Makenna rubbed her nose against his. “Can I watch? I’ll bring popcorn. We’ll make a day of it.”

Ryan almost smiled. “Insane.” Still, he’d never want her to be anything but exactly who she was. She hadn’t been in his life long, but she’d already brightened and refreshed it. If the extremists had had their way today, his life would have been dark and bleak.

She cocked her head as his expression hardened. “What’s wrong?”

“You could have died today.”

“I did worry for a minute when I noticed there were some magpies.” At his baffled look, she explained, “You know, ‘one for sorrow, two for luck, three for a wedding, four for death.’ At first, I thought there were four, but then I realized there were only three. I wonder who’s getting married. Why are you scowling at me?”

He just grunted. This was what insane people did, and he’d just have to get used to it. Besides, she’d said she’d be proud to have him as her mate, so there wasn’t a lot that could upset him right then—especially since he had her here at his territory for good. If she thought it was temporary that was her mistake. “Do you need someone to go to your apartment and see if there’s anything to salvage?”

“Actually, it’s no longer my apartment. I’ve been evicted.”

“Evicted?”

“My landlord said he’ll box up my stuff.” At Ryan’s growl, she said, “I thought you’d be happy about it. We both know you want me staying here indefinitely.”

“He’s being unfair to you.” Ryan would never be happy about something like that.

“But not unfair to the other tenants. He’s doing right by them.”

It was typical of her to put the safety of others before that of herself. It irritated him. He knotted a hand in her hair. “You didn’t call me for help earlier because you thought you were protecting me. I get that. But don’t do it again.” It was his right to protect her.

Both Makenna and her wolf balked at his words. “Like you, I protect the people who matter to me.”

His breath almost caught in his throat. “I matter?”

“You damn well know you do.”

With this grip on her hair, Ryan pulled her closer and took her mouth. Took it with an intensity and possessiveness that reminded her she was his. Would always be his. The sooner she accepted that, the happier they’d both be.

As usual, Ryan woke at six a.m. Seeing Makenna naked and warm beside him, he was tempted to stay where he was. He pressed a light kiss to her throat. She grumbled something unintelligible and rolled onto her side. Being a deep sleeper, she didn’t wake as he washed and dressed before—with a kiss to her shoulder—he left to do his morning perimeter check.

Outside, he picked up Zac’s scent. It was too strong to come from the night before. Ryan frowned. The juvenile was never up this early. Following the scent, he found Zac just past the fringe of the forest sitting on a fallen tree trunk, dark circles under his eyes. Looking up, he tipped his chin in greeting.

Ryan took a seat beside him. “Everything okay?”

Zac twisted the blades of grass in his hands. “I had a shitty dream, that’s all.”

“Do you have nightmares a lot?” The kid just shrugged. Ryan detested the idea that Zac was hurting, but he didn’t know how to get him to talk.

What had Makenna once said? “Zac feels like we’ll judge him because we can’t understand what he’s been through.”

Ryan, however . . . maybe he did understand. Sort of. Maybe if he made Zac see that he could relate to him in some ways, the kid would open up. But he couldn’t expect Zac to expose such a deep wound unless Ryan was prepared to do the same for him. So Ryan did the one thing he’d sworn he’d never do: he shared what had happened to him all those years ago. “I was once taken by a rival pack.” That made Zac’s gaze snap to his. “They tortured me for weeks. Kept me drugged so I couldn’t shift. Tied me up so I couldn’t free myself.”

Zac swallowed. “Trey and the others came for you?”

“They didn’t know where I was.”

“How did you get out?”

“I gave control over to my wolf. Feral, he had enough strength to shift and get free. Then he killed them, ripped them to pieces. They died too quick, in my opinion.” That probably wasn’t the most comforting thing to say to the kid, he mused with irritation. “My point is that I know what it’s like to have people do things to you—hurtful things, humiliating things. I know what it’s like to feel helpless. I hated that, I hated them, and I hated myself for not being able to stop it.” Just thinking about it made fury bubble inside him. Still, he kept talking. “I know what it’s like to have to relive those moments at night in your sleep. It’s hard to move past something that you have to relive over and over. I’m the last person who’d ever judge you. Was it the Alpha who hurt you?”

Zac was quiet for so long, Ryan thought he wouldn’t answer. Finally, the kid said, “It wasn’t just him.”

“Who else?”

“The pack healer.”

His wolf snarled. “What did they do?”

“The healer, David, took me in after my parents died. I was okay with it. He was always nice to everyone, you know? Kind.” Zac looked down at the ground. “But it’s not real.” A long pause. “They’re like Remy.”