Page 104 of The Rust in Her Hair

"They know." Adrian lifts a shoulder. "They don't really care one way or the other. Owen's never been that close with them. He calls on holidays and birthdays, but we don’t really see them much." He smiles a little. "The beta has always been kind of a loner. I think that's half the reason the pack means so much to him."

I nod, understanding that.

"And mine," Adrian pauses and his body tenses beside me, the easy warmth draining out of his face. He looks down at his hands where they rest on his knees, and his jaw works once before he answers. "My family cut me off," he says quietly.

Mack's grin is gone.

"I came from a traditional house," Adrian goes on, his voice flat and careful, like he's reading a script. "I have an alpha father and beta mother. They’re monogamists."

I clench my teeth, knowing exactly what that’s like.

"My dad used to preach about the sanctity of a proper pairing." A humorless breath leaves the alpha. "I hid the pack from them for months, but I couldn't keep it up forever, so eventually I told them."

His hands curl into loose fists on his thighs.

"My dad lost it and ended up beating the shit out of me,” he says plainly, without any drama, and somehow that makes it worse. "He broke my nose and cracked a couple ribs. Told me I was dead to him." He swallows hard, and Mack goes completely still on my other side. "I’m not close with them anymore," Adrian says. "My mom and I talk sometimes on the phone. But not my dad. Never my dad."

Horror slices through me, and I’m suddenly hit with the urge to wrap both of them up in my arms and never let go.

"I'm so sorry," I say softly as I place my hand on top of his. "I know what it's like living in a house with someone like that. It’s not easy."

Adrian turns his hand over under mine, slow, until our palms meet and his fingers thread through mine. When he looks up at me, his blue-gray eyes have gone glassy, and there's something breaking open in his face, like the fact that I understand is almost harder than pity would have been.

"I'm sorry, too," Adrian says, his eyes holding mine.

Moving slowly, he lifts his free hand and brushes his fingertips along my jaw, slowly tilting my face up to his. My heart is racing again as he traces the curve of my cheek, then the edge of my bottom lip, feather-light, and I go still under it.

"You're safe now," he says, his voice slipping into a whisper. "No one's ever going to make you feel like that again."

Heat and emotion bloom in my chest under the weight of the alpha's intense stare, and I drop my gaze, suddenly shy. It's too much, being looked at like that.

Adrian's thumb strokes my cheek once more, and then he pulls in a slow, steadying breath, gathering himself back up. When he lets it out, some of the grief goes with it. He looks past me to Mack, and a soft smile pulls at his mouth.

"Go on," he says gently. "Tell her about yours."

Mack's grin comes back, but it looks tired around the edges.

"Ah, no drama on my end, darlin'," he says simply. "My mama passed when I was eight. It was just the two of us before that. No dad in the picture, or aunts or uncles," he says it all plainly, like he let go of any sadness a long time ago.

"I'm so sorry,” I say for the second time as I place my other hand on Mack's knee, slipping my fingers over the warm skin along the hem of his shorts.

Is this okay?

Can I touch you?

Is that something I should ask out loud?

I hold my breath and look at the alpha’s face, half-braced for him to pull away.

Mack goes quiet for a second, just staring at my hand. Then his big hand comes down to cover mine, swallowing it whole.

"Thank you," he says, and the drawl in his voice has gone soft and low, stripped of all its usual play.

"What happened after your mom passed?" I asked softly, scared of the answer. "Who took care of you?"

"After she was gone, I went into the system," he says, his thumb moving slowly over my knuckles. "I spent about ten years getting passed around foster homes 'til I aged out." He lifts his free hand and rubs the back of his neck. "So there's nobody to tell. This pack is the only family I have left."

My throat goes so tight, and I know I won’t be able to open my mouth without crying. So I do the only thing I can think of.