Walker stroked his hand down her side, felt the rage that vibrated through her. “It was as if she had never been their guardian,” he said, the insight making no more sense now than it had then, “never vowed to care for the children.”

A growl came out of Lara’s throat. “Healers might have trouble with killing, but if that woman ever ends up in front of me, I will carve out her heart without anesthetic.”

Shifting his position so that he was braced over her, he rubbed his cheek against her own and spoke the worst truth of all. “I was the one who chose Yelene to be my co-parent.” He’d been so careful, had read through multiple PsyMed reports on each candidate, done a deep background and personality check before he settled on Yelene.

And still he’d failed to protect the vulnerable lives under his care.

“I will never forgive myself for that.” Regret spun razor-sharp blades in his gut. “The way Marlee looked when she realized her mother had abandoned her—so small and broken; the way Toby went rigid and silent when he understood he’d lost another maternal figure, it’s on me and it always will be.”

“Don’t you let her evil eat away at you,” his mate said, her hands cupping his cheeks, forcing him to hold eyes of wolf amber grim with purpose. “You aren’t superhuman—and you aren’t a foreseer, that you could predict the future. You made the best choice in the situation you were in.”

Claws pricked his face as her wolf rose closer to the surface. “Yelene’s cowardice belongs to her alone. When she was asked to take a stand, she broke, while you put your life on the line and did everything in your power to protect your family. Remember that, not a woman who saved her skin and lost everything else.”

When he would’ve spoken, Lara shook her head, voice steely as she continued. “You will forgive yourself.” It was a command. “Because if you don’t, your unnecessary guilt will taint your happiness—and Walker? The children take their cues from you. If you don’t step fully into the light, neither will they.”

Trembling because he knew she was right, he pressed his forehead to hers. “I want them to misbehave,” he whispered. “I want them to talk back to us and throw tantrums.” The children were both so good that he worried some part of them feared another terrible rejection. “When they do, I might just start to believe they’ll be okay.”

Lara’s lips curved, the emotion in her smile a punch to the gut. “It’ll happen. Have faith in their strength and our love.” Claws retreating, she patted his cheek. “They do have Sienna as an example, after all.”