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I didn’t doubt that, but I couldn’t abandon Theo even if Bodey wanted me to. It’s not an excuse, but Theo tried to do right by me and Stevie when we were younger. Zeke treated us even worse because of it, so Theo stopped. He was too young to take over the pack then.

Yeah, but when he got older, he should’ve done something.

It’s hard to see that when you were raised a certain way. I nuzzled into his side, making sure Bodey didn’t feel threatened by my feelings of friendship for Theo. They weren’t anything close to what I felt for Bodey, but I understood that Theo was a sore subject since he’d been trying to date me just a few weeks ago. Now that his eyes are open about his dad, he’s here, trying to do the right thing. He could schmooze up to Queen Kel and offer Mom and Pearl to her, but instead, he’s here to ally with us, and it has nothing to do with me. Now wasn’t the time to add that it probably had a lot to do with Jasmine.

As long as we make it clear that you’re mine, I’ll manage.