I sit at the kitchen counter, watching Kane prepare breakfast. It’s so normal that I can almost believe that we were never separated. Adare is bouncing on my lap, his legs and arms flailing around. “You are a busy boy today,” I say and hold him upright.The baby gives me a big, toothless grin that melts my heart. Kane looks up from the stove and smiles, but doesn’t say anything. The silence between us is natural and comfortable. I thought it would be weird to be back, but it’s the opposite. “I have to go find Tully later,” I say. “Apologise to her.”“Don’t the two of you share a mind link?”“We do, but she’s either blocking me or still asleep.”“I would rather you didn’t leave the apartment today, Willow.”I look over Adare’s head at my mate who is staring at me with a worried frown between his eyes. “I spent the last week locked up in a tiny room, now you want to do the same thing to me?”“It’s not forever…just until we have the castle fortified and a process in place to detect human
Kane's POVI reluctantly leave Willow and Adare. It would be best if I spend the day with my family, more specifically Willow, so I can reconnect with them, and give our heavy hearts some time to heal, but Jackson already texted me asking when we can talk. There’s too much to do, and I can’t wait until another attack before I do something about The Templars.Phillip and Arlene are already on their posts, standing on either side of the front door. “Good morning,” I grumble. “What are you doing here?”“Uh…guard duty, King,” Phillip says.“You’re supposed to be resting.”“We rested,” Arlene replies. “Now we’re back.”“We don’t trust the others, King,” Phillip adds.I can’t really give them a sermon on the issue of trust. I can barely bring myself to trust the ones I’ve known all my life. “Very well.” I sigh and rub my eyes. “I emailed you a list of the wolves that are allowed up here. No one else comes near my family.”“Yes, King,” they say at once.I drag my feet away from the apartment
Kane's POV I stop right outside the entrance to the dungeons. I really don’t want to do this. A death sentence would have been kinder. Banishing someone is not the same as exiling them – a banished wolf can still find sanctuary with another pack if the Alpha will have them, exile means no one will ever take my father in again. He’ll be less than a rogue. A nobody. Running for the rest of his life. I wait until Glenn joins us with Willow by his side and two of her guards, Remi and Julia, following closely behind. She has Adare strapped to her chest like always. I wonder how long she’s going to do that, but now isn't the time for that conversation. She doesn’t ask any questions, but takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Wait up here,” I say. “The silver cells are no place for a pup.” “Bring your father up. Let him meet Adare before he leaves.” Willow says through our mind link. “No. Why?” “Don’t you want your father to see his grandchild before he leaves?” “I…” The answer is that
The way Kane treated his father at the end there shocked me. I had gotten used to his kindness, or maybe I had just forgotten what he could be like when he’s angry, and he was fuming in those last moments. I don’t blame him for it, just like I don’t blame him for killing my father so brutally. “I have the council meeting,” he says as he walks me back to our apartment. “You should perhaps go and check on my mother.” “You said I have to stay in the apartment.” He shrugs and stops dead in his tracks. “I was wrong to make such demands. You should go on with life as you normally would if that’s what you want to do. All I ask are that you stay in the castle for now and always have your guards with you.” “Okay,” I agree. “Talking about mothers….Where’s mine?” Kane shrugs. “Somewhere in the castle.” “She’s not back in the dungeon?” Julia told me how Kane let my mother out to help them look for me. I still don’t trust her, especially not with Adare, but after what she’d done, no one will
Kane sits on his usual chair, elbows resting on his thighs, hands clasped between his knees. I just finished telling him about my mother, and he listened without interrupting me. Now, he has a deep frown between his eyes. “Did she say what it is she wants?”“No,” I answer.He’s worried about me. I don’t even pick up on a hint of concern for my mother’s motives. But why would he be worried about her, when she has them all fooled? “You’re sure something’s wrong though? It’s not just…you know, because of what happened?” He gives me an apologetic look.I know deep down he’s only asking the question so he can eliminate every other possibility, and it’s a fair question, but for some reason, I’m still pissed off beyond reason. “My instincts are never wrong. Never. I may not always know what’s going to happen, but I know when I need to listen to my inner voice and when I can ignore it…and I’m telling you, Kane, I cannot let this one go. She is up to something.”“Willow, are you--”“I swear to
Kane's POV I’ve never been this afraid in all my life. Seeing Willow’s misshapen wolf nearly sent me screaming down the halls. From what I could tell, Suri didn’t suffer any permanent physical damage from the collar, but she refuses to shift properly for some reason. No wolf has ever been so angry with their human that they’d destroy them in the way Suri just hurt Willow. I try not to gag as I wrap Willow in a thick blanket. The whole place stinks of blood and the decay of her organs. I tell Julia to fetch Rosie and Justine, then check on Adare, who slept through the whole thing before I go back to wait for the she-wolves. The two Omegas look around the apartment in horror. The walls are sprayed with crimson droplets, and Willow’s still lying in a puddle of blood and rotting organs. “What happened, your majesty?” Rosie asks and rushes over to Willow’s side, but tries to sidestep the blood. Justine takes her cue from Rosie and does exactly the same thing, though she’s less concerne
Kane kneels next to the patch of purple flowers and picks one. “Take this with you.” “Why?” “It’s The Goddess’s flower. It will help you make contact with her.” I hold my hand out, and he places the delicate little flower in the palm of my hand. “Thank you.” “I’ll be right here,” he says. He gives me a brief hug and without another word walks away to sit under a big tree with his back resting against the trunk, twirling his own little flower between his fingers. The others stayed with the cars parked further back, and won’t be able to see or hear anything. I didn't want them to come with us, but I wanted my mate here. Taking a deep breath, I step over the circle of flowers and into the clearing. Dark clouds roll over the effigy, obscuring her face. I don’t know if she’ll come to me tonight. Why would she? I was supposed to take care of her gift, and I didn’t. Folding the bloody blanket tighter around myself, I sit on the icy grass and clutching the flower to my heart, I start to
I sit on my bed nursing Adare while Kane takes a shower. It’s been a strange night, and the gap in my memory is unsettling, but I don’t think I want it back. I’d ask Suri what happened, but she’s still asleep. I run my fingers over the new bite mark on my shoulder. It’s not healing as fast as the mate mark Kane left on my shoulder, and it stings when I touch it. This one is completely different, and it did something to our bond, I can feel it deep down in my soul. Kane and I are now so inextricably intertwined, that we can never be separated. This bond is unbreakable, and I don’t know where he ends and I begin. “Come in,” I say when Nicholas knocks on the door. The Omega walks into the room, sees me nursing, and immediately turns his back on me. “My apologies, Queen.” I pull a light blanket over the nursing baby. Nicholas is painfully shy, which I find odd for a former sex slave. “It’s okay. You can turn around.” He turns to look at me and blushes such a deep red that I’m afraid h