Chapter Eighty-One

THEO POV

“Goddess, sorry,” Xander says, breaking the embrace we’ve had for the last twenty minutes. His face drenched in his tears, and snot. “I’m a fucking mess.”

“Anyone would be if they had to witness their mate like this.” I don’t even want to contemplate how I would react if the roles were reversed. “I’m sorry, Xan. I should have done a better job. She wouldn’t be in this position if-”

“Stop,” he commands, his aura bearing down on me stronger than ever before. Being in his rightful pack makes it hard to resist, my mouth snapping close. “She is my mate…I should have been better prepared that my past would come back to haunt me.”

A grumble coming from Xander’s stomach, the sound so guttural it’s like his stomach is eating him from the inside out. “When’s the last time you had food?”

“I don’t know,” he grumbles, looking at Nora, the broken look in his face tearing me down. My heart breaking just seeing the devastation on his face. “Does it really matter?”

“Yes, Xander,” I say,