Similar to how Teighan only had Cair, Alex only had me, and when I’d first run off to get mated, I felt a little guilty leaving my best friend on his own. He’d never been on the best of terms with his family, especially since his younger brother, Theo, had cut contact several years ago. He barely saw his elder sister, so his mother had been his only tie, but even before she’d disowned him, she may as well not have been there at all.

Thankfully, he now had someone else in his corner, someone who would give him all the stars in the sky if he asked, and I didn’t feel quite so uneasy.

He was in good hands.

“So, you approve?” I said as we rounded the corner. Cair’s building was at the end of the block, and it never failed to astound me just how magnificent it was.

“Of course I do,” he asserted, gazing down at me to show his sincerity before staring ahead again. A distant look fell over his face, as if he was lost in a memory. “I love my brother dearly, and for the longest time, I worried for him. He never asked for anything, he hid his pain behind a mask, and though I was always there, it was clear that loneliness ate at him. He’d never have admitted it, but he often struggled to see his worth because, from the time he was a youngling, he was forced to suppress all those agreeable traits that he only ever showed to me. His passion, his protectiveness, his loyalty. He was raised to be a warrior and expected to give up on the notion of finding a mate because ‘no one would want to be tied to a male who only knew bloodlust.’

“His emotions were locked tight, but since Alex came into his life, he has softened. The boy has encouraged him to be vulnerable, to show his true self, and he finally has someone to lavish all those caring instincts on. Someone to protect and keep safe, to love and worship, and be given the same in return. It warms my heart to see my brother genuinely content, and I have Alex to thank for that.”

My chest felt heavy. I was equally saddened by the mention of Tee’s struggles and elated that he no longer had to suffer under his father’s control.

“When we first met, I thought Tee would glare me into an early grave,” I said, recalling the early days of my employment at The Veil. “I pegged him as this big grump with the emotional range of a teaspoon, but after a while—and a lot of wearing him down with my awesome personality—I noticed a few soft spots peeking through his hardened shell.