I spent the following week in a daze. I’d seen those two little lines with my own two eyes, yet it hadn’t quite sunken in. Chance was carrying my child. I was going to be a father. My wolf yipped and danced. He accepted it. He knew the sweet scent that clung to his Omega’s skin and he wanted to howl his happiness to the moon.

We celebrated with hot fudge sundaes at the frozen yogurt shop, but Chance still seemed so uncertain. I knew he was afraid that his past would catch up with him and rip all of this away. It was like he was afraid to be happy, and that made me sad. More than anything, I wished I could somehow prove to him that Bones would never touch him again, that I’d shred the motherfucker if he so much as breathed on my mate.

Because he was mine.

I offered comfort where I could, in the smallest of touches and the sweetest of kisses. And every night, we retreated to my bedroom after tucking Dresden into bed and I held the man close as he fell asleep in my arms.

Tonight, though, Chance seemed troubled. Usually we talked, even if it was just about silly things to get his mind off his fears, but he was oddly quiet. He lay still and silent in my arms and it worried me. I nuzzled my nose against the baby-fine hairs at the nape of his neck, soothing myself with his soft scent before I lay kisses on his skin. “What’s wrong, love?”

Chance’s sigh echoed through me. “Just… Thinking, I guess.”

“About what?”

He rubbed his cheek against my bicep, taking comfort in that small touch of skin. He breathed in deeply, then turned onto his other side so that we were face to face. My heart sank. He looked so sad... It hurt to see the despondence in those big hazel eyes, like he didn’t have a hope in the world. “Chance. What’s wrong. You can tell me anything, you know.”

“I… I know, it’s just. It’s heavy and I know I’m crazy, but—”

I tapped him on the nose. “You’re not crazy. You’ve been through hell and back. You have the right to be a little fucked up, okay? It doesn’t make me want you any less. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, and I want to be that person you trust to have your back.”

“Y-You are, but I—” He cursed under his breath, rolling his lips together to form a tight, bloodless line. He blinked furiously to try and stop the tears, but they welled up nonetheless. “I need to know that you want me because I’m me, not because I look like Charlie. I-I don’t want you thinking that I’m him because I’m not. Okay?”

I gaped at him. What? “Chance. Why would you even think that?”

Dampness glistened on his lashes. “I… I can’t be Charlie, no matter how hard I try. All I can think is that I’m taking his place and I don’t want you to think you want me because… Because… Because of that. I’m not him. I’ll never be him.” He hiccuped and buried his face into the pillows. “I told you. I’m crazy,” he mumbled. “I’m sorry.”

My chest ached, a deep throbbing pain that radiated through my bones. How could he think that? “You’re not crazy,” I promised him, running my fingers through his silky hair. He sniffled into the pillowcase and shook his head, like he didn’t believe me. “Look at me.”

He did.

“I loved Charlie with every fiber of my being. When he died, it broke me. I went into a really dark place… A place that, if I hadn’t had Soren and Dresden depending on me to be their Alpha, I might’ve followed him into the darkness. That’s how much I loved him. That’s how much I missed him.” Heat pricked at the corners of my eyes. No one knew that. I hadn’t told anyone, not until now.

I swallowed thickly. “Life goes on. Charlie will always have a special place in my heart, but there’s room enough for you, too. You’re not taking his place, so don’t ever think that. You’re merely claiming a piece of my heart right alongside him. I’ll never forget him—ever—but it’s time to move on, to find my own happiness again, and I’m happy when I’m with you. I know you’ll never be your brother. I would never expect that of you.”

He whimpered softly. I trailed my fingertips along his jaw, caressing his skin. “I loved Charlie, but I’m falling in love with you, Chance. I know we haven’t been together that long, and I know you’re not ready for anything permanent, but I want there to be an us. The Alpha in me wants to claim you, to mark you and make you my mate, but I won’t. Not yet. Not until you’re ready.”

“Why are you so careful with me?” he whispered.

“Because,” I said solemnly. “You deserve it. Because I love you.”

His lips curved into a watery smile as he gazed at me. “I’m so thankful you found me.”

I scooted closer to him and looped my arm around his waist, drawing him to my chest. His warmth soaked into my skin and I kissed his shoulder. “Me too, Chance. Me too.”