Page 33 of Tides of Fate

“Glass,” Finn whispers.

Luca sees it then—broken glass on the floor. Not shattered, but in a few larger pieces.

Tsuki lies down beside Finn on the safe side, putting her snout comfortingly on his thigh.

“You broke a glass—are you hurt?” Luca asks, even though Finn is already shaking his head. “You couldn’t sleep? Wanted water?”

It’s not hard to piece together how it all came to be, but Luca is still in the dark about why his stoic mate is so heartbroken.

“Can you tell me what happened? Why are you on the floor?”

Finn shakes his head, and his gasping breaths are familiar in a way Luca wishes they weren’t.

This is a panic attack.

Well, those fucking suck Satan’s ballsack.

“Okay, just…” Luca pushes down his anxiety and slows his own breathing. “You’re hyperventilating, right?”

Finn nods.

“Can you breathe with me?”

His mate isn’t one for touching when he’s angry or sad—unless it’s Jay—but Luca wants to so badly.

But that’s for him, not Finn, so he restrains the urge.

He knows what it feels like to be out of control—like the pressure in your chest might kill you.

Luca counts out ten cycles ofin,two, three, four, out, two, three, four, fivebefore Finn sits back against the cabinet.

One hand is pressed to his chest while the other ghosts over Tsuki’s head. Fresh tears still cling to his cheeks, but at least the gasping sobs have quieted.

Luca prefers to talk shit out, but he’s had to learn that sometimes, others need silence instead. Finn and Grayson, particularly.

So Luca lets his mate sit and pet Tsuki’s soft ears until he’s calmer, with just his hitching breaths audible above the hum of the fridge.

“Sorry, Luca.” Finn rubs his face with the towel. “I’m okay. You should go back to bed—Tsuki’s tired. Aren’t you going to Ripley tomorrow?”

Luca’s anxiety twinges, but he knows Finn isn’t using it as a dirty trick to distract him—Finn would never.

He’s not, however, above trying to get Luca to go away so he can be fresh for his meeting tomorrow.

“Mmm. She’s the one who woke me up. I thought she had to go out to pee, but here she is.” Luca watches as Tsuki gives Finn’s hand a doggy-kiss. “I think she wanted to be with you—Iwant to be with you.”

“She’s a smart girl. I’m okay now, though.” Finn goes to stand.

Luca grabs his hand before he can. Finn may sound calmer, and his scent is a bit better, but Luca isn’t fooled.

“Finn, it’s 3:00 a.m., and you just had a panic attack.”

Finn flinches at Luca’s words.

“Maybe you could tell me what’s going on.”

“There’s nothing you can do. It’s nothing.”

Finn is well-known for not being able to tell a lie, even the kindest of trivial untruths. It’s why his physician’s oath worked so well for him—it was inherently part of his personality.

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