Page 14 of Dragon's Revenge

“You did.” Delton couldn’t help but bring the flowers to his nose. “They smell good too.”

“Yeah? You like them?”

How did a badass alpha like Adar manage to look cute? Handsome, sure. Tough, hot, powerful, yes. But cute? Puppies were cute. Kittens were cute. Little baby deer with those big doe eyes like Bambi? Also cute. But alpha wolves should not be cute, yet he was, the silent plea in those gorgeous brown eyes hard to resist.

“To what do I owe the honor?”

Adar shuffled his feet. “I want to apologize for what I said and how I handled all of this.”

“All of this?” Was it mean to pretend he didn’t have a clue what Adar was talking about? Maybe, but Delton wasn’t feeling generous toward Adar, not even after his heart had softened because of the flowers.

Adar swallowed. “What I said about you hurting already was insensitive, and I deeply regret saying it.”

Okay, it might’ve sounded a little rehearsed—which Delton honestly couldn’t blame him for, knowing Adar wasn’t good with words and most likely had wanted to practice—but it also came across as sincere. “Thank you. It was, and it hurt me.”

Pain filled Adar’s eyes. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to do that. I wasn’t thinking. Well, I was, but more about doing whatever I could to make you give us a chance, and I never stopped to consider it was insensitive. Which it was.”

Delton quirked an eyebrow. “Who’d you talk to?”

Adar sighed, rubbing his nape. “Sivney. And his mates were there as well.”

“Sivney?” Delton whistled between his teeth. “You must’ve been pretty desperate to ask him for help.”

Adar raised his eyes and met Delton’s. “I was. I still am.” He took a deep breath. “I will do whatever I have to do to win you back. No, that’s not right. To win you.” He winced. “Is that a good way of saying it? ‘Cause it makes it sound like you’re a prize, which you are, but you’re more than that. Shit, I’m fucking this up again, aren’t I?”

Delton couldn’t help the smile that slowly spread across his lips. He also couldn’t help the surge of warmth inside him, this soft, fluttery sensation in his belly. Whatever hopes he might’ve had that he was over Adar, he’d been dead wrong. “You’re not. In fact, you’re doing great.”

Pure confusion filled Adar’s expression. “How? None of the words I practiced are coming out right.”

“What words did you practice?”

“That I’m certain we belong together, all three of us. And that I understand why you’re done after how I treated you?—”

“Not just you,” Delton said. “Both of you.”

“…howwetreated you. But I also wanted to tell you that I will do whatever I can to convince you to stay and to give me…us…another chance. That I want to spend time with you and get to know you better, give you a chance to get to know me.” He frowned. “I think that was it.”

Delton swallowed. Adar’s honest words had impacted him more than he cared to admit. “You wanna spend time with me?”

Adar nodded fiercely. “We can do whatever you like. Maybe go for a hike since I know you love those.”

“What about Oliver?”

“Oliver? He can come too if that’s what you prefer.”

“No, I meant, shouldn’t you be guarding him? That has been your priority since he arrived.”

Adar flushed again, scratching his beard. “Yeah, well, Sivney pointed out that I may have been wrong there. Not in the beginning, I think, when my presence brought him a sense of safety and comfort, but later on. He doesn’t need me anymore like that, but I kept doing it anyway because…” He shook his head. “I don’t even know why. Maybe because it was routine by then. God knows I’m a man who appreciates things a certain way.”

“Or maybe because the idea of being needed like that made you feel good. Being Oliver’s protector became part of your identity.”

Adar’s eyes widened for a moment. “With your knowledge and background, you’d know better than me.”

“Nah, I may be better at analyzing, but you’re the only one who knows the truth.”

“I’ve never thought about it, to be honest. Not until Sivney pointed out that…” He sighed. “I’m not sure if I should even tell you this. Like my stupid remark about you already hurting, this may be the kind of honesty that could come back to bite me in the ass.”

“In this case, give it a go. I promise I won’t get upset.”

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