Page 23

MALIK

“ T he kid is out of his depth, General. We’d be smart to cut him loose and not waste any more resources on him. He’ll just keep getting hurt.” Ethan, one of my commanding officers, sidled up to stand beside me.

We watched the soldier in question, a young male who’d finished school over a year ago. He sat on the makeshift medical table while Aria bound his arm close to his body, wincing every time his dislocated shoulder shifted.

Aria’s fingers worked meticulously, strapping gauze across his slight frame to keep his arm and shoulder from moving. Blonde waves fell across her brow, and her tongue peeked from between her lips as she concentrated on the task in front of her, a dedicated healer.

As soon as we’d arrived at the training grounds, she set about gathering supplies from Estelle to create an on-site clinic where she could treat any minor injuries.

She wore a smile as she worked, glowing despite the wary, uncertain glances she received from our pack mates.

She never batted an eye at my ridiculous need to keep her by my side. For that, I was eternally grateful.

What does he want to do? I questioned, forcing my attention away from my mate and back to Ethan.

He sighed. “He doesn’t want to give up. He’s relentlessly stubborn, and it’ll get him killed.”

My lips pulled into a hard line.

The soldier, Gio, hadn’t adjusted to life as an Intonat Nocte soldier. Not like the other recruits that joined last year, at least. In both his wolf and human forms, he was smaller than most other males in our legions, and he lacked the speed and agility that made our female warriors so dangerous.

Still, he never ceased to work harder than every other soldier in my army. Indeed, he possessed a warrior’s heart, even though his body couldn’t keep up. He’d badly broken his leg just over a week ago and returned to training as soon as his accelerated healing completed. My chest ached for the boy.

Let me speak to him, I decided.

Ethan dipped his head, shoulders sagging in relief. I knew Ethan well. He was a good male, and an even better commanding officer. He wanted every member of his platoon to succeed, so it pained him to know that Gio had fallen so far behind.

“Thank you, Malik,” he said, clapping me once on the shoulder before returning to his warriors to oversee their work.

Releasing a deep breath, I turned to deliver the bad news to Gio. At least it gave me an excuse to visit Aria in the midst of the training session.

She pressed an icepack to Gio’s injured shoulder, a small smile gracing her lips as she offered him words of encouragement. Rabid, ridiculous jealousy flared inside of me, fueling my urge to dislocate the kid’s other shoulder. A scowl crossed my features as I hastened my approach .

Aria looked up, her eyes lightening upon noticing me. “Malik!”

The tightness in my chest lessened upon hearing the joy in her voice, and I lifted an arm to create space for Aria, who fluttered to my side in an instant. I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Hello, little dove.

Is everything okay? A little line formed between her brow.

I took a deep breath, reveling in our mingled scents on her body. I allowed it to calm me, sucking her into my lungs like an addict guzzling down his drug of choice. I need to speak to your patient.

She pulled back and blinked. “ Gio?”

Goddess, even the sound of his name on her lips stoked the burning flames in my chest. She’d turned me into a besotted fool. Pushing my aversion aside, I dipped my chin and looked to where the young man sat on the exam table.

He’d clearly heard his name. Despite his injury, he cast the icepack aside and scrambled off of the table, straightening his spine and tilting his chin back to stand at attention in front of me. Even so, his skin was pale and his eyes glazed with a layer of worry.

“What can I do for you, General Malik?” His voice took on a deeper octave than usual.

Keeping Aria tucked against my side, I opened my mind-link with Gio so that Aria could hear the conversation as well. We need to discuss your future here, soldier.

The whites of his eyes expanded. My future…?

I nodded, lips pressing into a grim line. Have you ever considered taking up a different role in the pack? Healer? Messenger? Caregiver?

There were plenty of positions within the pack for individuals of varying strengths, and each one played an integral role in maintaining the pack’s daily function.

Healers treated the sick and injured. Messengers spread important intel across far stretches of territory, connecting the pack when mind-link became hazy over long distances.

Caregivers protected the old and young, tending to the beginnings and endings of life.

Unfortunately, in the decade since my father’s death, the culture of the pack shifted, placing far more value on the life and duties of a warrior than any other position. As such, almost every young pack member sought to join the Intonat Nocte army, even when their strengths resided elsewhere.

Gio blanched. No, I- I’ve only ever wanted to be a soldier.

Right, I murmured, steeling myself to crush the young male’s hopes. Gio, it’s my duty to protect my warriors. I can’t in good conscience send you to the front line when you can’t make it through a training session unscathed.

General Malik, he implored, panic rising through our mind link. I’m getting better every day. I-I’m learning. Please, don’t send me away.

A wave of pity that didn’t belong to me swelled in my chest, and I knew I felt Aria’s emotions through our bond. Her fingers curled tight into the cotton of my t-shirt, and I sensed that she was biting her tongue against jumping to Gio’s defense.

You’ve become a liability to your unit. Ethan can’t risk the lives of every other soldier in his control to accommodate your desire to fight. Goddess, a bitter taste salivated in my mouth. I hated this.

Gio shook his head. Please. My father… I need to be a warrior. It’s all he’s ever wanted for me. I can’t go home if I’m not a soldier anymore.

Fuck.

I understood, far better than most, the need to rise to a father’s expectations.

There was a time, long, long ago, when I could do no wrong in my father’s eyes.

Then, the attack happened, and, suddenly, I was an abomination.

A blight on his legacy. It didn’t matter how hard I worked or how obedient I was.

I sighed, sensing Aria’s eyes peering up at me, and broke. Perhaps we can work something out…

Anything, Gio answered. I’ll do anything, so long as I remain a soldier.

He meant it, too. He’d rather die a soldier’s death than consider living as a disappointment to the most important figure in his life—his father. For that reason, I nodded slowly.

You won’t be a member of a unit anymore, and you won’t see battle at the front lines, I warned before making my offer. I’ll take you on as my adjutant—my assistant. You’ll stay by my side and perform administrative tasks, but in our spare time, I’ll train you. How does that sound?

His eyes lit up. Your adjutant? You mean it?

I dipped my chin once, and the smile on Gio’s face could’ve melted a glacier. Goddess, I hoped I wouldn’t come to regret my decision.

I didn’t need an assistant. I’d performed my tasks as General for countless years without one, but I didn’t have a mate all those years. Now, having someone to perform my administrative tasks would certainly free up time to spend with Aria…

You’ll begin tomorrow, I decided and turned away, eager to get away from the young male before he acted on the gratitude that pooled in his gaze and tried to hug me or fall to his knees. Listen to my mate so your shoulder heals properly.

“Yes, sir! I will, sir!” Gio called after me, but I’d already pressed a quick, chaste kiss to the top of Aria’s head and began walking away.

Malik, wait! Aria called, and I slowed my steps to allow her to catch up to me. A bright smile greeted me when she arrived, and she twined her fingers with mine. That was incredibly kind of you .

I shrugged, though warmth crept up my cheeks at her praise. I know what it’s like to want to impress your father, I muttered by way of explanation.

She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, and I knew she wanted to know more. I saw the question dancing behind her sky-blue eyes.

Before she could ask it, I shook my head. Not here, little dove.

Because any conversation pertaining to my father would not be a pleasant one. Nor a short one.

Of course. Not until you’re ready, she answered, shifting until we stood face-to-face. With the utmost gentleness, she dropped my hand in favor of reaching up to stroke my cheeks. Goddess, she was too good for me.

Bending low, I captured her mouth in a quick, hard kiss, willing every ounce of devotion that filled my body into the touch of our lips. My hands tangled in her hair, teeth nipping at her fleshy lower lip once before pulling away. Soon. I’ll tell you everything soon .

Aria nodded, hands sliding up and down my chest. You have a good heart, Malik, she whispered in our bond, and I felt the words like a caress down my spine. I’m so lucky you’re mine. This pack is lucky, too.

That night, Aria laid on top of me in bed.

Our bodies connected at the hips, locked together until my biological response to our coupling subsided.

The duration of the knot had decreased with every climax that rocked through my body, but we still had at least fifteen minutes before we’d be able to separate. Neither of us cared.

I stroked her back, memorizing the landscape of the muscles that lined her spine. Sweat dampened her skin, and a small groan escaped her lips when I massaged the globes of her backside.

“That feels good,” she hummed in contentment, still regaining her breath.

She’d done a majority of the work in that round, and, when I closed my eyes, images of her breasts bouncing as she rode me with abandon filled my mind.

She’d braced her hands on my bent knees for support, leaning back to offer me an unrestricted view as she impaled herself on my cock time and time again. Her slick arousal lubricated every movement, coating my groin and dampening the natural curls around her sex.

I clamped by eyes shut as the memory caused another spurt of seed to shoot from my tip, and I jerked beneath her.

Aria felt it, another laugh bubbling from her throat. “What made that happen?”

Rather than explain, I sent the mental image through our bond. She gasped and pushed onto her elbows to look me in the eye, her cheeks coloring. “ Oh. ”

It was my turn to chuckle. Exactly.

She settled deeper onto my cock in response, getting comfortable again. At this rate, it’ll be a wonder if I’m not pregnant by the next full moon.

I stilled beneath her. Pregnant. Pups.

It was something I never knew I wanted until I found Aria. Before she walked into my life, I’d long since given up hope of ever finding someone to mate with. As a result, I never even contemplated the possibility of children—pups, as they were known to shifters.

Apprehension edged into my excitement. Every cell in my body rejoiced at the prospect of Aria carrying my heirs—as many as the Moon Goddess was willing to give us. In the same breath, I didn’t know the first thing about being a good father. I’d never had an example. My own father…

Nausea roiled up my throat at the memories that threatened to resurface, but I tampered them down.

Malik? Aria’s soft voice was a balm in my mind. She lifted her head, peeking at me with concern etched across her round features.

I stroked a lock of blonde away from her bare shoulder and sighed. I promised her the truth. It was time she learned it. My father wanted to kill me.

She blinked, confusion and horror crossing her features. What?

After it became clear that I wouldn’t die from my injuries, my father wanted me dead anyway. My chest felt tight. The scar on my neck burned and itched. He thought an alpha needed a working voice.

Aria’s eyes pooled with palpable pain and disbelief. How old were you?

She deserved the whole truth. She deserved to know the whole, morbid story. Taking a deep breath and mustering every last ounce of courage, I forced myself to relive the worst day of my life.