The Alpha reached his wife in seconds, hands steady as he carefully lifted the blond into his arms, holding him with reverence as though afraid even the air might hurt him.
Mervyn's jaw tightened.
He tried not to look. He truly did. But his eyes lifted anyway, drawn helplessly to the sight.
Clyde holding Ryley like that—so gentle, so certain—burned into him. The way Ryley rested against him, the way Clyde carried him as if there was nothing more precious in the world.
The embers inside his heart flared dangerously, sharp and ugly, threatening to consume him whole—
Until a figure stepped into his line of sight.
"Young Master Morgan. Long time no see," Vincent greeted quietly, bowing just enough to block the view.
Morgan's eyes lit up the moment he saw him. "Vince!"
Vincent smiled and lowered himself slightly to Morgan's level. "How have you been? I'm sure you did a fine job standing in for the Sovereign while he and the rest of us were away."
