Page 37 of Coveted

The mood in the room shifted in seconds, the tension in Vax’s shoulders echoed in the sudden clench of her stomach. The delicious meal threatened to come back up as she waited to find out what she’d done wrong.

Vax kept his head down, gaze focused on his bowl as his chest expanded on a deep inhale before he spoke.

“My father died in a cave-in due to rushed shoring and cheap materials. My brother hadn’t wanted to go into the mines, but the loss of the extra income forced him to. I was working the main line while he was on the crew driving a new shaft. Thought it would be safer, but they were being rushed and didn’t have time to do the proper scans. They hit a pocket of trapped gas. The explosion damn near collapsed the tunnel I was in, but I dug my way out to get to him.”

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, the lump filling her throat making it hard to draw a breath. She couldn’t imagine the fear that must have drove him, or how he could have gone back into a mine after the losses.

“I’m so sorry.”

Sorry never felt good enough, but she didn’t know what else to say. She hadn’t lost anyone close to her and had no idea how she’d have handled it if she’d lost her father and brother due to things that could have been prevented. It was no wonder the previous Chancellor had been overthrown, and she could understand why Vax hadn’t shown remorse for killing someone who allowed accidents like that to happen.

Vax heaved a sigh, finally looking up at her.

“It was a long time ago. It was what drove me to leave the mines and work for Leir to do what we could to help the others. I forced my mother to quit too, but it was too late. Years of inhaling dust and stale air ruined her lungs, and I didn’t find out in time to get her treatment.”

Alana’s heart clenched, chest aching at the blows Vax had faced. It was terrible, but it explained why he was doing what he could to prevent it from happening to anyone else, and she vowed to help any way she could.

Chapter Twenty

Vax

He kept hold of the rage stirred up by the old memories. He’d thought it would go away once Chancellor Osmel was gone, or once he’d made the mines safer and provided better protection for the workers, but it still burned inside him. It was the reason he would never give in to the Council’s demands.

The tip of Alana’s nose was red, bright rings around watery eyes showing how much his story affected her, and he cursed himself for being so blunt. He knew omegas were sensitive. He didn’t mean to upset her, nor did he want her pity, and he should have found a different way to answer her question.

He ducked his head again, taking another bite so he didn’t need to speak anymore. His appetite was gone, but he wouldn’t have time to take another break for a while, and he’d need the energy.

Alana pretended to keep eating too, but there was so little on the spoon the few times she raised it to her lips it didn’t count as a real bite. She remained quiet, and he wracked his brain for something to talk about to change the mood. He kept coming back to the schooling since she’d seemed excited about it.

“One of the things you need to consider when making you plans is that most of the kids go to work in the mines around the age of twelve.”

Her eyes grew round, mouth popping open as her skin went even paler than normal. Telling her children worked in the mines after telling her about the accidents probably hadn’t been the best idea.

“They have to prove they can lift fifty pounds first, and all they do is haul dirt out of the shafts.”

She still frowned, and he wanted to remove the little furrow between her brows.

“That’s… That’s still so young. And what if there’s an—”

She cut herself off before saying the word, eyes darting away from him.

“An accident?”

He reached out and covered the hand that was sitting on the table picking at her napkin. Since he’d seen her, it had been difficult to keep his hands to himself, but the feel of her smooth skin beneath his palm soothed him.

“It’s okay to say it. I miss them, but it was long ago.”

He took a deep breath and pushed on, wanting to get past the reminders.

“I was going to end children working in the mine, but a lot of the families needed the money. Now that they’re making better wages a lot of them don’t rely on it anymore, but there’s nothing else to occupy the kids, and the work still needs done. An adult would need more than the kids are paid to survive, so right now it’s the best option to allow them to continue to help. If there’s something else to keep the kids safe and busy while their parents work, though, they may opt for that instead, so just keep it in mind.”

Alana nodded, still looking troubled, but at least she understood the issue.

“Don’t worry about budget either. Figure out what’s needed, and I’ll make sure the funds are there.”

Her expression brightened at that, and she offered him a smile. Standing, he collected their dishes and returned them to the receptacle. Alana waited beside the table, and his breath caught when she offered her hand to him once he was close enough.

Holding hands may not be much, but at least she was making an effort to see how things would work between them and was comfortable withsomephysical contact. As much as his instincts wanted him to drag her back to the room and throw her on the bed and ravish her, keeping their touching innocent was better if he wanted to stick to his plans to wait.

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