Chapter 10 #2
Dalvin's expression softened. "His stuffed dinosaur. A purple T-rex named Chompers. He doesn't go anywhere without it. And he loves building blocks. Could spend hours stacking them and knocking them down."
"Purple T-rex named Chompers. Got it."
"Today is just about showing him you're not a threat. That's enough for a first meeting."
"That's enough," I agreed.
The afternoon arrived faster than I expected. Rosa would be here in two hours.
The family room was designed to be welcoming. Soft carpet, child-sized furniture, toys arranged in colorful bins along the walls. A large window let in afternoon light, and a couch sat against the far wall, big enough for adults but low enough to feel accessible.
Dalvin and I were already seated when Rosa arrived.
She was a compact woman in her fifties, with iron-gray hair and eyes that assessed me with sharp intelligence. Behind her, half-hidden by her legs, I caught a glimpse of dark curls and a small hand clutching purple plush.
"Dalvin." Rosa's voice was brisk, but warmth softened the edges. "You look better."
"I feel better." Dalvin rose and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for everything."
Rosa's gaze shifted to me. "You're the alpha."
"Min-ho Irvin."
"I know who you are. Dalvin talked about you, in the beginning. Before he learned not to mention the past around Vernon." She studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "Don't make me regret this."
"I won't."
She stepped aside, revealing the small boy behind her.
Eli was beautiful. Dalvin's slender build in miniature, with Vernon's dark curls and amber eyes that must have come from the grandmother Dalvin had mentioned. He clutched a purple dinosaur against his chest, pressed tight against Rosa's leg, his face turned away from the room.
"Hey, baby," Dalvin said softly, crouching down but keeping distance. "Hey, it's Daddy. I missed you so much."
Eli's head turned. When he saw Dalvin, his whole face transformed, fear melting into desperate relief. He launched himself forward, small body colliding with Dalvin's chest, arms wrapping tight around his neck.
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy." The words came out in a rush, muffled against Dalvin's shoulder. "You came back. You said you would come back and you did."
"I did, baby. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
They held each other for a long moment, Eli's small body shaking with emotion, Dalvin's hand stroking his hair with infinite gentleness. I stayed on the couch, kept my body still and my breathing even, and did nothing to draw attention to myself.
Eventually, Eli's grip loosened. He pulled back and looked up at Dalvin with those amber eyes, so serious in his small face.
"Rosa said you found a new alpha." His voice was barely above a whisper. "She said he's nice. Is he nice, Daddy?"
"He's very nice, baby. He's gentle and patient and he wants to meet you. But only if you want to meet him. Okay? You're in charge."
Eli's gaze shifted to me for the first time.
I felt the weight of his attention, the fear and curiosity warring in his expression. I kept my posture relaxed, my hands visible in my lap, my face carefully neutral. No smile, because a smile could be interpreted as aggression. No direct eye contact. Just calm, patient stillness.
"He's big," Eli whispered to Dalvin.
"He is. He works with metal, with hammers and fire. It made his arms very strong."
"Is he loud?"
"No, baby. He's quiet. Listen."
We all fell silent. The only sounds were distant, muffled, the white noise of a building going about its business. In that silence, Eli relaxed slightly, his death grip on Chompers loosening by a fraction.
"I'm not going to come closer," I said softly, pitching my voice low and gentle, keeping my eyes on the wall behind Dalvin. "I'm going to stay right here. You can come say hi if you want to, or you can stay with your daddy. Whatever makes you comfortable."
Eli stared at me for a long moment. I could feel Dalvin's tension through the bond, his desperate hope that this would go well, his fear that I would somehow fail this test.
Then Eli turned back to Dalvin and whispered something I couldn't hear. Dalvin whispered back. A negotiation happening in voices too low to parse.
Finally, Dalvin straightened up, Eli balanced on his hip, and walked slowly toward the couch. He sat down beside me, close enough to touch but not touching, Eli still clinging to his neck.
"Eli wants to show you Chompers," Dalvin said. "If that's okay."
"I would like that very much."
Eli hesitated. Then, slowly, he extended the purple T-rex toward me, still keeping a firm grip on its tail.
"This is Chompers," he whispered. "He's my friend."
"Hi, Chompers." I kept my voice soft, my movements slow, my attention on the stuffed dinosaur rather than the child holding it. "I like your color. Purple is a good color for a T-rex."
Eli blinked. "You think so?"
"I do. Purple means he's special. Not like all the other dinosaurs."
Something shifted in Eli's expression. Not trust, not yet. But a slight easing of the fear, a crack in the wall he'd built around himself. He pulled Chompers back against his chest and studied me with those serious amber eyes.
"Daddy said you make things," he said. "With fire."
"I do. I make sculptures and railings and gates. Art made out of metal."
"Can you make dinosaurs?"
The question surprised a smile out of me before I could stop it. I caught myself immediately, smoothing my expression back to neutral, but Eli had already seen it. He tensed, pressing closer to Dalvin.
"Sorry," I said quietly. "I wasn't laughing at you. I just liked your question. And yes, I can make dinosaurs. I've never tried before, but I could learn."
Eli was silent for a moment. Then, so quietly I almost didn't hear it, he said, "Could you make a purple one?"
My throat went tight. Beside me, Dalvin held his breath.
"I could make a purple one," I said. "If you want. It might take me a while to get it right, but I could try."
Eli nodded slowly. Then he turned his face back into Dalvin's neck, the conversation apparently concluded.
It wasn't acceptance. It wasn't trust. It was one small question, one tentative reach across the chasm of fear that Vernon had carved into this child's heart.
Rosa left an hour later, after Eli had fallen asleep in Dalvin's arms, exhausted by the emotional weight of the reunion. Dalvin carried him to a small bed in the corner of the family room, tucked Chompers in beside him, and stood watching him sleep with an expression that made my eyes sting.
"He asked you a question," Dalvin said without turning around. "He never asks alphas questions. He just hides."
"He asked about dinosaurs."
"He asked if you could make something for him." Dalvin turned, and his eyes were bright with unshed tears. "That's huge, Min-ho. That's enormous. You have no idea how big that is."
I crossed to him and pulled him into my arms. He came willingly, pressing his face against my shoulder, his body shaking with emotion he couldn't contain.
"I'm going to make him the best purple dinosaur anyone has ever seen," I said against his hair. "It's going to take me six months and it's going to be the ugliest thing I've ever created and he's going to love it."
Dalvin laughed, watery and broken and beautiful. "He will. He absolutely will."
We stood there in the dim light of the family room, holding each other, while Eli slept and the afternoon faded toward evening.
The VeilWatch representative arrived two hours later.
She was a beta woman in a crisp navy suit, carrying a tablet and documents. Eli was still asleep with Rosa watching over him, and Dalvin and I had retreated to a small office adjacent to the family room.
"Mr. Irvin," she said, all business. "The trial period concludes soon. I'm here to record your official decision regarding the bond with Dalvin Grace."
"I accept."
The words came out without hesitation.
She raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to review the documentation first?"
"I understand the implications. I accept."
Dalvin's hand found mine beneath the table and squeezed hard enough to hurt.
"And you, Mr. Grace? Do you consent to the finalization of this bond?"
"I do."
The bureaucracy of forever took twenty minutes. Signatures on tablets and papers, official records that would bind us together in the eyes of the law.
When the representative finally left, Dalvin turned to me with tears streaming down his face.
"It's done," he said. "It's really done."
"It's done." I pulled him close. "You're mine. Officially, legally, permanently mine."
"And you're mine."
"Always." I kissed him, soft and slow. "I was always yours, Dalvin. From the moment we met. We just had to find our way back to each other."
***