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Next to her. Where I belong.

I won’t force my will on her, but I will make sure she’s strong enough to advocate for herself. I’ll be ther for her to lean on, until she’s strong enough to stand on her own. I’ll make it my fucking life’s mission to help her rebuild everything that’s been torn down by the abuse she’s suffered her whole life.

I hold my breath as she stirs in my arms, waiting for her to settle. She doesn’t. Her lashes flutter, and I swear my entire body turns to granite as her eyes open.

She blinks slowly, glassy eyes flitting around the room in confusion before landing on me.

“Soren?” Her voice is a whisper, and the soft sound breaks my fucking heart.

Tears spring to my eyes, and my throat tightens.

“I’m here, Little Mate.”

Remarkably, she seems to relax, shifting in my arms and turning into my chest. “Don’t leave,” she murmurs, lashes fluttering as her eyes close once again.

“Never,” I swear to her fiercely. It’s not only a promise—it’s a vow. One I know I’ll keep till the end of my days.

“You smell like Christmas,” she whispers, lips curving into a soft smile.

“You smell like mine,” I whisper back, and her smile brightens.

And I know, right here and now, that I’ll do everything I can for the rest of my life to keep that smile on her face.

Fates… It’s everything.

She’s everything.

Her breathing slows, evening out as she falls asleep into soft puffs that fan against my skin.

I lean back, relaxing against the wall in contentment. This is good. She can sleep, and I’ll hold her while she does. Watch over her. Make sure nothing bad ever happens to her again.

Hours pass in what feel like minutes. I doze lightly with my Mate in my arms, and my Beast stays on alert— ready to wake me at the first sign of danger.

Eventually, a young Beta female with a bob and severe features appears almost silently at the base of the stairs. She’s holding a clipboard in one hand, eyes flitting across the pages, not even bothering to watch where she’s going as she strides forward and stops unerringly in front of the cell door.

Tucking the clipboard under her opposite arm along with the blankets and pillows already there, she reaches into her pocket for a set of keys and uses them to unlock our door.

Unlike every other Beta I’ve met so far, this female shows no signs of fear at all. She places three blankets and two pillows on the floor beside us, straightens, and plants her fists on her hips, studying Idril with a critical eye.

Her stethoscope and pale purple scrubs are at odds with the rigid vibe I’m getting, and it takes another solid thirty seconds before she finally speaks.

“I’m Lenora. One of the Doctors employed by the Bloodbound.”

Gathering Idril closer, I push off the stone bench and bend over, snatching a blanket and pillow from the pile she set on the floor. With one hand, I lay them both out and, after a bit of adjusting, carefully lay Idril on the thickest one I can find. I cradle the back of her head protectively, lowering it to rest comfortably on top of the pillow.

“Thank you.”

I grunt. “Didn’t do it for you.”

“Fair enough.”

Fates, this woman has the personality of a robot pretending to be a real person. As soon as I turn to face her, she doesn’t wait for me to ask before launching into an explanation for her appearance.

“I was sent to check on the Omega, as well as to administer her suppressant. It’s a tad early—I normally dose her closer to ten—but today has been… chaotic.”

“Explain to me why it took you so long to get down here,” I demand as she reaches into the front pocket of her scrubs. When she pulls out a syringe, I shift before she can pop off the cap, placing myself between her and my Mate.

When she doesn’t take the hint and sways to the side like she’s going to move around me, I move with her, raising a hand in warning.