Page 36 of Sweetheart

Levi sat between Gavin and Trevor on the couch as everyone gave their attention to Tristan.

“I’m sorry, Levi. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Tristan said.

Levi was shaking his head before Tristan even finished his sentence. “No. I’m sorry. I overreacted. I don’t know what happened.” He’d lost control but Levi was a better man than that. Attacking Tristan had him feeling horrible.

“You are protective of your mate,” Axel said. “We all understand that.”

“I should have approached you differently with my concerns,” Tristan said. “You know me. I received the information and popped up here. I didn’t stop to think.”

“We’re all calm now,” Axel told him. “What is going on?”

“Mason Benard doesn’t exist,” Tristan said. “At least no one with that name or around Mason’s age match up. His paperwork is all fake. Very well done but fake.”

Levi stiffened and Gavin immediately placed a hand on his knee. Levi realized he was growling.

“How’d you find this out?” Axel asked.

Levi was thankful for his Alpha. He knew he should be asking questions but all he wanted to do was defend his mate.

“When I met Mason, I could see his internal struggles. I went back to my realm after the club and asked Ari to pull all the information he could find for any Benard clans in the human realm.”

“That—” Levi shook his head. He couldn’t help but feel betrayed by Tristan.

“I just wanted to make sure he…that he…”

“He’s my mate,” Levi said quietly. He was no longer angry. Sad maybe. But not angry. “It doesn’t matter to me. If he’s hiding something, then he must have a reason. He’s a good man. I know that in my heart. That’s what matters to me.”

Tristan nodded. “Okay. I get that.”

“You understand?” Levi questioned.

“Of course. I’m a demon. Not many species even want to be in the same realm with us. If I had a mate, I wouldn’t care where he came from or what name he was using. He would be mine.”

“Then you do get it,” Levi replied. “He is already mine.”

“We do need to know if he’s in some sort of trouble,” Axel stated.

Levi jerked back. But Mason was his! Was Levi going to have to choose between his mate and his found family? Levi didn’t think he’d survive being kicked out of another family. Even with Mason by his side.

“If he needs help, then we’ll set up a guard rotation. Mason is vulnerable until you complete the mating. It will be up to the family to protect him. He’s yours, which makes him mine.” Axel met Levi’s gaze with his intense eyes practically glowing. The dragon making a small appearance. All Alpha.

“Thanks.” Levi instantly relaxed.

“You need to talk to him,” Axel said. “He’s your mate and it won’t be an easy conversation. Trust me. I know. But you need to tell him sooner rather than later.”

“I know.” Levi had hoped that he’d have more time with his mate before he had to reveal what he was. There was no telling if Mason would even believe him. Sure, he could show Mason the truth, but Levi had hoped he’d at least have time to build a stronger connection with his mate.

“Let’s get to bed. It’s late and I don’t want the boys waking up and hearing this,” Axel declared. “You know they’ll want to help, and I think this is something you should handle.”

Axel was one hundred percent correct. The boys would want to help. This was Levi’s mate though and his responsibility. “Good night. I’ll talk to Mason soon,” Levi told them.

Axel, Trevor, and Gavin left the living room, leaving Levi and Tristan. Levi looked at his newest friend, but Tristan wasn’t meeting his gaze.

“Tristan?”

The demon looked up.

“Are we okay?” Levi hadn’t gotten violent with any of the guys before and felt terrible.

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