Darius POV
"I know," I told him. "But we'll help her. We'll be patient. We'll love her until she believes she's worthy of it."
"What if it's not enough?" he asked quietly. "What if we're not enough?"
"We have to be," I replied. "Because the alternative is unacceptable."
That evening, Brennan found me alone in the study. He closed the door and sat down across from me.
"Talk to me, son," he said.
"About what?" I tried to play ignorant.
"About the fact that you're barely holding it together." His voice was kind but firm. "About your mate who's drowning in trauma. About how you're trying to save her and yourself at the same time."
"I'm fine," I said.
"You're not." Brennan leaned forward. "And that's okay. Being a mate to someone with her history is hard. It's supposed to be hard. But
