Page 35

Austin

Cleo's breaths are steady and quiet, occasionally punctuated by a gentle snore as she peacefully slumbers. She looks so peaceful like this, sleeping in her pink bed, all wrapped up in her blanket covered in butterflies.

Yelena slips her hand into mine, squeezing it. I turn to her, my heart in my throat.

“I want to put a tracking device on her so we never lose her again!” I whisper, only half-joking. Yelena laughs softly and wraps her arms around my waist.

“We won’t be able to keep her locked up forever, but for now? I’m grateful we can keep her safe,” she whispers.

We stand in the doorway together, watching Cleo sleep for a few more minutes. When Yelena yawns, I drop a kiss on her forehead and pull her out of the room, shutting the door behind me carefully.

“Come on, sleepyhead, we have one more to check on, and then it’s time for bed.”

She grins sleepily up at me, and we make our way to the adjoining room. I crack the door open and peek in.

A lump in the middle of the bed is all that is visible, at first, but then I spy the tell-tale tuft of red hair that peeks out of the very top.

Gage.

I watch as he tosses and turns in his sleep. I can only imagine the nightmares he must be having, reliving the horror of what happened at his old pack.

Anger roils in my gut when I remember how terrified he was when he saw me, covered in the blood of his packmates. Yet…he had enough courage to defy his pack to lead Yelena to Cleo. He stayed to protect them both, and then he followed her. His courage is commendable.

I couldn’t say no to his request to live among our pack. The bastards at Highland Pack may have treated him like dirt, but not here. That’s not how we do things.

He helped save my daughter, so he’s part of the family now.

What galls me the most is that they haven’t even asked about him. The Council has ordered Highland Pack banished for what they did. Alpha Paxton knows we have Gage here.

Yet…they have never asked for him back. They just left him. Never even said goodbye.

A pack abandoning their own young. So shameful.

I gently close the door to Gage's room, not wanting to disturb his restless sleep. Gage has a lot of pain to work through, but he’ll never be abandoned again. Not if I have anything to say about it.

Yelena leans into me as we walk down the stairs, the events of the last few days weighing heavily on us both.

We reach the kitchen, and I grab the bottle of red wine and pour us both a glass. Yelena takes a long sip and closes her eyes, leaning against the counter.

“I can’t stop reliving it in my head,” she whispers, setting her drink down and wrapping her arms around herself.

“I was so terrified,” she says, finally.

I take a long drink of wine and set my own glass down, walking over to hold her.

She leans into my comfort, allowing me to care for her in the way she has so often cared for me.

I pull back and meet her eyes. “Me too. I don’t want a life that doesn’t have you and Cleo, and hell, even Gage in it. You’re it for me. My world.”

“I will never let anything happen to you, or the children, again,” I vow.

She nods, sniffling into my shirt before pulling back and tipping her face toward mine.

I lean down and capture her lips in a kiss. She melts into me, her hands gripping my shirt tightly, as if she’s afraid I’ll disappear.

I deepen the kiss, licking at her lips until she opens for me. We’ve been through so much together, and I never want to let her go.

She’s my rock. My everything. My mate.

When we break apart for air, I rest my forehead against hers and smile.

“I love you,” I whisper.

She smiles up at me with a watery smile.

“I love you, too. So much.”

Our comfortable silence is suddenly destroyed by an ear-splitting scream that rends through the air. We leap apart instantly. My instincts tell me to shift, to protect my home, but before I can do anything, Yelena is already running for the stairs.

“The kids!” she gasps, taking the stairs two at a time.

There’s a soft light coming from Gage’s room, so we hurry down the hall and burst through the door.

“Mama! Daddy! Shh!” A little voice says, reproachfully.

I skid to a stop and look at Cleo. She’s standing next to Gage’s bed wearing her pink and purple bathrobe and unicorn slippers. Her hand is outstretched and lying across Gage’s chest.

His face is tear-stained, and he’s breathing heavily, but he seems like he’s calming down.

“What happened?” Yelena asks, hurrying over to them.

“Gage had a dream about the bad people. But don’t worry. I told him he’s safe here. The bad people won’t come here anymore. I know it.”

I glance over at Yelena and then back at Gage and Cleo.

“Gage, buddy, how are you doing?” I ask softly. “Do you need anything?”

He shakes his head no, and Cleo smiles softly at him. “You’re going to be okay, you know,” she whispers, going up on her tiptoes to press a sweet kiss to his cheek.

"I feel like the luckiest Dad in the world, having the two of you in my life,” I tell them, causing Gage to start.

“You are the luckiest Daddy in the world,” Cleo says cheekily before turning her attention back to Gage.

I watch as she smiles down at him happily.

“I think you should be my brother, don’t you?” she asks, patting his hand.

Gage turns crimson and looks at us as if he can’t believe his ears. “Brother? What?”

Yelena beams at him and nods.

“You want to keep me?” he stutters, tears welling in his eyes, “Forever?”

I reach for Yelena’s hand, and we walk over to stand next to Cleo.

“Forever, Gage. If you want us.”

A strangled sob escapes his throat, and he looks away, brushing away tears with the back of his hand.

“You’d be my mom and dad?” he asks again. There’s a spark of hope in his eyes that makes my heart want to burst. “But you’re the Alpha and the Luna!”

“We want you to be part of our family, Gage. If you want to be,” Yelena says gently.

Gage's eyes light up with excitement, but at the same time, fear and doubt flicker across his face. He looks from Yelena to me, as if searching for any sign that this is all too good to be true.

"Really?" he whispers, his voice barely audible.

"Yes, really," I confirm.

His face breaks out in a wide grin, and he nods.

"Thank you," he says softly. "I've always wanted a family."

Yelena wipes away his tears gently before tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. "You have one now," she says firmly. “Forever.”

"And you'll always be part of our pack," I add, placing my hand on his shoulder.

Gage's smile widens even more as he nods eagerly.

“And I get to be your sister!” Cleo sings out, patting his hand happily.

Gage looks over at Cleo, his eyes shining. "I've never had a sister before," he says.

Cleo grins. "Well, now you have the bestest sister ever!"

Gage chuckles softly. "I believe it."

I look over at Yelena and share a smile. My heart feels full to bursting seeing our children connecting.

"All right you two, it's late. Let's tuck you both back into bed," I say.

Cleo pouts. "But I wanna stay with Gage!"

"You can see him in the morning, little moon," Yelena says gently. "For now, bedtime."

Cleo sighs dramatically but allows Yelena to lead her from the room. I sit on the edge of Gage's bed.

"How are you feeling?" I ask.

He ducks his head. "Better. Thank you. For everything. For wanting me."

I squeeze his shoulder. "There's no place we'd rather you be than right here with us."

Gage blinks back tears and nods.

"Try to get some more rest," I say. "Tomorrow is a new day."

I get up and walk to Cleo’s room, where Yelena is tucking our little princess back into her bed. I lean down to kiss her forehead.

“Good night, sweet girl.”

She yawns, already drifting off. “Love you, Daddy.”

“Love you more,” I whisper, turning out the light.

Yelena is waiting in the hall, leaning against the wall with a contented smile on her face.

"Our family just got a little bigger," she says.

I pull her into my arms. "I know. I wouldn't change a thing, though," I murmur into her hair. "Every struggle brought us closer together. As long as I have you and our family, I have the world.”