MAEVE’S POV
Asha’s glare could’ve set fire to the damn room.
He looked like he was one second away from shifting—which was wild, considering he was five. But that’s how deep his loathing ran.
He wasn’t scared of Ivan like he had been earlier. He despised him. And the part that gutted was that I couldn’t even bla him.
Impressions mattered to kids, and Ivan—Neanderthal that he was—had disappointed my little boy twice in a row.
Worst of all, he had cornered his mummy against a wall like a fucking brute. The lamp in Asha’s small hands twitched, like it itched to swing.
I rushed to his side.
"Baby, hey," I said gently, crouching beside him. "Drop that, sweetheart. It’s bedti. You shouldn’t be here."
But Asha yanked it away from my reach, planting his tiny feet like a warrior made of fire and grit.
"No. Get behind , Mummy," he said, his voice tight with resolve. "I’ll protect you."
My heart skipped.
He took a step in front of , shielding with his little body like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"I’m not afraid of the bad man anymore."
For a mont, my chest swelled with pride, but that crashed the second I caught Ivan’s expression—the shattered, bruised look on his beautiful face.
It shot right through my chest and scarred my wolf. It was a look I wouldn’t be forgetting anyti soon.
He stood there like he’d been sucker-punched. Like he couldn’t figure out where the hell he went wrong.
His fists kept clenching and unclenching. His jaw flexed. His breathing was weak. And his eyes. Sweet Goddess, those eyes—
He wasn’t hiding the pain. Not this ti. He couldn’t, even if he tried.
It was the first ti I saw Ivan look small. Emotionally.
Like the version of him I used to know—the one who traced constellations on my back and made believe in sweet little nothings—was peeking out through a crack in his armor.
Any other day, I’d have laughed at the awkward stiffness in his shoulders, mocked the way he kept glancing between us like a man holding a grenade. But today? Today, it just fucking hurt.
And it was for that reason that the next words left my lips, tired and exhausted from this never-ending emotional torture.
"I think it’s ti you leave, Ivan."
"Yes! Leave us!" Asha echoed fiercely.
Ivan’s shoulders were tight with so much tension, I was surprised he could even manage to keep still. He was quiet for a mont, stuck in that state, then...
"I’m sorry," he said after a beat, his voice strained and distraught. It was so unlike him to sound that way—so defeated. "I never ant to make you uncomfortable, Asha."
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him give an inscrutable look. In that mont, I would’ve done anything to know what he was thinking.
Before I could ruminate on it further, he turned on his heels and walked out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.
But even then, with the door shut, the suffocating air he left behind stayed.
I turned to Asha imdiately, and just then, he abandoned his lamp and rushed into my arms for a hug just as I dropped to my knees to welco him.
I hugged him back, relishing his warmth—cherishing the mont. His expression had shifted from the brave facade to a watery, anxious stare.
His worry on my behalf made my heart ache with a mixture of imnse love and guilt.
"Mommy, that was so scary! I almost peed myself. I thought he’d hurt us," Asha whimpered, tightening his little arms around .
"Oh, my brave, brave boy," I pulled away just enough to ruffle his hair and et his teary eyes. "My sweet pup, you really are one of a kind. I’m so proud of you for standing up to protect like that."
He blinked at , suspicious. "You’re about to scold , aren’t you?"
I sighed, smiling despite myself. "Just a little. Because that was dangerous, Asha. You shouldn’t be eavesdropping on adults, baby. You should be sleeping right now."
"I wasn’t eavesdropping," he muttered, his brows pinching tight in that stubborn way that always reminded of... well, him. "I heard noise, and when I looked, I saw the bad man cornering you. Was it wrong that I wanted to shoo him away—like how you shoo bad things from ?"
The tears welled again, his bottom lip trembling—and just like that, any edge I had lted into soft uselessness.
"No, baby," I said, brushing my knuckles across his cheek. "Not wrong at all. That was a brave thing you did, and I’m proud of you, sweetheart. But the man—Ivan—he wasn’t hurting ."
Oh, not at all. He was only whispering the filthiest of intentions into my ear like the arrogant entitled bastard he was.
Asha’s eyes widened, then narrowed like he didn’t believe . Still, his mouth tugged into a half-smile.
"So... does that an I get a treat? I vote ice cream!"
I chuckled, returning his grin. "Let’s wait till morning before we discuss the reward for your good work, little soldier. Hmm?"
He groaned dramatically but nodded.
"Fine!" Then he paused and tilted his head up at , his expression turning serious. "But... are you okay, Mummy?" His small palms cupped my cheeks, heartwarmingly. "You looked scared. Did he scare you—even a little?"
"I’m okay, baby," I whispered, pulling his hands down and kissing each one. "I’m sorry if we frightened you."
"Nope. Not scared anymore. I have Mommy now—and ice cream!" he squealed with a grin.
"Shhh!" I pressed a finger to his lips, even as laughter spilled from mine. "You’ll wake the entire damn house."
We fell into a softer silence, one that felt more like safety than whatever energy Ivan had left behind. I exhaled slowly and shifted to sit on the floor, patting my lap.
"Co. Sit with for a bit."
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