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“I know. And I love you for it.” My heart warms at his words. “It doesn’t matter what happened at home. You already knew my life was hard. The only thing about my life that was any good was my relationship with Nico.”
“Your other brothers should’ve stood up for you against your father.” Devin practically growls the words.
I shake my head. “No. I don’t blame my brothers for ignoring me. They did it out of self preservation. For the most part, they’re pretty good people. A couple of my brothers got the psychopath gene. But things are different now. My brothers deserve a chance to do good.”
Devin frowns but nods. “Okay. For you, I will give them a chance. But if they are mean to you, I will not stand for it.”
I lean closer and kiss him softly. “Thank you. I know you will always protect me.”
“I will protect you from anybody who tries to harm you—physically, mentally, or otherwise,” he promises, then he captures my lips with his.
As always, my heart races faster. The only indication that I have that he heard it is his absolute joy. Helovesthat he can elicit this kind of response from me. It only further proves that Devin is the absolute perfect guy for me.
Fate absolutely got it right with us.
Emergency alpha meeting.
The emergency alpha meeting isn’t until midnight. One of the alphas was away and had to catch a long flight to the island. So the entire evening, I am on edge, nervous about the meeting.
It will be my first Alpha Council meeting as an official member. My heart races so fast at the prospect of being in a room with all those alphas. I feel so out of my element.
Am I really ready for this? What if the alphas don’t think the dark fae are worth fighting for? I know Devin and Damian think we are, but they’re my family. Of course, they want to help protect my people. But the rest of the alphas don’t have familial ties to want to do something.
“Why are you so nervous?” Devin grabs my hand, stopping me in the middle of my pacing.
I turn to face him. “Because I’m not good at all of this queen stuff. What if they don’t want to help my people? Dark fae aren’t exactly known for our kindness. What if I can’t convince them to help?”
If anything, dark fae are known for being ruthless, unmerciful, and downright cruel. But kindness? Never. If anything, I’ve learned from my father that kindness is a weakness.
“The Alpha Council knows thatyouare kind.” Devin looks at me with his smoldering green eyes. “You are going to change the way other supernaturals see dark fae. You already have, Tori. The wolves love you.”
“Yeah, but they have to love me. I’m their future luna.” I look up at him through my lashes. “Everybody accepts me because ofyou. It has nothing to do with me personally.”
He takes a step closer, putting his hands on each side of my shoulder. “If that were the case, they would have accepted you from the beginning. Instead, they were cautious. They only accepted you once they got to know you.”
“They would have accepted me from the first day if I had been a wolf shifter.” I look at him, daring him to argue. “Because other supernaturals hate dark fae.”
Devin shakes his head, smirking. “You’re not going to let it go, are you?”
“Would you?” I already know he wouldn’t.
He chuckles. “You were talking aboutmebeing stubborn, our children don’t stand a chance between the two of us.”
I scoot closer to him and he wraps his arms around me. His lips press against my hair and I melt further into his chest, tightening my grip around his waist.
“The council already likes you.” He squeezes me against him. “You’ve got the dragon king on your side. Nobody will argue against his judgment—they’re all too scared of him. Besides, the supernaturals all fell in love with you during the trial against King Hastings. You have nothing to worry about. Even if they once distrusted you, they know better now. And if anybody starts something, I will personally finish it.”
I relax in his embrace—I’m not sure if it’s because I believe his words or just because I’m in his arms.
Devin will always take care of me. I know that.
Still, my heart races as I think about the meeting. In my wildest dream, I never imagined I would be queen, but here we are. I still question if I should even be in a position of power. Part of me thinks Nico would do a better job, but maybe that’s because of how I was raised. King Hastings definitely never treated me like I was worthy of ruling.
Devin kisses the top of my head. “Don’t be nervous.”
I angle my neck so I can look up at him, not backing out of his embrace. “How do you know I’m nervous?”
He smirks. “Even if I couldn’t feel your emotions, I can hear how fast your heart is racing.”
