Chapter 74 #2
The sight of it steals Levi’s smile away as he tucks himself into Aiden, and now I know exactly why he didn’t want to come some days.
The littlest ones stare up at us with eyes filled with awe as we enter, and we smile at them, keeping a lid on the emotions bubbling inside as we search each room one by one.
It takes a while, but in a lounge meant for the caregivers, we find the one responsible.
He’s seated with his back facing the wall, so he doesn’t see as Levi points him out for us.
“I’m just going to put you down real quick, okay buddy?” Aiden says as he sets Levi down on his feet. “Can you wait out here with Julian for me?”
Levi nods and immediately attaches himself to my leg.
Aiden closes the door gently, so Levi’s not privy to anything while I peer through the glass panel.
Aiden strides towards the man, and lax as he is in his chair, he doesn’t see him coming or the hand Aiden wraps around his neck, before he yanks the man off his feet.
The chair falls behind him as Aiden slams him down on the table, making the others who hadn’t moved already back away as quickly as they can.
Levi jerks beside me, and I smooth a hand over his head to calm him while I watch Aiden lean over the shaking man with a steady growl.
His claws nip the man’s skin, freeing blood as he claws at Aiden’s wrist for freedom.
“I thought all you bigots left months ago, but I see you slipped free,” Aiden growls as his fingers tighten around his throat. “What gives you the right to call my boy a rogue?”
Levi’s grip on my leg tightens at the word, and he clenches his eyes shut, but I want him to hear this—hear that we actually mean the words we say to him and know that we don’t only mean them when we’re alone.
“Does he look like a fucking rogue to you?” Aiden snarls before he lifts the man, only to slam him back down on the table, forcing the air from his lungs. “Do you think I’m a rogue?” he says through his canines. The man gasps, and Aiden growls with rage. “Answer me!”
“N-no,” he whispers hoarsely while gasping for air. “No, Alpha!”
“You must. You called him one and we’re the same, except I’ve got the red eyes.” Aiden’s glowing eyes cement his words as he hauls the man in until he’s close enough to choke on his rage.
“Now you listen here you little piece of shit. My kid is nothing short of spectacular and making him think any different almost got you killed today. The only reason you’re still breathing is because of him—the same child you called an abomination. He kept you alive. Never forget that.”
Aiden tosses the man on the floor, and he quickly scrambles back, trembling fingers clutching at his bloody neck. He stares up at Aiden, like the others glued to the walls, only shifting their gazes when I open the door.
“We’re not done with you,” I warn as I eye the man on the floor before glancing at the others. “And if we hear of any other cases even remotely similar to this instance, from any child, you’ll be in much worse shape than he is.”
Aiden strides out of the room and picks a wide-eyed Levi back up before we leave without another word.
The walk home is a silent one that I spend worrying that might’ve been too much for Levi.
A certain degree of violence among werewolves is normal, but I didn’t want to scar him.
I just wanted him to see that we loved him and would defend him no matter what.
But Levi’s gaze is lost as he stares blankly at the path ahead.
It’s not until we’re back in the house that he finally speaks.
“Thank you.”
The whispered words steal Aiden’s and my full attention as we turn to look at him. He fiddles with his fingers, his nervous tick. “Thank you,” he mumbles again. “Thank you for everything.”
“You don’t have to thank us. That’s our job, Levi,” I say as I slide a hand over his back. “You just have to tell us when anything like that happens so we can deal with it.”
“Until you’re old enough to deal with it yourself,” Aiden adds, tucking a finger beneath his chin. “And even then, I’ll still be around whenever you need me.”
That makes Levi’s smile widen before he nods.
“Now, how about some ice cream, or has Julian eaten it all up?”
Levi, the betrayer, giggles from Aiden’s shoulder as he eyes me.
“I didn’t,” I say as I glare at him. “I left some behind.”
“Yeah, right,” Aiden snorts. “Knowing you, all we have left is chocolate.”
“I like chocolate,” Levi whispers, and my brows dip a little as I study him.
“Levi,” I whisper as I lean a little closer to him. He glances at me, and I offer him a kind smile. “What ice cream do you really like?” His lips part too quickly, so I add, “Be honest.” His lips clasp shut. “If there were any ice cream in the whole world you could have, what would it be?”
Gaze falling to the ground, Levi gnaws on his lip before he takes a deep breath and whispers, “Lime.”
Aiden pauses, stopping in the middle of the street as he peers at Levi the way I do. I glance at him, mentally telling him to keep walking before all the attention makes Levi clam up, but then he keeps talking.
“My mama used to make it for me,” he mumbles. “Lime ice cream.”
The world seems to slow down as Aiden and I stare at Levi. It’s the first time he’s talked about his family in all the time he’d been with us.
“Oh yeah,” Aiden whispers gently, and Levi nods a little. “You like limes?”
Levi nods again, eyes brightening as he looks at us. “We had trees with them. Lots and lots of them.”
A small smile plays on his lips, and my heart breaks. “Did you have a lot of fruit?” I ask, and he nods again.
“Mama liked fruits,” he whispers the words before his smile drops, and I feel his sadness like it’s my own.
“I guess that’s why you love them so much, huh?
” Aiden whispers with a nudge that Levi barely acknowledges.
“You know what? We don’t have any lime ice cream at home, but I happen to know someone who makes the best lime ice cream in the pack.
” Levi’s eyes lift with interest, and that’s all Aiden needs to change course. “Let’s go on an adventure.”
We head for the markets and saddle up to the only person who makes ice cream in the pack.
Lucky for us, there’s lime ice cream at the ready, and we wait for it together.
Levi’s hesitant with his first taste, but his eyes sparkle with recognition and happiness before he quickly laps at the scoop of ice cream, his little heart beating so fast.
He finishes it all by the time we get home, so I let him have mine.
“Your mom sounds lovely, Levi,” I whisper as I stoop to pass a hand over his head. “I would love to hear more about her whenever you feel like talking about her, okay?”
Levi nods quietly, and I hope one day he takes me up on the offer.
Aiden and Levi spend the rest of the afternoon glued together, with Aiden helping him colour. It’s become their daily routine ever since Aiden started telling people that Levi had his artistic genes.
The comment always made Levi smile, even when he stayed quiet about it. Levi did love art, though, and without knowing it, he was helping Aiden find an old love again.
The night comes quickly and settles into place, and before I know it, I’m leading a pouting Levi to bed and tucking him under his quilt.
“Julian,” he whispers sleepily, as I smooth the sheets around him
“Yes, Levi,” I answer. He yawns, and I smile as I reach up to run a hand through his curls.
“Thank you,” he whispers into the night, “for today, for everything.”
“It was nothing,” I promise as I smooth his hair back.
“I should be the one thanking you for coming into our lives.” His lips tilt up, pinching a dimple into his cheeks as he peers up at me.
He’s looking at me like he did this morning.
Like he’s got something on his tongue, but he’s scared to let it out. “What is it, pup?”
“I … I love you,” he whispers, and my heart stops in my chest.
Sleepy, black eyes stare up at me and blur in my vision as tears fill my eyes.
I couldn’t count the number of times I told Levi I loved him. It came easily and without thought, and I said it as much as I could, as much as I wished I’d heard it, but I didn’t expect to hear it from his lips so soon.
But here he is, telling me he loves me, and I don’t know if I’ve ever felt happiness like this.
“I love you, too, Levi,” I manage shakily, and his smile nearly kills me.
I lean down to kiss his head, letting it linger before I force myself to pull away and leave him in his room with his nightlights on. Back to his door, I grant myself a moment to savour the words and all the love warming our family bond.
“What’s wrong?” Aiden asks when I walk into our room. He’s already under the covers and staring up at me with a frown. “Is it the baby?”
“No. No, it’s nothing,” I promise as I wipe my tears away. I tug at my side of the bed and groan when I find him butt naked underneath. “Goddess, Aiden. Put on some clothes.”
Aiden does no such thing as he wiggles his brows at me, “I was thinking maybe tonight we could—”
“No,” I dismiss as I slide into the bed.
“Oh, come on!” he groans as he flops onto his side with his erection tenting the sheets. “It’s been an entire month, Julian! A month!”
“I already told you I’m not having sex until the baby is out,” I say, ignoring his cries as I position my pillows just right. They had to be perfect for me to sleep through the night nowadays.
“That’s not for another month! Two if Kat’s wrong,” he whines, and I wrinkle my nose.
Somehow, Kat had joined in with the healers to monitor my pregnancy. I’m pretty sure she first used it as an excuse to drop into the pack, but she’s been taking it seriously ever since. By Kat’s estimations, my term would be six months in total, not seven as the healers predicted.
Whether it was six or seven, I just wanted a healthy baby, and I’m happy to entertain Katerina’s visits to ensure that.
“I won’t make it,” Aiden declares as he tries to crawl into my half of the bed, but I shove him away before he can touch me. “Jewels! Last month, you were all over me, now you won’t even touch me.”
I slide a glare over to him, “My hand begs to differ.”
“It’s not the same,” he whines, and I roll my eyes. “Come on, Jewels. I’ll let you fuck me.”
Oh wow, he’s really desperate, Alex muses, but it doesn’t spur arousal in him or me.
“No,” I deadpan, finding my page and opening my book. “You made it this far, Aiden. You’ll make it to the end.”
“No, I won’t,” he declares on a wail. “I’ll die.”
I snort as I climb into bed, sinking down onto my pillows. “I already told you I don’t feel comfortable having sex right now.”
“Is it because of the belly?” he asks with sudden seriousness. Dark eyes appear at my side as Aiden peers at me. “Because I still think you’re beautiful.”
He reaches over, but I slap his hand away before he can touch my stomach. The whining starts again and I close my eyes as I find just the right spot.
“Good night, Aiden,” I whisper. “Get the light before you fall asleep.”
“Julian! This is torture,” he complains.
“Oh, I know,” I coo, snickering when he groans again. “Don’t worry, the kid will be out before you know it.”
“I highly doubt that.”