"But I need to change first, I nced down at my sweat-naked training gear. ''Cant earth


    out looking like I worelled a bear


    "Bomes mine?" Sophia''s eyes anddenly lit up like someone had flipped a switch. "Were hasically the same size, Come on!"


    She begged at my arm, dragging me through the hallway. The liden of parailing anmind in the Alpha King''s daughter''s clothes felt weird as hell, but her farr had that puppy-rigen look that made saying so feel like kicking something small and fluffy


    I watched Sophia as she led the was, wondering how someone su geminely sweet had ended up with Jackson. It didn''t make sense the deserved some who actually chrished her, not a maniptive jerk using bes for pack status. The part was she had no idea the looked at Him like he hung the moan, while he was plotting behind her back.


    We rounded the corner and nearly mmed straight iska ke stepping out of his study. He from mid stride, his eyes darting between us before locking on Sophia''s fingers wrapped around my wrist. His expression shifted in somethingpletely untradable.


    Shit. His Alpha prevence hit me like a physical wave, making my wall instincts snap to attention. My pale jumped, and the mark on my neck gave a sharp sting what the hell was with these bizante reactions? My mark always acted weird around him.


    "Where are you two headed?" His voice dropped an octave lower than usual.


    “Taking to find something to wear." Sophia jumped in before I could open my mouth. "We''re going out for a walk and some girl talk"


    kes banched up, his gaze sliding from his daughter to me. "Is that so?"


    Te, Alpha King I nodded, fighting to keep my voice steady but hearing ite out all strained anyway.


    I hated this about myself. Withckson, I could bum with righteous fury; in battle,


    I stayed ice-cold, but around ke Morgan, I got this inexplicable nervous energy, like he could see through every wall I''d bulle.


    Sophia tugged me


    neforward, ready to continue our mission, but as we passed. ke, his handnded lightly on my shoulder.testant electricity cupped from the contact point, racing through my body like a current. My skin prickled with goosebumps, Moon Goddess, how embarassing


    "She''ll meet you upstairs," ke told Sophia


    Sophia shot me a worried nce, then looked at her father. After a moment''s hesitation, she nodded and released my arm, heading up the stairs.


    I turned to ke, his hand still resting on my shoulder. "Something on your mind, Alpha KingTM"


    "I don''t know what game you''re ying," his voice dropped to nearly a growl, "but tread carefully with Sophia''s situation."


    The usation stung like a stap. 7 don''t follow"


    "Sophus vulnerable right now," he stepped closer, almost ending me. His Alpha aura pressed down like a weighted nket, making it hard to breather normally. "I know how things are progressing with Steven, that''s your choice. But if this is about gaining Shadow Creek information by using my daughter,


    that won''t y


    How did he know about Steven? Had Steven actually fold him everything, including our kiss? And he didn''t care? That knowledge lodged like a stone in my


    chest.


    "You already


    ly have my word about your father," he continued. "I won''t go back on it. But if you hurt Sophia, for any reason, there will be consequences.


    The ALLU


    The usationnded the a sucker punch.


    Was that what he thought of pe? Some cold blooded schemer who''d use his daughter as a pawn? I''d been builing ing ata to save my and somehow keep my own sanity intact. Plotting we exactly on my to-do list


    father,


    That was more Jackson''s specialty anyway.


    Something snapped inside me. I was done bring the Skadom Creek chinity case, the marked


    I yanked away from his truch, the loss of contact leaving my skin eddly cold. When locked yet wy


    ceryna pitied ne distrusted.


    (up Frastration pharm


    Contrary to what you believe, Alpha King," my trice came out steady, despite the right of his power pressing against me. I can actually be friends someone without an ulterior mother. If the idea of me spending time with Sophia is an offensive, take it up with her. This won her idea, not


    Something shed across ke''s face-sorptive? Respect? Irritation? I couldnt tell


    Suddenly his expression softened just a fraction. One more thing." he added, avoid the days around the hill moon


    df "Next time you go out with the


    1 blinked, processing his words. So he definitely knew about me and Steven, and


    he was totally fine with it. Fine enough to give dating advice. The confirmation shouldn''t have hurt, but it did-a shaap little pain right below my ribcage.


    "I''ll keep that in mind." I managed to say, my voice carefully neutral.


    I didn''t hang around to hear more. I spun on my heel and marched up the stairs, spine rigid, shoulders squared. His stare tracked me the entire way, enough to leave scorch marks on my back..


    was churning in that impossible-to-read head of his? Had I convinced him? Did he see me as anything beyond a hability to managet


    At the topnding. I paused to steady my breathing. ke Morgans opinion shouldast matter talking. His suspicions werepletely off-base


    This outing with Sophia was harmites-just two women


    Yet his warning about Steven and the full moon nagged at me. Not because I was concerned about the advice itself, but because it confirmed what had said-ke truly didn''t care who I spent time with. Hed epted whatever was happening between Steven and me without batting an eye.


    Why did that bother me so much?


    Poet Sophia though. Here she was, about to marry Jackson Hayes-the wolf who''d macked me then tassed me aside without a second thought. ke probably knew what kind of man Jackson really was-he was the Alpha King after all, not much escaped his notice. But what could he do? Force his daughter to break off an engagement she believed in? Tell her the man she loved was using het? That would shatter her.


    In a twisted way, maybe that''s why he was so protective of her now. Ife couldn''t save her from Jackson without breaking her heat, he was determin shield ber from any other potential pain. Even if that meant seeing threats where none existed-like in m.


    I shook off the thoughts. Tonight wasn''t about jackson or ke or even Steven. It was about Sophia, who clearly needed someone to talk to. I couldn''t fix her engagement to a jerk, but I could at least be there to lister.


    So why was I still hung up on the fact that


    ke seemed totally unbothered by whatever was happening between 5


    Stour and me


    Chapter Comments


    Mike


    why do the people in these stories always ignore their wolf halves


    View 1 Comment


    POST COMMENT