Page 81 of Dealing With Drak

Caleb groans. “We’re going like a quarter mile away, you guys are so dramatic.”

“Wait until you meet Rem,” Drak jokes, earning a small chuckle from me.

Rem is definitely a character.

We part ways and I blow out a breath, looking over my shoulder to see that Terum is still alone. I force my feet to move before I can change my mind, heading straight for him.

He doesn’t turn around, hearing my footsteps, but I can see his dark gray ears twitch. They’re partially covered by his long green hair, the pointy tips only peeking out of the back of his locks. His head remains forward, though, facing the great view from beyond the elevated porch.

“I wondered if you would seek words with me,” he eventually says.

“Maybe I’m just here for the view.”

I’m not.

“You possess the same view from your home,” Terum challenges.

My hands wrap around the metal barrier, using the fence-like structure to attempt to ground myself. “It’s so obvious you’re the dad of the group, you know that?”

He chuckles lightly. “Because I am the oldest?”

“You’re stoic,” I correct. “You remind me of wise fathers in old western movies. You clearly care about everyone but you’re quiet about it.”

Glancing at me, he lifts an eyebrow. “I am unsure if I am being insulted or not.”

Internally, I wince. “It wasn’t an insult. I’m not a jerk all of the time.”

“I do not believe you are a jerk at all,” he responds evenly.

“No?” I ask doubtfully.

“There is a difference,” he muses, “between being mean-hearted and using words to disguise yourself, An-nana.”

I swallow, blinking at him in surprise.

“You warned me about hurting Drak,” I mumble, shaking my head. “And I still did. I mucked it all up pretty epically.”

“I warned you to mind his heart,” he corrects softly. “It seems that you take quite good care of his heart—recent events ignored.”

Sadly, I look out to the horizon. “Recent events are hard to ignore.”

He hums. “From my understanding, the miscommunication has been corrected.”

“And yet, I still hurt him. Can’t exactly forgive myself for that overnight, now can I?” I ask bitterly, tightening my hands around the bar in front of us.

“Drak has,” he tells me. “He would not wish for you to trouble yourself over it any longer.”

“Yes, well,” I mutter, clearing some emotion from my throat. “Drak is better than I am.”

There’s a few moments where neither of us speaks.

“Drak’s father was not a good man,” Terum informs me. “He was cold and uncaring. Losing his mate, it ruined him. It could have ruined Drak, but it did not. Do you know why?”

“Because he had you?” I guess.

“Because he did not need his father to have a family,” he corrects. “He embraced the friends surrounding him. He allowed the big feelings to move through him because he did not have to do it alone. And yes, I now view him as my own son. And I know that my son would never accept his mate believing that she is not worthy of him.”

I open my mouth to protest, but he stops me by holding up a single hand.

---