CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: CO-PILOTS

IVAN’S POV

He shrugged like it was nothing.

"Yeah. Nina is not here, and I have no one else to play with."

"Nina?"

He nodded. "My good friend."

She had to be one of Maeve’s assistants.

"I see." I pretended to think about it. "Well, since your friend is not here, I suppose I could come play with you for a bit."

"Yes! Come on."

Asha tugged impatiently at my wrist, the casualness of the touch making my chest constrict in a way that was both painful and bittersweet.

I rose to my feet and followed the little pup into the room. The first thing I noticed was the mess of toys strewn across the floor.

A tray sat on a table in front of the fireplace, holding a bowl of cereal and a smaller dish of applesauce on the side. I tore my gaze from it and looked toward the four-poster bed.

Maeve’s bed.

The bed she slept in at night.

I pictured her in the sheer nightie from the other evening—and felt my cock begin to harden.

Shit.

Not in front of the kid. I needed to get a grip.

Clearing my throat, I forced my gaze back to the fireplace.

Asha’s bare feet padded softly across the room. He picked his way through the mess of toys until he reached a bright red airplane.

Lifting it proudly, he made his way back to me.

"This is my toy airplane," he said, holding it up for my inspection. His pride in it was obvious, and I wasn’t about to take that away from him.

I let my gaze travel over it with a deliberate slowness, as if I were appraising a rare treasure.

"That," I said, nodding with mock seriousness, "might just be the finest aircraft I’ve ever seen. Think you can teach me how to fly it?"

"Okay!"

Asha plopped down onto the floor, and I followed suit.

It didn’t take long to figure out how it worked: push a series of buttons on the controller and the plane would take flight. To steer, you just fiddled with a different set of buttons.

Asha showed me the ropes before handing me the controller, granting me the honor of playing pilot.

"Go left, go left!" he yelled when the plane came dangerously close to crashing into the bedpost.

I eased the controls, pulling it away at the last second.

"Relax, copilot," I said with a smirk. "I’ve got this." Just to make him grin, I wiped imaginary sweat from my forehead like it had been a close call.

Asha giggled. "You’re bad at flying airplanes."

I arched a brow. "Bad? Give me five more minutes with this thing, and I’ll be flying circles around you."

"Liar! You wanna hear a secret?" he asked, lowering his voice like he was sharing state secrets.

"Yeah. Sure." I gave him my full attention, silently praying to Selene that this would be the first of many secrets between us.

"I want to fly real airplanes someday," he admitted without hesitation.

"Really?" My brows lifted, and something in my chest tightened at how certain—how precious—this kid was.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "But Mummy says I’m too little to fly an airplane. I guess I’ll have to wait until I’m grown before I can fly one."

"Well, Asha, it’s a good thing we’ve become friends."

Calling us friends was probably pushing it, but I was willing to take my chances.

"As friends, I’d say it’s my job to make sure your dreams happen."

"You’re a fairy?" Asha gasped, covering his mouth with both hands like I’d just admitted to something scandalous.

A smirk tugged at my lips. "Not quite. But I do own a real airplane."

"You own a plane?" If excitement could lift him off the ground, I swear he would’ve taken flight right then.

"Yeah. And she’s not just any plane—she’s mine. I call her Jenna."

"You named your plane?" he giggled.

"Of course." I grinned at him. "She’s a beauty. When something’s that perfect, it deserves a name."

"I would love to see her!"

I tilted my head, pretending to think it over.

"You know... I could make that happen. We could take a quick flight today—anywhere you want to go. How does that sound?"

"Yes!" Asha answered without hesitation, bouncing his feet against the carpet. Restless. Excited. Happy.

The fact that I had made him feel this way filled me with a satisfaction so fierce, I could barely contain it.

The doors burst open just then, and a petite she-wolf with neat braids stepped inside.

She was clutching a tray of fruit and froze mid-step when she saw us sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace.

"You must be Nina," I said, drawing her attention.

She blinked quickly, almost like she was clearing her vision, then dipped her head in a small show of respect.

"Yes, Alpha. I’m Nina. Forgive me, I... wasn’t expecting to find you here. May I ask how you came to be inside?"

"The last time I checked, this was my home," I replied with a slow, smug smile, daring her to contradict me.

Her eyes shifted to Asha before returning to me, careful now.

"Of course, Alpha. I only meant—"

"I invited him in, Nina. Please don’t be mad," Asha piped up, his little pout almost comical.

Nina’s gaze softened at him before flicking back to me.

"I didn’t realize the two of you... were spending time together." Her wariness was still evident in the way she stared at me—of course she was wary.

I was Maeve’s ex-husband, and she no doubt had the worst opinions about me.

"Yes, we are," Asha declared proudly. "His name is Ivan, and he’s going to fly me on his plane today."

Her posture stiffened, though she tried to mask it.

"Alpha... forgive me, but—is that truly wise?"

My lips twitched with amusement.

"It’s exactly what the little man said. I’m going to make his dream of flying an airplane come true today—and you’re going to help us."

Her jaw tightened, but she lowered her eyes.

"If that’s your command, Alpha. But Maeve... she may not approve."

"She’ll get over it." I waved her concern aside. "Now, I’ve got a favor to ask."