17. You can’t hide everything
Anxo
C arrying my mate in my arms like this reminds me of the first night we met.
Who would’ve thought that one day, her being in my arms wouldn’t be out of obligation but because of my desire to have her around me at all times.
Snuggling into my chest with a bright smile, Nevaeh animatedly talks with Seiji about the chemistry between Harvey and Grace.
Tuning them out, I peek at Hazel to search for any signs of distress. She might be walking beside me, but her mind is still on the sniper. The way he disintegrated into liquid made it pretty clear who was behind the attack.
Despite my constant reassurance that The Tetrad kingdom will fight tooth and nail on her behalf, Hazel insists on hiding behind the shadows as long as possible.
At one point I thought it was fear holding her back, but with time, I realized she actually detests the idea of confrontation with that man... even if it’s for revenge.
But I’ve ensured Hazel knows my entire kingdom and cavalry will be at her disposal if she ever says the word.
“A month. Grace likes to take things tortoise slow.”
“I say a week.”
Seiji turns to Nevaeh with a ridiculous expression. He’s willing to bet everything that Grace and Harvey would take things slow, but Nevaeh is practically buzzing with excitement.
“I know Harvey. That man has been begging for his mate for years . He won’t let some douche get in the way.”
I watch my mate try to convince Seiji to back out of the bet before she embarrasses him, and the depth of how hopelessly taken I am by this woman settles in.
It’s easy to lose sense of self in her eyes. The darkness inside them is a mere shade and never the reflection of her soul. Those eyes could capture entire galaxies if she wanted, and of course , I fell into her trap. I’m a simple man, after all. A man hopelessly devoted to his mate and willing to surrender his last breath to her.
From a distance, I recognize our newest family member leaning against my car. The limp figure in his arms catches my attention, making me walk faster.
Dread washes over me when Grace’s tear-stricken face comes to light. Before I can ask what happened, Harvey shushes me, nodding at Grace.
Her makeup is scrubbed off, and she's fast asleep bundled up in Harvey’s leather jacket. The crease between her brows makes the pit in my stomach grow deeper.
My mind starts reeling with every awful possibility, and I’m immediately cursing myself for leaving her alone.
Stepping closer, I look for signs that will tell me she is at least unharmed and ease my tension, but my eyes squeeze shut when angry red fingerprints on her cheek glare back at me despite the dim streetlight.
Bringing Nevaeh closer, I subconsciously tighten my grip on her. She’s the only thing keeping me from turning around and hunting the person responsible for this.
“Who?” The growl comes from deep inside my chest, and I have to swallow my rage when Nevaeh flinches in my hold. I know I should look away, but I can’t tear my gaze from Grace’s cheek and the light purple bruise mocking me to do something reckless.
Taking a deep breath, I press my forehead to my mate’s and apologize for startling her. She brushes me off with a quick kiss to my jaw, but I need to do better. Be better .
I promised myself the first time I saw her flinch that I would never raise my voice at her or do anything to make her feel scared around me. I have to calm down before I accidentally break that promise.
“I’ll explain everything, but first, let’s get out of here.”
I tamp down the urge to argue when I see others wanting to do the same. Grace needs rest and I need an explanation, so begrudgingly I make everyone get in the car.
The sooner we are on the road, the sooner Harvey will open his mouth and I'll be able to punish whoever dared come after my family.
Harvey tries to remove Grace from his arms, but she holds tight even in her sleep. He has no choice but to get in with Grace on his lap. Even a blind man can see how happy the giant nutcase is about Grace sticking to him like that.
It’s taking all of me not to bark at him to keep his hands to himself and maintain a respectable distance, but I can't do that when it’s clear as day they are mates.
Harvey will still hear my full ‘if you hurt her, I’ll kill you’ speech.
It took me a year before I could suppress the need to squeeze Rick’s neck every time I saw his face. But the delicate way Harvey cradles Grace, makes me think I won’t have to ask my mate to help me cover up his death as ‘an unfortunate accident’.
I back out of the parking lot with Nevaeh sitting beside me, anxiously twisting the rings on my hand that's resting on her thigh. Twenty minutes into our drive, Harvey finally recalls the night’s events.
To be brutally honest, I completely forgot about Rick until Harvey brought him up.
Hearing what he did, I wanted to turn the car around and find that loser. I’ll take my sweet time picking out every nerve in his body with my fingers. Instead of living that fantasy, I dig my fingers in my sweetheart’s thigh to keep myself grounded.
To say I’m livid is an understatement, but when Harvey assures me there aren’t any bones left for me to break, I can’t lie and say I’m not relieved. I still had to arrange for someone to clean up the mess we left behind at the club, along with taking care of Rick’s body.
Nevaeh almost rips my head off when I ask a warrior to take care of Rick’s funeral, but after I explain it’s either them or we wait until we get home and host a proper funeral, she calms down rather quickly.
I’m worried about Grace, though. I don’t want what she endured today, especially from someone she thought loved her, to crush her delicate heart.
What happened was horrible, and the only bright sideis that Rick is now permanently out of her life and can’t keep hurting her.
In the past, I had to bite my tongue when Rick treated her poorly because Grace kept begging me to leave it alone and that she could handle it. I’m so proud she finally stood up to him and that Harvey beat the shit out of that beetlebrain the moment he stepped out of line.
I’m especially glad about that.
Seiji doesn’t mind filling Harvey in on how our night went. I don’t think Harvey appreciated the details about him throwing up after watching Nevaeh pull thorns and bullets out of her.
My sweetheart turns in her seat, carefully taking Grace’s hand so she can heal the bruise on her cheek. My stomach burns, seeing how easy it is for Harvey and my mate to communicate without words. He didn’t have to say anything—just whispered her name, and she knew exactly what he wanted.
The burn isn’t because I’m jealous of their connection, but rather from the ache in my soul that demands her to be wholly mine. I can’t wait for the day our hearts and minds link the way our souls are, so no part of me would ever long for her like this.
But I’m a patient man if nothing else. My mate was deprived of making choices for herself for years, and I’m not about to be yet another thing in her life she has no choice but to accept.
In our relationship, I follow her lead. Whatever pace she sets, that’s what I’m following. She can ask me for as much or as little, and I’ll give it to her.
When the purple bruise fades I hear Harvey sigh in relief and sit back with Grace snuggling into him. I don’t want to get in the middle, but I'm pretty sure Seiji is going to lose the bet.
It’s around four in the morning when we reach the hotel. Quickly running to the passenger seat, I’m ready to carry my sweetheart, but my independent mate wants to walk. It’s good that we heal fast enough that she’s not limping anymore, but it’s bad for my lonely arms.
Since it’s Harvey’s first time here, I show him around a little. When I ask Harvey if he has the same directional disability as my mate Nevaeh gives me a look that makes it clear she didn’t appreciate my joke.
I’m afraid I'll be denied kisses tonight.
Instead of splitting into two groups, everyone climbs in the elevator at once, sticking to each other as if the machine only works once every day.
The commotion makes Grace stir, and before she is even aware of what planet she is on, she's bombarded with hugs. The knot in my chest eases a bit when she leans against Harvey and talks about how he took care of her and helped lift her spirit after everything went down.
Not to anyone’s surprise, our little Miss Goody-two-shoes wants to put everything behind her and start over. She doesn't want to make space in her precious heart for any hate and resentment for Rick.
Sometimes, I hate how good she is. I don’t like people taking advantage of my family just because they refuse to stoop down to their level.
A tiny body tackles my legs as soon as the elevator opens and I’m surprised to find August out of bed at this hour. Raising his arms, he asks me to pick him up, and I don’t dare deny the little man.
Guess my clinginess is rubbing off on my son.
Picking up my boy, I walk out, clearing the path for everyone to do the same. I have him for less than a minute before his eyes find the one he actually wants.
Any other kid would thrash in my arms or wiggle until I put them down so they could chase after my sweetheart, but August still has trouble asking for what he wants without overthinking about the consequences.
Kissing his head, I pass him to my mate, who is equally desperate to hold him.
August might enjoy me loving on him, but he needs Nevaeh to fall asleep—or for basically everything else. Resting his head over my mate’s shoulder, August fists the neckline of her dress, ready to shut us out and go back to sleep.
Khatri comes out and passes bottles of water to everyone as we lazy around the living area. Apparently, August was out of bed as soon as we parked and waited by the elevator for us. He might be getting better, but it’s not hard to see how important being around people he considers safe is for him.
Telling me he’ll be back in a short moment, Khatri escapes to a private balcony, no doubt to assist in cleaning up the mess we made tonight.
Nevaeh walks behind my seat to pick up the soft blanket on the back of it. Separating the dried blood on her from the kid, she bundles up our little guy. Patting his back and humming, she coaxes him to sleep.
As long as those two have each other, they don't need anyone else. Every day I spend with them, it becomes clear that August is and always will be my mate’s priority, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. He deserves every bit of love she showers him with.
“Nevaeh?” A broken whisper shatters the peace.
I didn’t even notice Harvey stopped at the elevator.
The unmistakable terror in his eyes makes me push off the couch, but Harvey is not looking at me. His eyes are stuck on August, and the sheer horror on his face is unsettling.
Nevaeh, on the other hand, has gone quiet. Too quiet . Whatever she sees on Harvey’s face reminds her of something she doesn’t want to recall.
Before she can say anything, Harvey chokes out. “Is he… I-is he yours?”
Every second Nevaeh fails to answer him, Harvey becomes more agitated. He can’t even look at August without his face crumbling in agony.
Whatever silent conversation they’re having with their eyes, I’m not too fond of it. I want to know what’s gotten Harvey so mad and my mate petrified unlike I’ve ever seen her.
Gaining some composure, Nevaeh stutters, “Not in that sense. I mean, he's mine, but also not quite. I—we—in the dungeon. I mean, he…”
“Monkey!”
And just like that, August is not sleepy anymore. Tightening his arms around Nevaeh, he faces Harvey head-on. That boy is fearless when it comes to my mate. Harvey doesn’t want to piss off the little werewolf by being loud with her.
As much as I want to take him away because I don’t like the direction this is taking, the way Harvey just lost his cool means separating August from my sweetheart is not an option anymore.
The tension floating in the room starts to make him anxious, and I can’t have August feeling unsafe around us. Channeling my Divine, I link my boy to assure him.
“It’s okay, monkey. Nevaeh is okay. I’m right here. Nothing will happen to you or her. Relax, kiddo.”
August blinks at me before laying his head back and getting comfortable, leaving me to handle this.
Everyone thinks August doesn’t talk, and technically , that is true, but once he got comfortable with me, I created a link between us so he could reach out without actually speaking.
He’s still shy and primarily communicates with single words, but it’s still progress. I’m just waiting for the day he finally speaks his first words to Nevaeh.
“Promise Papa?”
Like every other time August has called me that, I struggle to keep my composure.
He recently started referring to Nevaeh and me as ‘Mama and Papa’. The first time he said it, I thought it was an innocent mistake. The second time, I thought maybe he was confused and probably missing his parents.
I went to ask Khatri for advice since he’s the only one I trust to talk about something so personal. Plus he has kids, so he’s supposed to know how they work.
It took me some time to accept that August wasn’t just missing his parents, he was replacing them with us. He was feeling the same love and safety he did with them, and for a small kid, the two people who care for you like we’ve been doing simply means we are Mama and Papa.
I didn’t know whether to cry because he thought it was normal to have a new set of parents just like that or to cry in relief that he understands we’re permanent... that we’re not going anywhere.
“Promise, kiddo.”
Now that I know August is essentially going to zone out until he wants to involve himself in the conversation again, I tune back into whatever the two best friends are trying to keep under wraps.
“You’re not making any sense, Nevaeh. Did that happen again? Because I swear on Fates if anyone dared touch—” Nevaeh stops him from giving out more details, but one glance at her pale face, and I start to piece it all together.
Again?
My blood freezes under my skin when I consider the possibility that someone touched my mate. Touched her without her consent, touched her when she was weak and vulnerable. The more I think about it, the angrier I get with myself for not being there for her... for not seeing it sooner.
“No! nothing like that. Anxo . Nothing like that happened. I promise it happened once, and Harvey was there—” She can barely get the words out, watching me shake my head as my mind tortures me with the worst-case scenarios. “Angel, nothing happened, I swear.” Her voice is tight, and the way she looks at me, I can see how badly she wants me to let this go.
Seeing her desperation, I take deep breaths to calm myself and sit down before beckoning her closer. As soon as her eyes fall on my open arms, she rushes over, settling sideways on my lap with monkey snuggled in hers.
Burying my face in her neck, I wrap my arms around both of them. This is the only way I can contain my rage and convince myself that she is safe and protected. Kissing her neck, I rub August’s back soothingly.
With her fingers running through my hair, Nevaeh lays her cheek on my head. “Please. No more disturbing thoughts about something that never happened.”
Rubbing his face tiredly, Harvey waits for his best friend to explain before he even thinks about taking a seat. I have this feeling if Harvey hears what he fears most, I will have to chase after him as he runs out to hunt down Visha himself.
I’m not saying I won’t help, only that I don’t do things halfway and never without a solid plan.
My nose is still buried in my sweetheart’s neck, and I don’t care about the dried blood anymore. I just want to hold my mate and plan the perfect witch hunt of all time with her.
Sighing, my mate leans sideways into my chest, and I tighten my arms around my little family.
“It was another vision,” Nevaeh tells Harvey how she met August and how they got out before vaguely adding details about his family.
August is now wide awake, so we use big words and codes to tell the complete story. We aren’t ready to have that talk with August yet. It would be years before we sit him down and talk about his biological parents and his pack, but for now, there’s no way we’re putting the weight of that knowledge on his tiny shoulders .
“That b—” Grace blocks the curse with her palm over Harvey’s mouth, nodding toward August.
The kid sees my mate and half his family swear in every sentence. I don’t think stopping Harvey is going to accomplish much.
Shifting the topic to lighter things, Nevaeh introduces Harvey to the kid he couldn’t look in the eye before.
“Monkey, that’s my best friend, Harvey. He’s a Horseman too, just like me.” I feel him nod his head on her shoulder, dropping the protective glare Hazel taught him to master, and shyly waves.
The big guy practically melts from the gesture. Good to know the big bad Horseman with tattoos and a leather jacket isn’t immune to my toddler’s charm.
My boy shyly offers his little hand, looking to Grace for approval, who’s already beaming that August remembered what she taught him about polite gestures.
Harvey takes the hand rather gently, as if afraid to accidently crush it. “Funny, a monkey introducing another monkey.”
“Don't make me stab you.” My mate glares at Harvey, who waves his hand in the air, dismissing her threat completely.
“She absolutely would, you know,” Seiji warns, but like Nevaeh is immune to Harvey’s threats, he seems immune to hers.
“Oh, I’m used to it. Nevaeh started threatening to choke people and cussing like a pirate when she was barely five. I don’t doubt she will go through with it, but if you know anything about monkey, you know she would never hurt someone she cares about.”
Scoffing under her breath, my mate is intent on not letting Harvey see how much his words mean to her by grumbling ‘Sappy asshole’ under her breath.
“Why do you keep calling her monkey? I thought little August was our one and only monkey here.”
Before Harvey can answer Grace, Nevaeh practically growls, “ Don’t. You. Dare.”
Harvey ignores her completely. Again . I think I’m starting to love their connection and banter. Even when she had all of us, Nevaeh needed something or someone good from her childhood to remind her that not everything has changed in her life.
“Ever seen a monkey in action?” Everyone nods, but I keep my head buried in her neck, kissing her, breathing her scent to relax.
“Well, she was exactly like those mischievous little beasts. She ran after every shiny thing and then watched chaos unfold when she stole something important and hid it. The entire kingdom would go wild trying to find it. Let’s not forget her red chipmunk cheeks—”
A door to our far left bangs shut, and Khatri strides in to update me. Harvey shoots up from his seat and in three long strides, both men engulf each other. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Khatri laugh this loud for as long as I’ve known him.
The reunion between teary-eyed men who reminisce about the days before the light in our kingdom was stolen gives me a little peek into how everyone back home will react to having their missing Horsemen back home.
Nevaeh goes stiff in my arms. I just know it’s because she feels worse now that Harvey remembers Khatri and their past but she can barely thread two memories together without blanking on the details.
“Nothing to fret about, sweetheart. We can always make new memories.” Whispering so only she can hear me, I bring her back to the present.
Turning to me with a sad smile, she whispers, “Black magic.”
I can’t help but chuckle at my silly mate. I don’t know how it started, but every time I comfort her about something without her verbally telling me, she says the same thing. But it’s not black magic or witchcraft, but my boundless devotion to her. Could also be how I can’t keep my eyes off her .
Everyone is starting to show the effects of our long night, but there’s one thing left to do before this day ends.
“We need to talk.”
“About?” Strangely, Harvey stares at me expectantly.
I nod in assurance at Grace, who is chewing her bottom lip so hard I’m afraid she will draw blood.
Turning towards my mate, who is fighting sleep, I ask her to freshen up while I quickly have a chat with Harvey.
Nevaeh doesn’t hesitate before kissing my cheek and taking off to her room.
My mate is a walking contradiction. The same woman who is so stubborn and loudmouth in the most adorable ways is also so trusting and depending with me. I feel proud to be someone she doesn’t have to doubt or question to know if I have her best interest in mind.
“Come on,” I lead us to the elevator and then to the roof. If I have this conversation on our floor, Nevaeh will hear it, and I can’t risk telling her just yet. I have to wait for her to be in a better head space before dumping this on her.
Harvey, the daredevil, climbs the railing to sit down on the edge of the roof, so I have to follow.
We’re silent as I try to figure out where to start, but there’s no good way to say this. “Harvey…”
“If you’re going to tell me about my parents, I already know.”
My head snaps in his direction in shock.
I hate the way he blankly stares at the city lights with that faraway look in his eyes. He is trying to act as if his whole world isn’t falling apart, but it is, and I don’t want him to hide that from me.
“Visha told me. I didn’t believe her at first, but then I felt it. The shift in my Divine. The surge of power that didn't belong to me. I so badly wanted it to be another thing she was using to manipulate me, but I could feel she wasn’t lying. Not this time.”
I don’t know what to say or how to start apologizing for everything he has lost, but when he turns to me with a sad smile, I don’t have to say any words for him to know.
“I’ve had years to come to terms with it, brother.” With a weak chuckle, Harvey shakes his head, running his hand through his messy hair. “Not going to lie, I had a little hope... just a bit, that maybe by some miracle when I got home, they’ll be waiting for me. It was nothing more than wishful thinking after all.”
“I’m sorry, Harvey. I wish things were different.” My hand rests on his back. I do my best not to flinch as I rub his back and feel the raised skin I know came from years of abuse.
“I don’t. I decided to stick by Nevaeh, and if given the chance I will do it all over again. She’s always been a part of my family. And I like to think they were proud of that decision.”
“They were.” The surety in my voice makes his eyes gleam with hope. “Your dad never stopped talking about how brave his son was. He was proud you didn’t leave Nevaeh when she needed you the most.”
His head falls forward, barely holding on when he asks tiredly, “What the fuck happened man?”
I take large gulps of oxygen to stall, but it’s not fair. Harvey has every right to know what happened in his absence, even when it guts me to say it.
“Stella fell sick after you were taken. The grief was too much for her and unfortunately, our Divine can’t heal a broken heart. The pain slowly ate her whole. She was gone within a year.”
That’s when the first tear falls, but I push forward. “Henry held on as long as he could. I found out too late that he was only waiting for me to take over before he gave in to his heartache. Not even a day after he handed me War, he followed after his mate.”
I don’t hide the wobble in my voice, and Harvey doesn’t hide his tears anymore. We stay like that for a while, letting our hurt take over before we have to pack it all up and move on.
Inhaling sharply, he rubs under his eyes, laughing bitterly. “ Fantastic, so I’m an orphan now.”
I couldn’t help it. I smack the back of his head just like I do whenever Seiji says something stupid. “Never say that again.” Harvey is so shocked I hit him, he can't do anything but blink at me. “You have a family, and you will always have one. Every single person waiting for us downstairs is your family. Blood or not.”
Nodding slowly, Harvey let my words sink in before his shoulders sags as if a weight has finally dropped from them. Not knowing what happened except that he lost the people most important to him must’ve felt awful. And to think Visha used that information to break him some more.
“You know I’m not too fond of kids, but that little werewolf is one cute as fuck toddler.”
“Right?!” I agree a little too enthusiastically, which makes him laugh.
“I’m going to ask Grace for one as soon as we are done with all the talking, sharing, and ‘getting to know one another’ part.”
I’m shocked he’s ready to move that fast. Maybe Nevaeh was onto something when she said Harvey would be wrapped around Grace in less than a week.
“Fates, you don’t waste any time, do you?”
“They snatched a lot of time from me, brother. I don’t want to wait to do the things I thought I would never get to in this life.” When he says it like that, I understand where he’s coming from.
I can see how differently Nevaeh and Harvey handle their past. Where Harvey wants to grab life by the balls and never look back, Nevaeh can’t stop glancing back, worrying about making the same mistakes and ruining her future.
Having Harvey around would be good for her. For selfish reasons, I want Harvey to stay close so she has more people in her corner than me.
“That kid will be lucky to have both of you as parents. With your genes combined, you’ll make some adorable babies.” Harvey is practically swaying, smiling like a lovesick idiot. Nevaeh was right, Harvey is a giant teddy bear on the inside.
“Imagine a little one with her curly hair and my eyes. That kid would rule the world.”
“I see your ego is exactly as big as your head.”
“Hey, you don’t get to call me a giant alright.” Shoving my shoulder, his demeanor changes to the man I met a few hours ago. “You’re good to her, right? Because I would gladly bury you in my future backyard if not.”
“Hey, I would never. I can't even think of a scenario in which I would purposely hurt my mate. I want nothing but to keep her safe and happy. It will take her some time to believe she deserves those things, though.” I sigh tiredly and try to fix the mess my hair looks after Nevaeh plays with it. “Sometimes I worry she thinks she’s too damaged to be pieced back together.”
“She is.”
The certainty in his voice startles me. I don’t understand why they both believe they aren’t worthy, but I bet it has something to do with that witch. I know it will take some time and a truckload of love for these two to believe we aren’t leaving or hurting them. Ever .
“Just don’t give up on her.”
“Never,” I promise before climbing down and dusting my pants, which once held the perfectly ironed look. Pity .
“Let’s go back before they come up looking for us. This place is kind of a private spot for me.”
Everyone has retired to their rooms when we return except Grace, who is waiting on Harvey. The smile on her face as Harvey walks into the room almost blinds me.
Smirking, I walk past the couple that’s too busy drowning in each other’s eyes to notice me leave.
Seiji is going to lose the bet and this mind.