19

I could tell he was fighting the usual demons. "You have to stay in control here, Phin. Sex is another one of your vices, and you know it. I'm not saying having sex is wrong, but don't trick her, okay? Treat her like she's treating you. Then it isn't a vice."

"Do you have a condom?" he asked quietly.

"Ask Teddy where he put your stash when we cleaned out your room," I replied. "I'm happy to see you were being somewhat smart about it."

Phin kicked the dirt. "I didn't want to bring a kid into the world like I was. I want my kids to know both their parents, like you do."

Being his alpha meant that even though he'd wronged me, I still felt the depth of his despair. It was hard to stay mad at him, feeling how strained and conflicted he had always felt.

Teddy wasn't handling how I was going about it well, but I knew I had to trust my intuition here. Phin wasn't a bad guy. He just never had a good person directing him and teaching him right from wrong.

I knew he needed something more