Page 29

Nadia stood and pointed to the door as she headed out, closing it behind her. I nodded my head in thanks and took a big sigh.

I petted my mate’s hair as I rocked her. “Shh, it’s going to be okay. I’m here, I will not let anything happen to you.”

This had to be about her ex. A fiery rage surged through me, and I wished he were alive just so I could tear him apart limb from limb, obliterate him into dust, and scatter his remains to the winds.

A feral growl erupted from deep within, vibrating through my very core, as Elena whimpered once more.

The growl threatened to turn into a roar, but my dragon intervened, releasing a deep, resonant purr—a sound I could never produce on my own—to calm and comfort her.

My mate let out a hoarse breath. “Anaki?” Her hand gripped my tight shirt, and she took in a deep breath.

“It’s alright. Everything is fine. You are in the medical room, and you gave us a scare.

” I ran my hand up and down her arm. “I heard you crying, smelled your tears, and tried to bust down the door.” I chuckled nervously and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“I’m so sorry I acted so brashly, my dragon couldn’t stand hearing you cry. ”

She hummed and tried to bury herself further into my hold. I didn’t complain, not one bit, especially after the morning I had and the words that Bear had spoken earlier. I felt… emasculated.

“No, it wasn’t your fault. I was surprised, and memories from my past flared up and—” she went silent and rubbed her nose against my neck.

I pushed her hair away from her face so she couldn’t hide from me. “Do you want to talk about it, or just rest?” I couldn’t force her to tell me what happened in her past. It wasn’t right, especially since I had yet to scratch the surface of my own pain.

She had hidden hers well. While I knew she had a terrible past, she didn’t show it in the short time we had been together. Just the few comments she had made.

Women were both formidable and unyielding, a fact I understood well from observing the bonded mates of the Iron Fang members. Yet, there were moments when I questioned whether this strength was as unwavering as it seemed .

A long, dramatic sigh escaped her lips. She swallowed, nodded, but did not release her hold on my shirt. I enjoyed that she held onto me like an anchor. I knew it was the bond that gave her the courage, and she was truly accepting that I wouldn’t go anywhere.

She parted her lips to speak, but buzzing broke our thoughts. I darted my head to the noise to find her bag lying on the floor.

“It’s my phone. Probably Emmie.”

Elena didn’t reach for it, nor did I, not wanting to ruin the moment. It finally quit buzzing, signaling it went to voicemail. We stayed silent until the buzzing returned.

Elena huffed in annoyance. “She won’t stop until I answer. She will think I’m in trouble.”

I scooted across the floor, not willing to let my mate go. She tried to hold down her giggle when we got close enough for my tail to grab hold of her bag.

I reached inside and found the buzzing had stopped. I turned it on and quickly messaged the annoyed future Luna. " We’re okay. Abuela and Luis have a cold and are sleeping. Try calling later.”

I showed Elena the message, and she nodded into my chest before I hit send and tossed it back into her bag. My tail wrapped around both of us, giving her a tight squeeze.

“It isn’t much to tell. Well, a lot that I won’t get into anyway. I feel like a lot of the memories are fading, it’s been so long, but the big memories still stand out, the hurtful ones, you know?”

I pressed my lips to her forehead and stroked her cheek.

“I was foolish in my younger years when Emm ran off to the States. I was too young to go with her when she left, but as I got older, I thought she would come back for me, take me with her. She didn’t.

What she did was dangerous, and my health had deteriorated.

I had muscle weakness, became clumsy and fatigued. Emm couldn’t risk me.

I understood why, but I was still mad at her about it. I rebelled and decided to live away from Abuela for a little while. Gain some independence. I got a job, dated a few guys, nothing serious. The pain was controllable back then, but then I met Cedro,” she said his name with distaste.

My dragon clawed inside me; he wanted to rip something apart.

“He was confident, suave, and knew how to woo a woman. With me being so na?ve and young, I fell for it. We dated for two months before I moved in with him.” She winced.

“I didn’t see the red flags then, but there were so many.

He was overly possessive. He told me what I could and couldn’t wear, had to know where I was at all times, and drove me to and from work.

I thought , Hey, he’s caring. Really, he wanted to control me. ”

As Elena spoke, her voice quivered with raw emotion. Her grip on my shirt tightened, as if grounding herself through the retelling of her painful past. I listened intently, every word she uttered carved a deeper understanding of the strength she possessed beneath her gentle exterior.

She continued in a dull voice. "One night, it all changed. I found out about his dealings with drugs, illegal activities that put us both in danger. When I confronted him, he... he lashed out. The man I thought loved me had become a monster in an instant."

Tears welled up in Elena's eyes, shimmering like diamonds in the harsh light of the medical room. My heart ached for the pain she had endured, for the scars that marred her soul. Gently, I wiped away a tear that escaped, tracing the path along her cheek with my thumb.

"He... he hit me," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath. “He stormed off and left, but when he came back the next day, he told me how sorry he was, that he was drunk and he would never do it again.”

My heart plummeted into the depths of my stomach like a lead weight, and I threw my head back, feeling a wave of dizzying dread crash over me .

“I never left. Well, it was on and off. I left a couple of times, only for him to guilt me into coming back. Abuela thought I was crazy with our on-again, off-again relationship, but what she didn’t know was… he had threatened her life if I didn’t return.”

I felt my dragon’s eyes surface and glow. “Elena, you should have told her.”

She chuckled darkly. “I wanted to prove myself strong. I could be just like Emm. I would save her like she was saving us. Emm kept the cartel away and sent us money to help. I couldn’t put that on Abuela.” She bowed her head and wouldn’t look at me.

“Damnit.” I nuzzled into her face. “I wish I was there. I wish I knew you then, I would have stopped it all.”

She reached her hand up and petted my face. “I’m sure you would have. That’s the sweetness of you.” She gave a sad smile.

“I was finally rid of him when he found out I was pregnant. That was what he feared most: a woman officially attached to him with a child and having to actually support them. He accused me of cheating when really, he had cheated on me the whole time. I was a weak woman.” Her shoulders shrank into herself.

I pulled her from my chest so she could straddle me.

My tail wrapped around her waist, and I put both her hands on my shoulders.

“You, my pretty female, are not a weak woman.” My nose flared, smelling her salty tears.

“You are strong, you survived. You took care of Abuela, your child, and yourself.” I let out a sad chuckle.

“He’s beautiful. He looks just like you, and if he’s lucky, he will get his humor from me. ”

Elena half-laughed, half-cried, as more tears ran down her face.

“You are even stronger for being with me. A dragon. A dragon who has weird customs, and lives at a bar with a bunch of shifters who are fucking crazy. And! And! I cried in your arms this morning, and you are still at my side. You should have run to the hills. Men don’t cry in front of their women. ” Bear’s words still rang in my ears.

Elena ran her hands over my chest and sniffed. “I like you how you are. You are open and honest. It isn’t what I’m used to, it’s refreshing.” She licked her lips as her hands rested on my shoulders. “You okay if I’m still a little broken?”

My dragon growled, and I placed my forehead against hers. “Love, we are both broken. We will fix each other.”