Page 14 of Saving Nevin
He froze. “What? Don’t say that!”
His handsome face blurred in front of me, the tears falling hot and fast. I swiped at them with the backs of my hands, but they just kept coming. I hiccuped on a sob. “I-It’s true! I’m barren. I can’t carry children, and I—” I cut myself off, bitterness burning through me like acid. “You need an Omega that can give you heirs. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, honey…” His voice was so damn tender. It felt like a knife to my already-broken heart. “Is that why they chased you off and left you to die? Because you couldn’t reproduce?”
I didn’t expect him to ask that, and somehow, it made everything hurt worse. I curled in on myself, wrapping my arms around my sides. I cried harder. “An Omega’s w-worth is his womb, nothing more. They tried many times, with different Alphas. I won’t ever have a baby. I’m c-cursed.”
“Don’t say that.” Kace’s big, calloused hands cupped my face, drawing my teary gaze to his. “Nevin, that doesn’t matter to me. I don’t need heirs. My sister will take over the pack when Mom steps down, not me, and right now, I don’t even know if Iwantkids,” he said. “What Idoknow, is that I want a partner. A best friend. A mate. Besides, when the time comes, we could always adopt. There are plenty of shifter children out there who need a family of their own.”
My chest ached, but Kace drew me close, pulling me into his arms. I sagged against his chest, too spent to fight him. Not that I wanted to. I didn’t know why he was so kind to me, but I was so damn thankful for it. His lips were a gentle caress against my temple.
“I truly don’t care if we have babies or not, but you arenotworthless. I never want to hear you say that again, okay? You are beautiful and fragile and I want you in my life.” He said it with such conviction that I began to sob all over again. “Shh…”
I buried my face in his chest and wrapped my arms around him. “I-I’m sorry,” I whispered, but he only hushed my cries and held me closer, rocking us both gently from side to side.
When I was finally wrung out, Kace wiped the salted tear-tracks from my cheeks. He brushed damp curls away from my face with a warm smile before planting a gentle kiss atop my head.
“How about I make you a cup of tea? I might have some ginger snaps in the cupboard.”
“That sounds nice,” I murmured. “But only if we can watch cartoons after.”
“A man after my own heart,” Kace teased, andmyheart did a little flip. Maybe… Maybe things would work out after all.
12
KACE
Watchingthe Omega blossom from timid to passionate with each little kiss we shared? It honestly blew my mind. I didn’t care if Nevin couldn’t reproduce. Hell, I wasn’t even sure Iwantedkids. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I wanted a mate, but pups? It’d never really been a pressing factor. I’d have little nieces and nephews running around underfoot before too long, anyhow. That was good enough for me.
Once Nevin realized that I was serious, and that the last thing I expected was for him to somehow “prove himself” by getting pregnant and giving me an heir, it was like a thousand pounds of weight dropped off his delicate shoulders. He became so much lighter, more buoyant. Like he finally felt free to be himself.
Whoever told him that he was worthless? Useless? They deserved to be shot full of silver and left to die a slow and painful death. It pissed me off knowing that Nevin was handed around and used as a broodmare by men he probably hated. Men who only wanted him for one thing.
Was that what he was thinking about, lost in his mind as he paced up and down the narrow hallway, mumbling to himself with his head in his hands? Or was it something else, like the sudden sweetness that clung to his skin like too-ripe fruit? A sweetness that I could smell all the way over here…
I chewed on the inside of my lip as I leaned against the doorjamb in the kitchen, watching Nevin as he wandered up and down, up and down the long hall. He grasped at his hair, tugging and pulling at the silvery-blond curls, until finally I couldn’t handle his dissonance any longer. It was making my chest physically ache to see him all strung out.
“Hey.” Taking a few steps towards him, I reached out and gently grasped Nevin’s arm, tugging him to a stop. He wheeled back with a soft gasp. His nostrils flared and his blue eyes flashed wide as they jerked up to meet mine. Sensing his unease, I immediately let him go, raising my hands in front of me instead, to show that I wasn’t a threat.
“Easy, Nev. It’s okay. Are you alright?” I asked.
“S-Sorry,” he mumbled, rubbing at his temple. “I’m jumpy, I guess.”
And standing this close to him, I knew why—Nevin was coming into heat. I could only imagine all the bad memories that dredged up along with the physical symptoms.
“That’s alright,” I told him. Curling my fingers beneath his chin, I tilted it up so that he was gazing up at me once more. “You know I won’t hurt you, right? I’m here to keep you safe, Nevin. No one’s going to hurt you here. Not this time. I promise.”
His lashes fluttered, but he nodded, ever so slowly. “I… I know. I trust you, Kace, I’m just…” His words petered into a soft whine before he pursed his lips. “Restless, that’s all,” he finally said. I knew that there was far more to it than that, but I left it alone. I didn’t want to poke old wounds, not when he was still so sensitive.
I smiled. “I’m glad you trust me.”
A small smile blipped up one corner of his lips. “Me too. You’re the first Alpha I’ve ever felt safe around. Pretty sad, huh?”
I huffed softly. “Just means that you’ve been around some shitty Alphas in your life. We’ll change that, honey. I promise. Your new life has just begun.”
“Thanks, Kace.” He shuffled his bare feet over the hardwood, then rubbed at the back of his neck. “Um. I think I’m gonna go take a bath and try and unwind a little. Is that okay?”
“Of course,” I told him. “Take all the time you need.”
