_ Adopt Him

Eventually, Kylo followed me back home. We had a nice time taking a stroll and discussing, so much so that my mood improved.

When we arrived at my apartment, Liam was the one who came to get the door. "Ms. Isleen." He yawned as though he had been battling with sleep.

My heart twisted. "Oh, Liam," I cooed, ruffling his sleep-tousled hair. "I almost forgot you were here."

Kylo grunted beside me. "And who's this…?"

"Oh, that's Liam. He's one of my students." I responded.

Kylo's voice trailed off as his eyes met Liam's. "Oh, is that so? Hey there, buddy," he greeted warmly, crouching down to Liam's level. "I'm Kylo, Ms. Isleen's..."

He hesitated, searching for the right term. Friend sounded dismissive, and boyfriend wouldn't be appropriate with Liam watching. Finally, he settled on, "Someone important to her."

I smiled at Kylo's thoughtfulness. Gamma Rhett did a good job raising him.

Liam, still half-asleep, mumbled a quiet, "Hi," then yawned again.

He moved away from Kylo who to him was the stranger and buried his face in my shoulder. Kylo grew playfully jealous as he scrunched up his face. "You didn't tell me you bring students home now, Isleen."

I chuckled, shaking my head at Kylo's childishness. "He lost his brother last night, Kylo. The attack…"

My voice hitched, and Kylo's face grew grim, realizing his mistake.

He pulled Liam close, placing a comforting hand on his back. "I'm so sorry, buddy," he said sincerely. "That must be really hard."

Liam sniffled, nodding slightly. He looked up at Kylo, his eyes filled with confusion and fear. "Why did the vampires do it?" he asked.

A deep, emotional pain gripped my heart as I watched Liam. All I saw in him was the past me. Lost loved ones and all alone.

Kylo knelt fully on the floor, facing Liam squarely. "Vampires are bad guys, Liam," he explained patiently. "They hurt people because they're lost and full of darkness. But remember, light always wins over darkness. People like my dad are working hard to protect everyone, and soon, those bad guys won't be able to hurt anyone anymore."

"Who is your dad?" Liam asked confusedly.

Beaming with pride, "Gamma Rhett." Kylo replied.

No matter how grim Kylo made it seem, he loved his Dad still. I could see the pride in him. I could see how fondly he thought of his father as he replied to Liam.

Liam's eyes grew a little wider. "So, we'll win?"

Kylo smiled reassuringly. "Absolutely," he said firmly. "We'll all be safe again, I promise. We have all the good guys on our side."

"Do you see now, Liam?" I cut in. "The fey are good people. They are our allies and we all share the same goals. It's the vampires who we need to run from."

Kylo began to applaud me and I laughed. "Well said, Megami. Well said."

When I saw Liam smile, I felt a bit relieved.

"Where's Cullen, by the way?" Kylo asked.

Just then, Cullen sauntered out of the living room. He noticed Kylo kneeling on the floor and smirked. "Finally decided to join the fun with small pup Liam, eh Kylo?" he quipped, then leaned in for a kiss on the cheek.

Kylo – caught off guard, flinched at the contact. He wiped his cheek awkwardly, a grimace curling his features. "Cullen, dude, personal space," he muttered, finding Cullen's affection more annoying than endearing.

Cullen rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Relax, big guy," he said with a dismissive wave. "Just saying hello to my favorite future brother-in-law."

Cullen would never cease to be Cullen. "Don't you try to kiss my boyfriend again, Cullen," I interjected playfully.

"Get me a man then." Cullen rolled his eyes at me, chewing gum like a prostitute Wolf.

Kylo snorted. "You mean a woman?"

Cullen scoffed. "Woman?" he scoffed again. "That's so yesterday and so — normal. I want me a hard and bad guy." He blew us a weird kiss.

Argh!

"Have any guy in mind? Or none of our pack's able men has been able to catch your attention?" Kylo was probably pulling Cullen's legs as he asked.

Cullen's face grew dreamy. Those were the kinds of questions he liked, actually. "My eyes are set on someone a little more unique — someone in the pack, actually."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh please, do spare us the drama of your latest crush. You know perfectly well you're destined for a woman, so stop teasing."

"I want me a man or nothing!" Cullen didn't get the joke and grumbled something about tradition being overrated and stormed back into his room.

I knew someone who would disagree with him on that. Someone whom my Wolf was craving for.

"How old is he?" Kylo asked about Liam's age.

"He's twelve."

"I'm Eleven, sir." I and Liam simultaneously said.

Kylo glanced at me with a playful banter glee in his eyes for the banter I had made. "Well, don't blame me. I have about twenty of them."

"Where is he going to stay now?" Kylo got serious.

I sighed and held Liam's hands. "I want to adopt him, Kylo. I know what it's like to lose family at such a tender age."

"It's a war, Isleen. How many would you adopt as it proceeds?" Kylo argued.

.

I was able to convince Kylo to adopt Liam but it came with a condition that I wasn't ready for. I needed to go to the headquarters for the necessary documentation.

Lord help me. Would I ever be able to repel my Wolf if it was that close to its mate?

Kylo left after playing around with us all through the evening. We all needed to prepare for work tomorrow. The weekend was over.

.

Liam would share my room with me from now on since the apartment only had two rooms. While we slept, I began to sense a very familiar feeling that shot me up from sleep.

I swallowed a lump down my throat. This feeling — I could not be wrong.