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I can’t help but smile when I see him. Earlier, he and Damian went out for a run. He showered as soon as he got back, which is why his hair is wet. He takes a step closer, invading my space.
“Are you overthinking things again?”
I grin sheepishly at him. “Me? Overthink things?”
He chuckles. “I know you well, baby.”
My resolve crumbles when he calls me ‘baby.’ I take a step closer to him, leaning into his embrace. “Maybe I was overthinking things a little, but that’s not something I can change overnight.”
“Everything is going to work out,” he assures me.
“You can’t know that.” I look up at him, daring him to argue.
“I don’t know the future, but I do know that we have the entire Alpha Council on our side.” Devin rests his hands on my shoulders. “King Hastings may be cunning and strong, but he’s nothing compared to all the alphas when they’re working together.”
He’s not wrong.
My father is desperate. He’s a man on the ledge. He’s hurting people out of fear because he knows he can’t win.
But how many people is he going to hurt before the Alpha Council can find him and stop him? Will there be any dark fae left by the time this is over?
Devin pushes a strand of hair behind my ear, causing me to look up at him. His green eyes are intense as he studies me.
“You can’t worry about whatcouldhappen. The future is uncertain right now, but stressing about potential outcomes will only make you sick. Everything is going to work out exactly as it’s supposed to,” he says.
I lick my lips. “You know, when I first came here, I was scared to death about what was going to happen. Iknewthat Shifter Academy was my death sentence. My father told me so.”
Devin cocks an eyebrow. “And yet, you’re alive.”
“Because of you,” I counter. “Because even when you hated me, you still saved my life. Thank you for that, by the way.”
Devin’s lips tick downward. “I never hated you.”
I raise an eyebrow at him, calling his bluff. We both know hedidhate me, not that I hold it against him. After what my father did to his parents, I understand his behavior better now. I likely would’ve hated me too.
He shakes his head. “No, I didn’t hate you. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. Even from the first moment I laid eyes on you, I felt a pull toward you. And as I watched you and got to know you from a distance, I fell in love with you. At first, I thought you were weak because you didn’t stand up for yourself, but I was wrong. You were stronger than anybody else I knew. Every single day, you fought for your survival.”
“No,” I counter, not wanting him to think I’m braver than I am. “I let them pick on me because I didn’t want to let my father down. As sick as it sounds, I wanted his approval more than anything. I wanted him to love me.”
I expect Devin to give me a look of disgust—who would want King Hastings’s approval? But knowing it was sick doesn’t change the fact that I wanted it so bad. I wanted my father toloveme. Instead, he loathed my very existence and there was nothing I could do to change that.
“You’re not a bad person for wanting your dad to love you.” The softness of Devin’s voice makes me meet his gaze.
Does he really not think I’m screwed up for feeling like this? Because IknowI’m screwed up for it. Yet, he doesn’t look at me with disdain, but understanding. And because his hand is resting on my cheek, I can feel his emotions as strong as my own. He’s sad for me. Because I never knew the love of a parent. His heart is breaking for me.
I lean into his touch.
“It’s okay,” I tell him. “I have love now. You are my family. And your brothers and sisters are my family. Someday, we will have our own family, too.”
He slowly smiles. “I am looking forward to that day.”
My eyes widen. “I know that we’ll have kids, but I’d like to figure out the whole queen thing first. And luna thing.”
His grin slowly transforms into a smirk. “Don’t worry, Tori. I want you all to myself for a while before we think about having children.”
I let out a breath of relief. Devin slowly backs away from me and I wonder what he’s doing when moments later the front door to the house opens up. Damian stomps into the house, his gaze landing directly on me.
“Something has happened.”
