Page 12 of Saving Nevin
“Libra, I think?”
“I’m a Leo. I was born in the middle of August, during a full moon, on the hottest day of the year,” I told him, like any of that truly mattered. That wasn’t the point. “And I’m twenty-six, the middle childandMom’s favorite.” That last part might’ve been stretching the truth a little, since I knew Mom loved all four of us equally, but it didn’t hurt to fluff up the resume, so to speak.
“Mmm, I see.” Nevin took a bite of food and chewed thoughtfully.
“Do you have any siblings?” I asked, immediately wanting to kick myself for the pain that flashed across his face, even if only momentarily. Shit. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” I added, but he shook his head.
“It’s okay. Really. It was a long time ago, but yes. I had an older brother, but he passed away when we were pups. There was an accident,” he admitted softly. “He was twelve.”
My chest tightened. “I’m sorry, Nevin.”
He smiled sadly. “Like I said, it was a long time ago. What about you? Is it just you and your brother, or…?”
“Xan’s the youngest—short for Xander, by the way, though we only ever call him that when he’s in trouble. Then I have a younger sister named Quinn, and an older sister named Tasha. They’re both mated, and Quinn and her husband Shannon have a daughter named Isobel.”
“And your mom is the Alpha of your pack?”
I nodded. “Yup. She’s the founder of Rubydawn and the local veterinarian here in Greymercy.”
“Greymercy?” He glanced up at me, fork poised halfway to his mouth.
“That’s the name of the town we live in. It’s a nice place, though honestly, I’m born and raised, so I guess I’m kinda biased.” I chuckled. “What about you? Where are you from?”
Nevin’s expression fell, and suddenly, even in the cheery morning light, his face looked…haunted, almost. “It doesn’t matter,” he muttered, setting his fork down on the side of his plate. He pushed it away from him and leaned back in his chair. “I’m never going back there. I’d rather die.”
His words punched me in the gut, reminding me of the wolves who’d hunted him down and brutally attacked him. Their snarls and shrieks and screams I’d heard in the woods that day still lingered in my memory. Had those wolves been part of his pack? Had his past truly been that painful and wrought with chaos?
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “Nevin… I need to know. Who did this to you?”
His face blanched and he quickly ducked his head, refusing to look at me. Instead, he fixed his gaze on beam of sunlight in the middle of the kitchen. A frown deepened the worry lines on his forehead. It made me ache for him. My poor mate.
“It doesn’t matter. They won’t be back for me. Don’t worry, I didn’t bring danger to your door.”
Danger to my…I frowned. Did he really think thatthatwas what I was worried about? “I don’t care about that. My pack can handle it, I promise.” I softened my tone, not wanting to hurt him, but needing to know the truth. “Who would do that to you?”
Nevin shrugged, but pain flashed across his face. “You wouldn’t understand,” he mumbled.
It chipped off a piece of my heart. “Can you let me try, at least?”
He was quiet for a long minute, before he sighed, deflating right in front of me. He rubbed his nose on the sleeve of his sweatshirt and looked down at the floor. “My pack was one where you were only worthy if you were born an Alpha. I didn’t matter to them and they culled me. It’s that simple.”
Anger nipped at me, and before I could stop the growl from slipping up my throat, it was too late. It rumbled between us and Nevin froze, his eyes wide, a deer caught in the headlights. He flinched back, his arms moving to wrap tightly around himself, as if that might protect him.
From me.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” I uttered, a deep-seated ache settling in my chest where my heart belonged. I could only imagine what the so-called Alphas in his last pack had done to him, and it pissed me off. “I’m so sorry, Nevin. If you have names, we could always press charges?—”
“N-No!” He shook his head frantically. “I-I don’t want them to find me! I don’t want them to know I’m still alive. It’s better off for everyone if they th-think I’m dead.”
“Nevin…”
His Adam’s apple bobbed with a hard swallow. “It doesn’t matter. I’m free now. You… You saved me. I thought that I was going to die out there, all alone. I was so scared, but you saved me.” His blue eyes glistened, tears brimming but never once falling. “That’s the only thing that matters. I owe you my life.”
I reached over and touched his hand. “I did what my heart told me to do. That’s all. I couldn’t just sit there and watch you die.”
His laugh was humorless as he said, “Anyone else would’ve.”
“Well, I’m not anyone else. I’m me, and you are worth more than you think. I don’t know what those Alphas said or did to you, but knowing they hurt you makes me so angry. It’s wrong. Unjust. But you’re right. You’re free now, and you’re welcome to stay here with me for as long as you need. I won’t lie, I kind of like having the company.” I squeezed his hand with a smile.
