Chapter 74: Protect

Extra Chapter 1           Noelle had somehow convinced Valerian to take the day off and accompany her and Alexei to the mall. At first, he had been his usual grumpy self about it, insisting that anything she wanted could be delivered straight to their doorstep. But when she gave him that look – the one that made him question all his life choices, he found himself reluctantly agreeing.   And now, here he was, arms loaded with shopping bags while trailing behind his wife and nephew like a glorified pack mule.   Alexei, on the other hand began to walk beside him with an overpriced smoothie in hand, barely holding in his laughter. His silver-grey eyes sparkled with mischief as he took in his uncle's current predicament.   "Uncle Val, you look like a peasant."   Valerian exhaled slowly, adjusting the weight of the bags. "When you get married, you'll understand. A happy wife means a happy life."   Alexei took another loud sip of his smoothie, clearly unimpressed. "Meh. You're just scared of