108
Chapter 108
Kai
‘I need to talk to you,’ my father’s voice rumbles through my mind, activating the mind link. ‘Where did you go to?’
‘Be right there,’ I answer him through the established connection, careful not to sound too annoyed.
‘Hurry up,’ he barks back, cutting the mind link.
I groan against Emma’s lips that I was about to claim and she pouts, with her eyes still closed. “The Beta?”
“Yes.” Huffing, I push myself away from her, pulling her into my arms gently. “And stop calling him that.”
She laughs, wrapping her arms around my neck and snuggling into my hold. “Sorry, it’s just so strange. Calling someone else ‘Dad’ other than my Dad.”
“That will be a hell of a Christmas dinner when you tell them that,” I joke, grinning while shifting on my feet to jump from the roof.
Gasping, she punches me playfully, and I can feel through the mate bond how my words made her happy.
Positioning her in my hold to carry her into the house princess-style, I enjoy her relaxing in my arms. I put her down on a worn-down love seat, hoping it doesn’t have any spiders around that would scare her.
“It’s cute how you called it a mansion,” she smiles up at me, shifting to sit on her legs.
I put my hands into my pockets, drinking in her happy appearance before scanning the shabby room.
She is right. Actually, it is just a bungalow with a main room that holds nothing more than a large bed, a few chairs, a sideboard, a kitchen niche, and a separate tiny bathroom. Even though it is run down, I can recognize that it must have been a cozy space once.
“I don’t know. It just has something to it that makes it look bigger or even special to me,” I sigh, the aura of the room playing with my nerve strings.
She laughs, moving on her knees while pulling at something trapped between the cushions of the couch. “You are cute.”
I remain silent, observing her pulling out a purple-white blouse, and a smile appears on my face as she puts her hand on her mouth, giggling into her palm. “Oh, my. Looks like someone got busy here.”
“You and your dirty mind,” I joke, chuckling.
Approaching her, I cause her to lift her face towards me, and I bend down, kissing her softly. “I’ll hurry to meet Dad. Should I take you to Chloe? I don’t want you in the pack house with all that mess.”
She nods, flashing me a breathtaking smile as she lifts her arms, ready for me to pick her up again. “Yes, please.”
I pick her up into my arms, positioning her safely while she clings onto me further. “But not too fast please, I’m feeling so sick lately,” she murmurs, pursing her lips.
“Sure, babe.” I caress her back, as we step outside.
Putting her down carefully, I take a step back, shifting into my wolf form, and lie down for her to climb onto my back with a happy giggle.
‘I guess this will be more comfortable,’ I mind link her and she sighs, laying her head between my shoulder blades while clasping my fur.
“Yes, I love this.”
Chuckling internally, I start running, careful not to go too fast so that she wouldn’t feel sick. The wind blowing through my fur and her fingers running through it repeatedly while feeling the damp earth being crushed by my paws must be one of the best feelings in this world.
But everything feels amazing with her.
I resist the urge to halt and turn back to claim her as I know what will await me if I go against my father’s order.
At least for the next few months.
I just have to make it to the week of the winter solstice festivities.
And after that, we will be free.
Sprinting up the stairs to the pack house, I pass my youngest sister playing with figurines and what look like shiny stones.
“Hey, pumpkin. Where is Everett?” I ask her, halting a few steps above the one she is sitting on.
Phoenix shrugs, moving a figurine in a jumping manner over the marble stone. “Maybe he is with Mom.”
Taking a step back, I crouch down to get her attention, but she just continues to play. It is quite strange not seeing the twins together, but what is even normal in this madhouse at the moment?
“Are you okay?” I ask, tilting my head as she caresses her long black hair behind her ear, her eyes still glued to the small plastic figure that she is hitting against the floor. “Did the men scare you?”
“Just a little bit,” she confesses in a shy whisper as she takes one of her stones to continue to make her toys act according to the storyline building inside her head.
Rubbing my hands while I lean my forearms against my knees, I sigh. “You don’t have to worry. They will be gone soon.”
She finally lifts her head to look at me. Staring at me, it takes her a few heartbeats until she finally speaks, “He is with Ryder.”
“With Ryder?” I ask, and she lowers her head, nodding.
“They want to train to be able to fight against the bad boys.”
“Really?” I chuckle, wanting to make her feel better because she seems disturbed.
Exhaling deeply, she clenches and unclenches her fist around her figurine. “Yes, and they said I couldn’t go with them. Because I am a girl.”
“How mean,” I comment, and she squints her eyes, looking up into the distance while she nods again, agreeing with me silently.
Lifting my hand, I ruffle her hair before I stand up. “I’ll talk to them, okay?”
“Uh-huh,” she answers, without looking at me, and restarts playing.
I smile and continue walking up the stairs when she calls my name. I’m already crossing the doorway as she stops me, her cute little voice higher but still shy. “The men in shiny uniforms are angry.”
“Huh?” Turning around, I try to spot her expression but it is covered by the hair falling at the side of her head. “At you?”
By now, I am used to her saying strange things, so I do my best as an older brother to make sure that she feels alright, even if I never understand what she wants to tell me.
“Not at me,” she explains, shaking her head. “At Daddy and Ace.”
“Daddy and Ace? Why?” I take a step backwards but she just shrugs.
I wait for another second, but when she starts imitating a deep voice, acting out a dialogue between her dolls, I roll my eyes, assuming that she is done talking to me.
Whatever that was supposed to be.
“Okay,” I huff out, entering the pack house.