Sure, each of them has reaffirmed, time and again, that they like helping him cope, that they love anticipating his triggers and supporting him. But sometimes, even with all their reassurances, Luca can’t help but feel like he’s a burden.
Until Nix had woken from his coma, reached for Luca, and whispered:Mine.
Grayson and Gideon might be their soulmates, but Nix and Luca? They’re twin souls. Yin and yang. Peanut butter and jelly. Like Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman—only more American-American and way less Canadian-Australian.
They’d been born at the same moment, under the same moon, in different states. Sounds crazy, but Gray had said the astrology people confirmed what Luca already knew deep in hissoul: Nix washis. To care for, to love, to protect…and other amazing things (read: sexy times) that made life infinitely better.
Even the Goddess had agreed. Their words echoed in his mind still:Luca, you know who you are, and you are exactly who you were meant to be.
Was he shocked to hear Their voice in his head? Not really. Nix had just decimated the villain haunting them with the tip of a pointy finger. After that, what’s a little divine intervention? Did he understand what They meant when they said all that? Not really—though he certainly hopes it’s true.
But heisshocked to find himself sitting on the front stoop of the big-ass mansion, waiting for Lauren to pick them up.
“They’re watching us, right?” Nix murmurs, resting his head on Luca’s shoulder.
“Yup. Gideon and Jay are in the garage—no, don’t look! They’ll think it’s an invitation. Leo has Rowan-wolf in the office. Pretty sure the owner of this place is going to lose their mind, because every few seconds, he’s got his paws up on the window ledge.”
Nix laughs, covering his wide smile with his hand. “And Gray and Finn?”
Above them, a door clicks shut, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. If Luca had to guess, the two alphas in question didn’t want to be caught peering down at them from the balcony. Not that it stopped them. Judging by the shifting curtain in the library, they were simply retreating to another vantage point.
“Library, I think.”
Nix sighs, sitting up and turning with uncanny precision to make pointed eye contact with their lurking mates. Luca didn’t miss the squeaky yelp from the garage—definitely not his grumpy soulmate or their pack leader.
“Why are they like this?” Nix mutters, turning back to Luca. Then, louder: “Have we learned nothing?!”
A series of shuffling feet and grumbled protests answered him.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Gideon’s voice rings out, indignant. “You’re not the boss of me!”
Jay emerges from the garage, his arms wrapped firmly around Gideon’s hips, hoisting him back toward the house. “Quiet, love,” he says, smiling sheepishly. “Be good, you two. Call me.”
Luca blows them a sassy kiss, grinning as Jay pulls Gideon inside. It feels pretty damn good to be the one everyone is jealous of, for once. “They’re just surprised you picked me,” he blurts out before he can think better of it.
Nix frowns, tilting his head. “What? You’re the perfect choice. Who else would I pick?”
“Well, the list is sort of long. You know. Taller, bigger, more alpha-y. Less…squirrelly and anxious.” The words sting, but he needs to say them.
Nix laughs softly, then grows serious, gripping Luca’s hand. “And less alpha-y is exactly what this trip needs. I love them all, but come on—imagine taking any of them into a storage unit filled with my old life. I’d come out to bulging muscles and sad faces, or worse, threats of violence for the photos that made me cry.”
Luca pointedly doesn’t mention that he might also feel violent toward anything that made his baby cry. “Yeah,” he says instead.
“And today, I just need you,” Nix whispers. “You always make me feel like I can handle the hard stuff. Like, you believe I can do it, so I do.”
Luca’s heart swells with pride and joy. It sounds like something so simple—to just be where Nix can lean on him, andall he has to do is be himself. That is enough.That he is enough.“Yeah?”
“Of course. It’s part of what I love best about you. Next to your juicy butt, it’s my favorite thing.”
“Yeah, it is,” Luca replies, grinning. This time, he wasn’t agreeing about the butt—though it is objectively true, even covered in shorts as it is right now. No, he was agreeing about being exactly who Nix needed. About being proud of the person he is.
Lauren rolls up in a sleek black SUV, Winnie waving from the passenger seat. Luca stands so he can haul Nix to his feet, pulling him into a hug.
“Are you ready, baby?” he asks, brushing his mate’s pale cheek.
Nix slips a little yellow ribbon into their joined hands, the keys jingling softly between their palms. “Let’s do it,” he says, scent blooming sweet and surprisingly content.
Luca kisses his temple and nods.
