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Kellen had refused so many times to punish Colt. And when he did, their mother flailed the skin off of Kellen’s back then told him she would do it again if he shifted to heal.
Colt didn’t know who’d had it worse. He and Jared as Kellen beat them with that leather belt or Kellen when he refused to hurt his little brother and cousin. The images never faded in Colt’s mind of Kellen lying on the kitchen floor, his back so raw and bloody that it was a miracle he hadn’t died from his wounds.
“What happened matters to me,” Colt said softly.
“Why should it?” Milo asked, his gaze focused on the ground. “We’ve only known each other a few days. Any sane guy would run from the thought of dealing with someone going through this, so I don’t blame you if you don’t want to see me again.”
He stopped himself from resting his hand on Milo’s knee. One, Colt had no idea if his mate’s legs had suffered the abuse, as well. Two, he wasn’t sure his touch would be welcomed right now.
“Because you matter, Milo. You’re not invisible to me, and I’m not running anywhere.” Colt ran a hand through his hair as he sat back. Even though he’d been through abuse, he wasn’t sure how to handle this. Did he press harder for answers and take a chance that his mate would shut down and demand to go home? Or should he wait until Milo eventually opened up to him and told him who’d done this?
What if Milo was hurt again while Colt waited to gain his mate’s trust?
“Can we just…” Milo glanced up at him, and Colt was sucked into his mate’s gorgeous hazel eyes. “Can we just hang out? I just want to enjoy this night with you.”
That was a lot to ask. Colt had tried to kill his brother when he’d seen the bruising on Atlas’s neck. Now he had to sit here and pretend his mate hadn’t gone through hell when all Colt wanted to do was end the bastard who’d done it.
Even so, Milo came first, and right now, he needed that feeling of safety. Colt pressing the matter wasn’t in his mate’s best interest at the moment. It was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do, but Colt decided to change the subject.
“What made you give your wolf green eyes?” He’d stared for hours at the pictures he’d taken of Milo’s tattoo. Even the wolf’s fur was the same coloring as Colt’s.
If that wasn’t fate, he didn’t know what was.
“I planned on them being blue, just like the one on my phone case. For some reason I told Rob at the last second to make them a deep green.” Milo’s smile wrecked Colt. “It’s eerie that I met a guy with the same color eyes as my tattoo.”
“Or fate.” Colt winked, trying to give Milo the night his mate wanted. “How do you know we weren’t destined to meet?”
“Do you know how crazy that sounds?” Milo shook his head as he stared up at the night sky, visibly relaxed now. “As much as I want to believe that fate is real, I know it isn’t, Colt. There are only coincidences and luck.”
“I think believing that it’s real, that there are some things you can’t blame on coincidence or luck, makes life more interesting.” He shrugged, hoping to change Milo’s opinion. “Why are you so against it?”
Milo looked him right in the eye. “Because some people don’t get a happily-ever-after, some who fate craps all over. I used to be filled with a lot of things, Colt. It’s hard to find wonder in the world when—” His mate looked away.
Colt clenched his jaw when Milo stopped right before he was about to reveal something important. “When life keeps throwing left hooks.”
“Exactly.”
Standing, Colt turned to face him. “If you’re up to it, do you want to take a walk with me? We can go as slow as you want, or we can just sit here. I’m fine with either one.”
Milo glanced around. “It’s dark out. What if there’s something dangerous in the forest?”
“The only dangerous thing will be me.” Colt walked to his Range Rover and rolled the windows up before he shut off the engine. He took his phone and wallet from his pocket and stored them in the center console before he locked the doors.
Then he stored his keys behind a nearby rock. Although he had no intention of shifting, something told him not to carry any of those things with him, and he tried to always listen to his gut.
When he headed back toward the table, he saw that Milo was standing. Colt wanted to envelop his mate in his arms and never let him go.
Returning to the table, Colt stood in front of the guy. He brushed his knuckles over Milo’s soft cheek. As badly as Colt wanted to kiss him, he wasn’t making a move while Milo was injured.
But damn, with the way Milo looked at him with yearning in his eyes, it was hard as fuck to restrain himself. Colt felt the pull, too. That deep connection that drew mates toward each other, that consuming need to touch and taste and bind their souls together.
“Come on.” He took Milo’s hand and lead him toward the path. Colt kept his strides short so his mate wouldn’t feel the need to keep pace.
Milo’s assurance that he was safe with Colt hadn’t gone unnoticed. The guy might not want to talk about what happened to him, but in every other aspect, the human completely trusted him. His willingness to walk into a dark forest in the dead of night with someone he’d just met a few days prior spoke volumes.
A wolf howled in the distance. Milo stopped and glanced around nervously. “I’ve never heard one howl in real life before. As much as I love them, I don’t think I want to meet one face-to-face and get attacked.”
Milo had no clue he’d met one already. That a wolf was holding his hand and walking next to him. “You’re safe with me, shorty. I promise I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
