Page 45 of The Protector’s Heart

“I can still see it,” she whispered.

He picked up her hands and kissed her palms. “I’m okay. You’re not going to work today, and neither am I. Sam is handling my shift at the clinic with Brynn, so it’s just the three of us.”

“It’s technically just the two of us right now,” she said, stepping close and looking up at him.

“So it is, love.” He smiled, cupping her face and lowering his head to kiss her. She let herself go into his warmth, letting him lead where they’d go in this precious time alone. He’d given himself for her last night. He could have died, or been seriously injured, but he was standing in front of her without a mark on him, and she would be forever grateful for her mate and protector.

* * *

Friday came fast, and Nila felt like there was a gun pointed at her head all morning. She wasn’t sure that Damien would sign the papers or that Isaiah would send them. If that didn’t happen, she didn’t know what Acksel would do, but Malachi had hinted that it wouldn’t be good. Alphas apparently took their promises very seriously.

Every time she was called to the front to get a patient, she expected to find a furious Damien there, ready to attack. She knew she was being silly, but old fears died hard.

At lunchtime, Malachi pulled her into the breakroom and held her. “It’ll be okay.”

“How can you be sure? The day is half over and we haven’t heard anything one way or the other.”

“Because Isaiah might be an asshole, but he’s still an alpha and their word is important to them. Isaiah is old-school and follows the laws. He swore that the papers would be delivered, and I trust that they will be.”

“What happens if they aren’t?”

He shrugged slightly, a non-committal movement, but she could guess what might happen. A war between the packs. More blood. More pain.

“I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions. Worrying doesn’t solve problems.”

“That’s very philosophical.”

He snorted good-naturedly. They ate together and talked about everything except whether the packs would end up going to war because Damien was an asshole. When they were finished eating, he walked her to the reception desk and tugged her around to sit with him behind Brynn for the last few minutes of her lunch break. Brynn spun in her chair and said, “I’m hungry for ice cream.”

Malachi’s brow rose. “I’m a guard not an errand boy.”

Brynn laughed. “I wasn’t asking you to go get some, I was just making a statement. Since Nila is up here, do you mind if I run back to the breakroom? I think I saw a tub of ice cream in the freezer a few days ago.”

Nila opened her mouth to tell Brynn it was fine, when Malachi tensed suddenly, rising slowly from his seat behind the reception desk. In a heartbeat, she and Brynn were behind him as a man walked into the clinic with a manila envelope. The man paused at the open door and glanced around the waiting room. Two mothers were sitting with their sick kids, but they didn’t pay him any attention.

He strode to the reception desk.

“I’m to give these papers to the human,” he said.

Nila peeked around Malachi’s body and said, “I’m the human.”

Malachi snarled and the man’s eyes widened. Nila stepped to Malachi’s side and reached for the papers. “Check them,” Malachi said. His voice was deeper than usual, growly and angry.

She opened the envelope and pulled out the stack of papers, quickly checking the sticky tags that marked where Damien was supposed to sign. She found his scrawled signature everywhere, even on the papers that waived his parental rights to Jack.

Tears pooled in her eyes as the realization that Jack was really hers and she was free for good from Damien dawned on her.

“He did it,” she said thickly, rubbing at her cheeks to wipe away the tears. “I’m done, I’m really done with him.”

Malachi sent the delivery man away and then hugged her. “How does it feel to be free?”

“Like I just won the lottery.”

Brynn squealed in happiness and hugged Nila, and she embraced her friend. “Thank you for helping me,” she said, sniffling.

“Oh, babe, of course! You can bring Jack to the house tonight and I’ll watch him while you two go celebrate.”

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