AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m not cut out for this life of secrecy.
21
ALEXANDER
“Mate is hurt.”
I continue stroking Maia’s hair, and nod. “I know. But now, we can move forward without any more lies.”
“She has a lie.”
My hand stills, and I sigh. “I know.”
I cut off the connection with Max, not wanting to get into an argument. He made his feelings very clear when she was talking about it. He doesn’t believe she’s entitled to her privacy, but I completely disagree.
Her secret clearly involves Ryan, and we’re not the nicest men when it comes to?—
“That dirty weasel,” Max cuts in. “He’s scum and deserves the death he now has. I hope he’s rolling in his grave knowing that we’re the ones fate found worthy enough to be Maia’s men—to be Phoebe’s dad. We’re going to give Phoebe so many siblings and let her be raised in a safe house full of love.”
“But we’re not going to say this to our mate,” I warn.
He growls in my mind. “Mate was alone when she was vulnerable because of him. She was pregnant with our child, alone because he was weak. We’re strong Wolfes. Our mate will never be alone again.”
“Nice to know you agree to keep your thoughts to yourself.” I’m amused as Max retreats into his bubble of thoughts regarding a pregnant Maia, and I look down at my beautiful mate once more.
Doubt fills me, and I wonder if I’m the only one.
“She moved past her anger very quickly,” I mention. She’s flat out in my lap, her eyes still and steady as she sleeps.
She lost consciousness during her panic but came back around quite quickly. She was groggy and feeding off our panic and frustration and was quite unconsolable. Topher, somehow, managed to convince her to take a short nap whilst we waited for food, citing that she didn’t sleep well the night before because of the doctor’s appointment.
She chose to lay on the sofa with me and hasn’t budged as I run my hand over her beautiful curly hair. She’s so peaceful when she’s asleep, her eyes so still, her lips beautifully soft and plump.
There’s none of the strain in her face, no tension in her body. She’s so serene, so beautiful.
And the sparks between us are so tantalising. Minus the tension in the room, this could be our future.
“The only thing that would make this better is if her stomach was rounder,” Max says with a grin.
I roll my eyes just as his tone shifts in my mind. I can feel his anger across our bond, and my brows draw together as I try to figure out the fast shift in his mental state.
“Do not complain about her getting over her anger quickly, you fool,” Max hisses. “We don’t want her to leave us. Ever. You are right—this is our future. So shut up, be a good mate, and take what she gives us.”
“Then maybe we shouldn’t have been acting in a way that would have made her want to leave us,” I say. This has been my argument with Topher over the last couple of weeks. It didn’t work with him, so it’s not surprising that it’s not working on my wolf, either.
“Mate needs protecting. She needs to be safe. She needs us to look after her.”
“She does,” I reply with a nod. “But you can keep someone safe whilst also being honest, and we didn’t do that. We initially reacted out of fear, and it took us too long to fix it. She’s allowed to be upset over that.”
My wolf huffs. “I don’t get this independence shit. Let me protect her. I’ll destroy her enemies whilst keeping her round and protected. She’ll be happy and never see any of the darkness.”
“Far too quickly,” Topher adds, giving me a break from my wolf.
“I, for one, think that’s a good thing,” Ben says. “I don’t like her being angry at me. It hurts.”
“Not good,” Seb says. He’s still holding Phoebe, and despite the begging from both Ben and Topher, he hasn’t relented. I can’t complain because I get to hold Maia, and she’s so beautifully perfect sprawled across my lap.
“Not good,” Topher echoes.
