Thirty Four

“My father…” I try to wrestle my anger back when I feel it surging at the thought of him. “He rarely ever talked about her, at least not to me. What little I know about her I know from his beta, Moses.”

When I glance at Adela sitting on the lounger beside me, her expression is unchanged, but there’s a faint line between her brows.

Seeing it has me leaning close and resting my head against hers.

“Thanks, Adela.”

I feel her smile against my cheek. “What for?”

I go back to staring at the growing roots. “I’ve learned that when someone annoys you, you get this line right between your brows.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, which can only mean one thing.”

I glance over at her and find her wearing an innocent expression.

A far too innocent one.

“And that one thing is what, child?”

That the person who’s annoyed you is my father.

“That you have my back,” I say. “That you care.”

She curves an arm around my back and draws me into a hug.

“Don’t be silly, of course I care.”

“Is that all you’re going to