Page 37 of The Fated Mate Bandit

The utter finality of that hits me. Fate gave Lucas an alpha father who hit him, and then She chose Daryll, another violent man, for his mate. I can see how Lucas might conclude that he deserves what Daryll did to him.

“Do you think your pups deserve Daryll?” I ask.

He shakes his head rapidly. “They’re innocent. They haven’t done anything.”

Does that mean Lucas thinks he did something worthy of all this violence? My heart aches for him.

“You didn’t do anything either, baby.”

He moves on my lap, pulling away from my body ever so slightly. The inch between his arm and my chest feels like a huge chasm after hours of cuddling him close. “I did.”

“Whatever you think you did, it isn’t bad enough to justify what Daryll did to you. No one deserves violence, okay? Absolutely no one.”

“But Fate chose?—”

“Fate isn’t fair. She plays favorites. That’s what my omega mom said. Back when we were kids, she explained that parents aren’t supposed to have favorites. They’re supposed to love all of their children equally. She said we were Fate’s favorites because we got to choose our mates, but that didn’t make us better than anyone else. It just made Fate unfair. Because good parents don’t have favorites.”

Lucas covers my mouth with his hand. “No, Silver. Don’t say that about Fate. She could curse you.”

I gently tug his hand away from my face. “Then let Her curse me. I will never agree with what She’s done to you. I will never think it’s fair or that you deserve it. Not ever.”

Lucas’s eyes well with tears. “She gave me you, too, didn’t She?”

“Yes, but?—”

“Then She isn’t that heartless.” Lucas leans in to kiss me. “She gave my pups to you, too, didn’t She?”

“Yes—”

He kisses me again. “She gave you paws to claim me, right?” He takes one of my hands and places it on his chest. “She put me in the same trailer park as you. She gave me Christmases with your family and cinnamon rolls baked by your mom. She gave me guitar lessons with Coin and laughter with Link. She gave me all those nights of cuddling with your raccoon.”

I hug him tightly because I don’t know what to say. Sure, Fate has given him plenty of good with the bad, but that still doesn’t make Her fair. It isn’t my place to say, though. Because Lucas is allowed to believe whatever he wants about Fate. He’s allowed to worship Her the way most gray wolf shifters do, and he’s allowed to fear Her, too. I’m just grateful he thinks of me and my family as gifts from his deity.

“Does this mean you’ll let me put my paws on you?” I ask.

He shrugs. It’s not a yes, but it’s not a no either. Other than the temporary trial run I got him to agree to, this is as far as I’ve gotten with him.

“Okay. I choose to interpret that as progress,” I say.

He smiles shyly. God, that smile. He’s so beautiful.

“Could I cook for you tonight?” Lucas asks. “Maybe I could make one of your omega mom’s recipes?”

He’s perfectly still as he waits for me to respond. This is important to him.

“Yeah, that would be great.”

He stands up. “Okay. I’ll get started, then. Is there anything you want?”

“If you’re using my mom’s recipes, I’m sure I’ll like whatever you make. I don’t cook for myself that often. Thank you, baby.”

He beams at that. Maybe he wants to be useful. I guess he hasn’t had the chance to do much besides rest and shop during the last few days. When we were growing up, he helped my omega mom cook whenever he could. I remember how much he’d light up every time she praised or thanked him.

He opens my pantry and scans the contents. I know it’s old-fashioned, but the idea of Lucas cooking for me fills my heart with warmth. It reminds me of my omega mom cooking for our family growing up. She wasn’t a traditional omega, of course. She ran her own business, swore like a sailor, and had plenty of tattoos. But the kitchen was her domain, and she could cook better than anyone I knew. Even when we were struggling financially, we ate well because of her.

I’ve always secretly hoped I’d bond to an omega like that.

“Can you make my mom’s beef stew? I think I have all the ingredients, but I can run to the store if you need anything,” I say.

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