Page 128 of Family: Posy 4

"Yes, please, but tomorrow. I so tired," she admitted.

And that was my cue to call it a day.

"As you should be since it's way past bedtime for all little wolves." I stood up and held her on my left arm as I pulled back the covers. I was about to lay her down when I remembered what Mason usually asked Posy before bed. "Do you need to pee?"

"Oh. Yeah. Brush teethies, too!"

Teethies, I cooed to myself.

So I carried her over to the bathroom door and set her on her feet.

Her small, scarred feet.

Stop it,I told myself as rage bubbled in my gut.This is not the time or place. She needs calm right now.

After a few minutes, she came out and looked up at me where I waited outside the door.

"Minty fresh!" She gave me a toothy smile, and I bit my lip to keep from chuckling at how she said fresh as 'fwesh.'

"Hmm. Let me see how minty fresh," I murmured and swooped down to kiss her plump lips.

She squealed in surprise, but threw her arms around my neck, making it easy for me to loop an arm under her bum and lift her up against my chest.

"You're right," I said while carrying her back to the bedroom. "Nice and fresh."

She giggled as I laid her in the center of the bed, where the pups piled on top of her. Granite cuddled tight against her right side with his head on her breasts, and Topaz plopped between her legs with his arms around her hips and his face in her stomach. Chuckling at them, I climbed in on her left side and buried my face in her throat near her mate mark.

It was close to midnight, which explained why Gran and Topaz knocked out so quickly once we were lying down. After they'd been asleep for about ten minutes, Lark tapped my arm, and I raised my head to look at her.

"Was I right not to tell Posy?" she asked as soon as our eyes met.

"About Burnt Oil Man?" I clarified. When she nodded, I said, "Well,Ithink so, but what matters is whatyouthink. What was your reason for doing so?"

"To protect her. Always to protect my girl."

"Then how could you be wrong?" Rolling to lay more fully on my side, I put my hand on top of hers and watched her silver eyes. "You hid a lot from her, didn't you? To protect her."

She shrugged, then nodded.

"You're so brave. So very brave." Drawing her hand to my mouth, I kissed her palm.

"Me? No. Not brave."

"You are so," I disagreed quietly. "You could have given up and faded back to the Moon Goddess. You could have lost your mind and yourself and left Posy all alone. But you didn't. You endured, and you encouraged your human to endure. Like King Julian said, you did what you set out to do, right?"

"I don't always know what to do, Garnet." A pained look flashed across her face, and an invisible fist clenched my heart in an iron grip. "I listen to my gut, but what if my gut is wrong?"

"It's been spot-on so far. Keep trusting it. But you know what, sweetheart?"

"What?"

"You have ten of us - me, my brothers, and our boys - all willing to help you whenever you need or want it." I moved her hand to my neck and pressed her fingertips to my mate mark, humming at the pleasure of her touch. "And don't forget your betas. Anyone of those wolves or their humans would lay their lives down for you, so don't be afraid to ask for their help, too. You will never have to make any kind of decision on your own if you don't want to."

"I— It's hard to trust," she admitted after a few seconds.

"I can't imagine how hard. And that's what makes you brave. Every day, you choose to trust us, despite the many times you were let down in your past. I don't know if I could be that brave after surviving what you did."

"Of course you're brave! You're brave and so strong. I admire you, Garnet."

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