Page 70 of Crescent Warrior

Could we truly be… brothers? Twins?

After a lonely existence, the hope inside him grew and gnawed, pleading with him to accept this story with open arms. He needed a family and one was here, ready and available for him. At the same time, he struggled to villainize his mother, whose affection he struggled to gain his entire life.

“When—” he started, but his voice was hoarse and inaudible. He paused to clear his throat. “When will Elisa arrive?”

He latched onto the name like a life-preserver, holding on to it. Every ounce of faith and prayer in his body was centered on her.

If she could prove to him who she was, and if she was different from the woman he called ‘mom’, then maybe he would be able to start again. Start afresh here with these people.

Vincenzo smiled at him, slapping a hand across his shoulder in such a fatherly gesture that he felt the clenching of his heart in his chest. “She’s on her way, son. Soon, you’ll be able to meet her. You’ll love her. She’s… everything.”

Swallowing against the restriction in his throat, Alex nodded, turning to Michael to see hope brimming in his eyes.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Hippolyta yanked a scarf from her bag, wrapping it around her neck before she strode off toward Dru’s house. As she walked closer to the front door, she slowed, their conversation playing through her mind.

She knew deep down that she shouldn’t have been so impulsive. Running away was never an option for her, but if she faltered on her decision, she was going to stay with him and ruin both their lives. Eventually, he would get tired of pretending that she was what he wanted.

Staggering to the door, she heard it open from the other side, Dru standing there, opening his arms for her. She stepped into them, pressing her face to his chest and hiding the tears that immediately pooled in her eyes.

“Now, little one, what went wrong? You both seemed so happy.” He stroked her hair, hugging her close and pressing a kiss to her hair. She could always count on him for fatherly support without judgment. His advice was sage-like and she could definitely use some.

“He’s going to break my heart,” she murmured, shaking her head against him. “I just know it.”

“Would he?” His fingers stroked through her hair comfortingly, just like they had when she was a child. “Or would he try his best to be a good mate?

What do you expect from him, little one? What would make you happy?”

“If he loved me,” she answered honestly. “For me. Not because we’re fated.”

Dru released a chuckle before he coughed, struggling to heave in a breath. Hippolyta pulled away to look at him, noticing, suddenly, how haggard he looked, how worn down.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look well.”

Dru gave her a warm smile, washing away the new lines on his face. “Nothing is wrong. Come, now. To the library for a drink to ease the pain.”

She nodded, trailing behind as he led the way. She left her bag at the door, lifting her hand in greeting as she spotted Damen in the wide doorway of the study off the entryway, his arm around his mate. Selene smiled at her but her eyes held a deep concern.

“Bampás, easy on the port,” Damen called out, but Dru waved him off, making him smile a little.

“I’ll keep an eye on him before the next hunt,” Hippolyta called, and Damen nodded, watching her carefully. She tucked her hair behind her ear, trying to push aside her worry that her king now thought she was some kind of liability.

“He worries for you,” Dru told her as they entered the library. “You are his favorite, you know. Even if he does not say it. He trusts you with responsibilities he would only give to himself.”

Hippolyta smiled, cherishing his words as he made his way over to the decanter on the bar-cart, near the cluster of comfortable chairs. Hippolyta froze as the scent of her mate filled her nose. She spun, looking around her, but she couldn’t find him.

Dru chuckled, deep in his chest.

“And where did you think he lived while you were gone, little one? I asked him to stay here with Castor and his family.”

She turned to stare at him incredulously. “I thought—”

“He would stay in that lonely house of his?” Dru scoffed, shaking his head. “He was a lost pup. I had to find a way to make sure he knew he was not abandoned here by himself.”

Tears sprang to Hippolyta’s eyes for what felt like the millionth time.

“He wanted to stay in your home, at first, of course, but he knew the only way he could become stronger was to stop wallowing in his own self-pity and fight.”

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