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“I’d be comfier if you’d come and lie with me.” He pats the soft mattress, fluttering his eyelashes at me in what is meant to be an alluring way.
And whilst I’m a little tempted, we’ve got bigger things to handle right now than selfishly enjoying the company of each other.
He pats the bed again, and I sigh. “There’s far more important?—”
“More important than me?” He pouts, the soft, begging look in his bright silver eyes twisting me on the inside so badly. He’s so beautiful, so hard to resist, and I’m barely holding onto my willpower at seeing the big, bad alpha giving me puppy dog eyes. “Please, give me some love, mate.”
“You’re a twisted—” I start, and he grins so widely. I sigh, leaning forward to brush a soft kiss on his nose. “I’m… I want to sit and cuddle and just pretend like we have no worries…”
“But mate is too nervous,” Max says, taking over for Alex. The pout deepens, his tone rising, as he mutters, “I let Alex handle it, if mate promises me kisses and cuddles later tonight.”
“I promise.” I laugh as he holds out his large hand, bending his pinky in front of me. I don’t move, and he wiggles his brows, nudging his head towards his finger.
With another laugh, I connect them, letting him force a pinky promise from me.
“Repeat after me: I, Maia Blake, the most sexy and smart woman to ever exist, promise to—” He’s feigning sadness as he speaks.
I roll my eyes, cutting him off. “I, Maia, promise to dedicate my evening to giving Alex and?—”
“Just Max.”
I cover my mouth, trying to not let him see my smile, but his own is so wide I know he felt it through our bond.
“I, Maia, promise to dedicate my evening to giving Max plenty of kisses and cuddles.”
“And nobody else.” Whilst there’s a teasing glint to his words, the stony look causes my amusement to fade away.
“I can’t...” I trail off, feeling the pulsing of three other bonds inside me, and he pouts, but he nods. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Alex says, the change shocking me as the hazel-eyed man takes the place of his wolf. “Max had no right to try and exact that sort of promise from you. Not to excuse it, but we’re just... thrown. Between Oliver showing up and our conversation about Ryan, he’s struggling a little, and he wants some extra love.”
“You’re both struggling?” I ask, tilting my head to look down at him properly.
His face doesn’t change, and neither does the firm hold he has on his feelings, but I bet his scent does as he gives one small nod. “All of us will be, I think.”
I pat my lap, and he comes to lay his head in it.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur, slowly running my fingers through Alex’s light caramel hair. He purrs ever so slightly, and it’s very soothing for me, and likely for him. “We need to figure this out with Oliver. I want to know everything he does so that we can adapt our plan.”
“It’s hard when we have a lifetime worth of history to share with you… and in a family as fucked up as ours, it’s even more so.”
“You’re not messed up,” I murmur, looking down at him. His eyes are closed, an almost serene expression on his face. I bend down gently, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.
“Oh, baby.” His eyes fly open, and he gives me a sad look. “You don’t even know the half of it.”
“I don’t care about your past, Alex. I care about the man you’ve shown me to be—about the man you’ll continue to be.” I brush his hair back once more and smile. “You’re doing a pretty good job so far.”
“No matter what happens, I can always promise that I strive to be my best for you and for Phoebe. You girls mean everything to me.”
“I know.”
He nods and gets up from my lap. “Now, let’s get the tiny human, and we can go and see my cousin.”
I look at how peaceful she seems and grab the baby monitor instead. “Can we leave her here? Let her sleep?”
“It’s up to you, little butterfly. She’s safe and happy here but will be just as happy with her mama. So whatever is most comfortable for you.”
I shrug and take his offered hand. I leave the door open slightly so that the werewolves in the room can hear if she starts to move before the baby monitor catches her crying, but leaving her up here is for the best.
