Chapter 6

“Kas, the doctors think it’s going to be a while before you’re able to move around without help.” Reggie drums his fingers on his hip and looks up at me.

“How long is a while?” I frown at the idea of having to rely on other people to help me do basic things. “I want to take care of the twins myself.”

“Uh, let’s not put a date on it. You’re in way worse shape than you were when we first found you at Silver Moon.” Reggie drums his fingers on his hip and looks up at me. “Once you can manage it, we’ll have you go to your office or something while Bronx comes here to see the kids. We’ll make sure a nurse is here when he is. Until then, we can arrange for a couple of guards to be here when he wants to visit. You don’t have to interact with him if you don’t want to.” 

“Um, okay. Thank you guys so much for not giving up on me.” I look at my friends gratefully. “I know I scared and upset so many people. That wasn’t my intention. I did what I had to do to protect my sisters.” 

“We’ll have that conversation when you’re healthy, Kas.” Ashley kisses each of my babies on the forehead and stands up from the bed. “Just focus on getting better and taking care of your pups.. They grow up in a blink of an eye. Don’t miss it because you’re distracted by crap that doesn’t matter.”

“Reggie, Ashley, can you ask a nurse to come in and help me get a bath? Maybe Bronx can come see the babies while I’m doing that, if he’s around?” I twist my fingers on my lap and look around the room. “But I’d like to speak with Milo alone for a minute first.” 

“Of course, Luna. We’re glad to have you back.” Ashley gives me a wink and takes Reggie’s hand. “I’ll ask the nurses to prep bottles so Bronx can feed them. He’s gonna have to learn sometime.”

Once Ashley and Reggie leave, Milo picks up Andreas and coos at him. The little baby looks so small in Milo’s large hands. “I have a little secret, Kas. If Lenora was here, she would probably smack me for telling you.”

“Oh no. What kind of secret?” I feel my face cringe. I don’t know if I can take any more today.

“Lenora told me once that you can’t have pups. You know she could never keep a secret from me. It really bothered her for some reason. She just wanted the best for you and somehow, a couple of years later, you have two. A little piece of me wants to think she had something to do with it. I’m still technically their uncle, you know. Even if Lenora isn’t here anymore.” He rocks Andreas and lets Maya grab on his finger, smiling at them. I can’t help but admire how gentle he is with his tiny niece and nephew. “I don’t know why, but it feels like they’re more important to me than my sister’s daughter. It’s kind of unbelievable. Before he met you, we all just figured Bronx would never find his mate.”

I feel a tinge of guilt grab my ribs. “I know when I got back, you told me I have nothing to apologize for, but I’m so sorry about Lenora, Milo. I-I gave Leticia and the rest of the Mavri Magea orders, but they broke them. No one was supposed to get hurt. I just needed the cursed silver from the vault. They were only supposed to create a diversion. I was too naïve. I thought I had enough control over them.” 

“Kas, I told you before, Bronx ordered us to put you in the dungeon. I don’t blame you. From the minute Bronx told us you were gone and announced you were a traitor, I refused to believe it.” Milo’s eyes are glassy with tears. I can tell he’s been through a lot in the past few months just by looking at him. “Marco told us to look at your binders. You keep a shit ton of binders, by the way. You know there’s software for all that, right?”

“You know I’m not the best with technology.” I chuckle at his very “Milo” way to distract me from my mood.

“Anyway, that’s how we found out what you were really doing. That’s when I knew. When I saw you were trying to help your sisters, there was nothing that would let me believe dark magic corrupted you. That giant ass binder was proof. So I’m grateful you left them behind, but Bronx threw the one we really needed in the fireplace before we could decipher everything. As for Lenora, she died protecting her brother and her pack. I can’t think of any other way she would have wanted to go.”

“Did you know she was the first person from Blood River to notice me? Back when you guys came to Silver Moon, and they assigned me to make sure you guys had everything you wanted. She’s the one who really saved me, Milo. She’s the first person who ever showed any sort of concern for me in my entire life.” I think back to the day I met Lenora and her noticing my bruises from being punched by the pack accountant. I caught him having sex with the Luna in his office. “I thought she was going to tell Bronx I was a weak wolf and he would have me executed.”

“Yeah, I remember she knew there was a problem. She was going to talk to Bronx after that party they threw for us to see if we could open an investigation.” Milo sighs. “But, well… you remember how that went…”

“Yeah. A great first impression, huh?” I frown and watch him set Andreas down on the ‘U’ shaped pillow. “What will you do now?”

“Well, now I raise Codi.” Milo screws up his face. “We’ve got into a routine without Lenora around. It’s weird knowing she’s going to be a Guardian to the Menae. One day, she’s going to go do her own thing and be amazing at whatever she does. For now, though, I need to convince her she’s not allowed to have a kitten in a packhouse full of wolves and that she can’t help the gardeners plant flowers in the wintertime.”

“Will you look for another mate? A chosen mate? One day when you’re ready, I mean. Not right now, unless you’re ready, obviously.” I tilt my head and give him a sympathetic look.

“For now, I’m fine just being a dad and pack Beta.” He sighs and slumps his shoulders. “I’ve been having to cover a lot of Bronx’s responsibilities lately too. So, I don’t really have time to look for another mate.”

“You’re basically my big brother, Milo. How am I supposed to look you in the eye everyday knowing I’m the reason your mate is dead? How do I make it up to you?”

“Aw, Kas, don’t think like that. Just being here for our pack is how you make it up to me. Let Reggie and Ashley and I take care of our Luna.” Milo picks me up and pulls me onto his lap to give me a hug. Feeling his arms around me makes me feel safer than I have in a long time. “I don’t know if I will look for another mate. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll get a second chance mate, but honestly I can’t imagine anyone being more perfect for me than Lenora. I’m cool with being a lone wolf. Besides, between work and Codi and helping keep you and Bronx out of trouble, and taste testing your crazy flavored cookies, I don’t have time for a mate. Who else is going to tell you there’s too much nutmeg in your snickerdoodles?”

I sit back and chuckle at him. “Is that all I’m good for? Baked goods?”

“Well, you said all your abilities are gone, so yeah. What else is there, Little Sister?” He gives me a lopsided grin and pats my cheek. “Let me get the nurse to get you in the tub. No offense, but we can’t have the Luna of Blood River smelling like a rogue wolf.”

Behind Milo, the door to the suite opens quietly. I look over Milo’s shoulder as a nurse escorts Bronx into the room. “I’ll get the bottles prepared right away. It’s almost time for them to eat, Alpha.”

As they come inside, they stop short.

“Oh, crap.” My jaw drops when he makes eye contact. I push against Milo to get him to let me go.

“Fuck.” Milo holds me closer, protectively, trying to keep me out of sight, but it’s too late. He doesn’t need to look at the door to know this doesn’t look good.

Bronx looks at me, then looks at Milo and growls. “I should have fucking known.”