?” I ask as I glance between him and the door. “We can’t leave him in there all night. We didn’t even get a chance to babyproof it.”

“Well, he’s not a baby,” Aiden starts.

“Are you really worried about semantics when you were the one who said he tried to stab you?” I retort, folding my arms over my chest.

“Alright, alright. Point taken,” he grumbles as he rubs a grimy hand over his tired face. “He doesn’t trust us. So, we gotta come up with some incentives to come out.”

“Like what?” I prompt. “He only wants safety now, and in his head, he has that behind that door.”

“Yeah, but he’s probably tired, and—” Aiden pauses, paling suddenly as he looks at me. “Hungry.”

My heart drops. “When do you think the last time he ate was?”

“Too long,” he replies before he quickly presses himself against the door. “Hey, Levi,” he calls kindly. “We’re going to have some dinner. Would you come out so you can eat?”

No sound come from the other side of the door except his pounding heart.

“We’ll make whatever you want,” I offer, making Aiden glance back at me. He raises a brow, but I just shrug. “Whatever you want to eat. Just come out and you’ll get it.”

Aiden and I don’t breathe as we wait, and almost a full minute passes before the door unlocks and slowly creaks open. Curls slip through the tiny space before dark eyes peer up at us.

“Pizza,” he whispers quietly, and my heart warms as I smile at him.