“We need to talk to our alpha.”
Half an hour later, Ryde was asleep and Ked sat in the den watching TV and munching on the monster burrito Assa ordered for him. Wes was glad to see the bruising around his nose had faded.
“We shouldn’t be too long,” Wes said. “Midnight at the latest.”
“Take your time. If I get tired, I’ll just crash out in the guest room. Papa won’t care.”
Wes hummed his assent. The fifteen-year-old was too smart for his own good.
At The Cracked Heart, Assa and Wes ran into Xan and Asher on the main floor.
“Hey!” Asher greeted them. “It’s been a minute. I wasn’t expecting to see you two tonight.”
Over the past year, Asher had not been very inquisitive about their relationship with Valentin, or Calder’s with Zinn. To his credit, his primary focus had never wavered from mending his relationship with his brother. And that did not include being opinionated about how the two households interacted. Asher simply seemed grateful to have a seat at the table whenever he was invited, no matter whose house it was.
“We’re looking for Valentin,” Assa said.
“He’s upstairs,” Xan said. “I can walkie him, or you can just go up.”
“We’ll head up, thanks.”
Valentin was seated at his desk when they knocked. Wes marveled at how soundproof the room became after they shut the door behind themselves. The music downstairs had been deafening, but in Valentin’s office, it was a quiet oasis.
Valentin stood and pulled them into an embrace. “Is everything okay?”
“I texted you,” Assa said.
“You said that you were on your way here because we needed to discuss something serious, but also that nothing was wrong.” Valentin huffed. “Vague much?”
“Sorry,” Wes said. “It wasn’t really a text thing.”
“So what’s going on?”
Instead of answering, Assa walked over to the window and peered down at the dance floor.
“Every time I’m in this office, I think about that night, about what would have happened if you hadn’t sent Xan to deliver your note.”
Valentin wrapped his arms around Assa from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder. “I think the universe would have sent us to each other eventually,” he said, pressing his lips to Assa’s neck. “But I am glad I took a chance that night.”
“Taking a chance is kind of what we wanted to talk to you about,” Wes said.
“I know.”
“You know?”
Valentin chewed his lower lip. “I mean, I think I know what this is about.” He stepped back until the three men faced one another. “We’re all thinking it. I had a conversation with Calder the other day. He was asking about making choices. Being brave…”
Interesting, Wes thought. Calder had been having a lot oftalkslately.
Assa interjected when Valentin’s words stopped coming. “You mean admitting that the universe isn’t done with us yet, that there’s still room to—”
A blinding flash of light flooded the office, like a bolt of electricity had touched down in the middle of the room.
Wes threw his arm up over his eyes as the three men fell to the ground.
“Are you okay?” Valentin asked as the light receded. Wes and Assa nodded.
They crawled to the window. The air above the dance floor was thick and smoky. Valentin flipped a nearby switch, and the soundproofing lessened.
