Page 115 of The Pregnant Wolf Omega Next Door

“Nope,” Zenith said, breaking the kiss. “I will not be listening to that while I show Emre my hoard.”

“If you ever open that door,” Huxton snickered.

Zenith glowered in his butler’s direction. Could Huxton feel it through the walls? Zenith turned to the black sensor pad and eyed Emre. “I’m going to breathe fire on this. Just a small stream. Are you okay with me holding you while I do that?”

Emre gulped, but nodded.

Over the past few weeks, they’d done more exposure therapy. Emre would hold onto Bean, and Abbie would totter around Zenith while Zenith breathed flames of increasing size and intensity.

Emre could stare at a huge fireball now without wanting to bolt or break down. He could even deal with being in Zenith’s arms while the alpha was breathing fire.

“I’m okay,” he said, twitching a little.

Zenith kissed him again. Then he breathed a long, narrow plume of flame straight onto the sensor pad, tight and contained instead of big and showy. Briefly, the flames were the coldest orange, heating up to white, before cooling down to yellow, and back up to the hottest blue. Then the flames cut off completely, and the steel doors opened with a hiss.

“That’s amazing tech,” Emre blurted, his heart pounding. Fire still unnerved him, even if he could tolerate it a lot better now.

Zenith grinned, pleased. His pride faded quickly though, melting into nerves when the lights came on and lit up everything.

Emre looked around eagerly.

Zenith’s hoard was in a space the size of four large rooms, with small piles of gold coins along the edges of the walls. In one corner were a few briefcases and bundled stacks of cash; in another corner was an open chest filled with notebooks and bottled ink.

“I have investment accounts too,” Zenith said quietly. “The gold and cash here are not the full extent of my wealth. And like I said... I had plans to accumulate more before I began courtship.”

“Okay,” Emre said, his attention drawn to the middle of the room. “I’m not here for your money though.”

In the middle of Zenith’s hoard was a cluster of wide bookcases arranged in a semicircle. They weren’t displaying books, though.

Rather, boxes upon boxes of action figures filled the outermost bookcases, while the bookcase in the middle contained figurines that had been removed from their boxes, arranged dramatically with tiny spotlights shining on every single one of them.

Emre wriggled. “Put me down?”

Zenith made a face and set Emre on his feet, following reluctantly behind when Emre wandered closer to the figurines.

“I had a bit of an obsession,” Zenith admitted, looking away. “It began with Captain AmeriDragon and Gold Man, then itexpanded to include Thoragon, Bulk, Brown Recluse, and Eagle-Eye.”

He ducked his head and fidgeted.

“Superheroes,” Emre said softly.

Zenith nodded. “I’ve always admired them, but I’m not a fighter, not really. Books and words come easier to me.”

“You’re still a hero to me,” Emre said. “Not all heroes wear capes or costumes. Some of them exist in our daily lives. I’m not sure what I’d have done if you hadn’t come along; I was running out of cash for rent, and I didn’t have a way to make more without putting both myself and Abbie in danger.”

Zenith sighed. “I only wish I’d found you earlier.”

“You saved us, Zen. You gave me—us—a chance at something better, and if your fondness for superheroes is something that played a part in that, well. I’m grateful.”

Zenith peeked up at him hopefully. Then he smiled, and Emre pulled Zenith into a hug.

“Thanks for showing me your hoard,” Emre whispered.

Zenith wriggled his eyebrows. “I could show you something more?”

“A Staff of Great Desire?” Emre grinned.

Zenith opened his mouth to reply. Before he could, Huxton’s voice rang out again.