Thor
rty. My gaze was fixed on her and Ryker, standing so close, a united front of familial devotion. The p
. My heart had been a frantic bird in my chest, fluttering with a joy so pure
able to contain my excitement
then, "Good." Just that one word. He'd given a curt nod and then gest
'd told myself he was just stressed, that the weight of being
ine interest as Lyra described every little gurgle and hiccup her newborn son made. The pride i
ith annoyance, pulling me from my reverie
xive, protective gesture. I shook my head, a sma
owed. I was embarrassing him. I was
ra had been burning with fever, her little body limp and frighteningly hot.
ne dismissive. "Let Dr. Vance handle it. Don't both
, holding Cora's hand, feeling a loneliness so profound it
-year-old daughter, Freya, had tripped over a rug and fallen. I
her gently, his large hands surprisingly tender as he examined the minor injury. I watched, my breath caught in my throat, as he mur
e of his precious Alpha power... all for his niece's scraped knee. While our
mbled into dust. It wasn't about him being a bus
about p
children held the throne. We were just... obligations. A Luna to stand by his
pered, her voice laced with a cold, bitter certai
unt blade sawing through my soul. The love I'd held for him, a stubborn, resilient thing that had
er brother. "See, Ryker?" she cooed, her voice dripping w
flick of a match on
, and I felt the oppressive weight of his power settle over the room. His vo
ring you. Give he
mal response I couldn't control. But the hands
e no longer filled with love or hurt. They were
ch word a small, hard stone d
the room
ing the box with a child's greedy curiosity. Hear
is voice high and piercing. "
eaching, grabbing for the box in my arms. The innocent, childish action w
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