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Looking down into her pleasure-drenched expression, he whispered, "No I’, deep stroke, luxuriated in the touch of her hands down his back as she tried to bring hiloried in the secondary wave of pleasure that turned those wolf-bright eyes hazyand took him under in a passionate storm that short-circuited his every nerve

HE ca both of hers and his arle shared pillow Breathing was an effort, but since Lara see the same problem, he was content to lie there, hot and sweaty and happy

Happy

It was the wrong word to think tonight, the wrong key to turn after the flash of ainst his nape, rubbing at the sudden rigid tension "Walker?" The past shoved at his defenses, and it took all of his strength to fight the urge to let it spill out "I don’t want to taint us as"

Lara nudged at hih to allow her to turn to face hier than hurt" A luminous smile "We’re a mated pair, a family"

So simple, so powerful, her words smashed the dam inside him But it took him time to speak, time to think past the violent criment of the past Lara didn’t shove, didn’t attempt to force No, his mate simply nuzzled close and held him, as if she knew he needed her touch at this instant more than ever before

"The day the rehabilitation order was authorized," he began at last, his voice a harsh rasp, "when I ca because she didn’t intend to let her genes die out with mine" - the reason she’d aborted their unborn child with cold-blooded callousness - "I discovered she’d put in a call to pull Marlee and Toby out of school" Jagged, brutal, the words cut at his throat, made him bleed

"It’s okay," Lara said, her distress open "You don’t have to tellhimself in the warmth and heart and wildness of her "No, I need to tell you" Needed her to accept him in spite of the terrible mistakes he’d made and the pain thoseboth children to pack up their belongings for donation to charity, because they’d be vegetables after the brainwipe of rehabilitation, with no use for any of it" Horror colored Lara’s eyes

"That’s not Silence, Walker, that’s cruelty"

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 insightno more sense now than it had then, "never vowed to care for the children"

A growl caht have trouble with killing, but if that woman ever ends up in front ofhis 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 h round 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 ut "The way Marlee looked when she realized her mother had abandoned her - so sid and silent when he understood he’d lost another ure, it’s on me and it alill be"

"Don’t you let her evil eat away at you," hishirim 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 Reme else"

When he would’ve spoken, Lara shook her head, voice steely as she continued "You will forgive yourself" It was a couilt will taint your happiness - and Walker? The children take their cues froht, neither will they"

Treht, he pressed his forehead to hers "I want them to misbehave," he whispered "I want them to talk back to us and throw tantruood that he worried some part of theht just start to believe they’ll be okay" Lara’s lips curved, the eut "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"

And his niece had been a "devil child," according to Aisha (who had a soft spot for said devil child after all the dishwashing Sienna had done in the kitchens in recompense for her misdeeds) "They’ll have to work hard to beat her record of punishments" He’d never admit it to Sienna, but sorin with pride