Page 22 of Bullied Alpha Bride (Wolfshade Brides-for-Hire #2)

Her father?

“I thought your father was dead?” I snap, saying the first words that come into my mind.

Lexa grips my arms tighter, looking up into my face with tear-filled eyes. “Mom told people that. She thought we were far enough away that he could never find us, but he did. He’s a monster. Mom got me away from him. I didn’t remember much about it. But then—”

She crumples in my arms, as if all the strength has been sucked out of her body. I get my arms around her before she can fall and try to hold her up so I can walk her back to the house. After a few steps with her sagging in my arms, I give up and just hold her, cuddling her close to my chest.

What the fuck is going on?

All the questions and suspicions I had before have been replaced by new ones. I’m so confused, I can’t think straight, and now I’m truly worried about Lexa.

She’s completely still in my arms, her eyes open but dull, fixed on nothing. Her fingers twitch a little, but other than that, she just lies limply against my chest.

I’m still not convinced that she’s only ever been with me. There had to have been someone else at that time.

But I’ve definitely got more important things to worry about at the moment.

By the time we return to the house, Lexa has begun to make small, whimpery sounds, and she’s still melted against my chest as if there is no strength left in her.

I hurry into the study and breathe a sigh of relief when I see that Susan has left a tray of cake, cookies, and tea.

There’s even a bottle of black-label brandy and a warm fire crackling in the hearth.

I put Lexa down on one of the huge, soft couches, wrapping her in a blanket. I pour a tiny nip of brandy and put the glass in her hand, forcing her fingers to tighten around it.

“Drink this,” I say, pushing it towards her lips.

Something flickers in her eyes, and she seems to notice the glass for the first time. She takes the glass from me and tosses her head back to swallow the brandy.

I pour a mug of tea and cut a big slice of Susan’s vanilla and strawberry tea cake, bringing it straight over to Lexa. Her eyes are clearer, and color has returned to her cheeks, but her hands are trembling.

“Here,” I say, holding out the tea and cake. “Eat something. You’ll feel better.”

She takes a small bite of the cake, and I see her eyes widen in surprise. “Wow, this is really good.”

“Yeah, Susan bakes well.”

“Like, I’m getting goosebumps and everything.”

“That’s the low blood sugar,” I say. “From the shock.”

Lexa carefully puts her cake back on the napkin in her lap and takes a sip of tea before putting the mug on the table beside her. She breaks off small pieces of cake and puts them into her mouth, staring down and not looking up at me.

“Lexa, you have to tell me,” I say.

She sighs, and I see her eyes glitter as they fill with tears. She looks so pale and fragile, but red spots burn on her cheeks.

“This is going to get ugly, Kit,” she warns, finally looking up at me. “And not just for you to hear. You’ll have to do some soul-searching, too.”

“Okay,” I reply, not worrying about it because I don’t have a clue what she means. “I’m ready to hear it, though.”

She nods, looking away and eating a bit more cake before she takes a deep breath and starts to talk.

“I don’t remember much from before my mom and I came here,” she says, staring into her lap.

“Mom got us out of there before my father’s abuse could spread to me.

I knew he was a bad guy and that things weren’t nice there, but I didn’t really remember anything else.

When Mom started saying he was dead, I just went along with it. ”

Lexa keeps her eyes fixed on her lap, not looking up at me. It doesn’t unnerve me at all, because I understand it.

Some things are just too painful to say out loud at all, let alone to another person. If you don’t make eye contact, it’s like you can pretend they aren’t there.

“Go on,” I prod gently.

“There isn’t much further to go,” she says, sniffling miserably as she finally looks up at me. “This is where it gets really sticky, Kit.”

“Okay,” I answer, feeling a flicker of fear deep inside me. My heart seems to skip a beat as I realize it might be time for my secrets to come out, too.

“You want to know where I was the last few years?” Lexa says.

“I was my father’s prisoner. I lived in his shitty, falling-down cabin.

I cooked and cleaned for him. I worked in the fucking plastic factory, getting my lungs burned out day after day.

I tried to escape more than once, and I was beaten and chained up for it. ”

Her words get caught on a sob, and she looks away again.

“How did you get away?” I ask numbly.

She shakes her head miserably, tears running down her cheeks.

“He promised me to his beta, Vince. I couldn’t stand the thought of Vince touching me, so I made a run for it.

I went straight through the hills, until I ended up in Gryphon Eyrie.

I stopped for a break when I overheard Winnie and Krista in the bar, talking about Galen’s match. ”

“Krista is the alpha’s daughter,” I say. “Roderick Brent. He’s the oldest alpha in the Range.”

She nods. “She and Winnie have been friends since they were little. I shouldn’t have been surprised to see Winnie there. But they mentioned the Porter’s brides-for-hire service, and I thought…”

“You thought if you were married, it would save you from your father,” I finish. “He can’t take you if you’re legally wedded, especially to an alpha. His entire clan would be forfeit.”

“Yes,” she mumbles. “But now he’s here. He doesn’t care. He’s going to take me, anyway.”

“I will not let him have you!” I say fiercely, grabbing her shoulders. “Do you hear me? I will never let him take you!”

She stays calm and still in my grip, tears still running down her cheeks. “You did absolute fuck-all last time, Kit,” she finally says.

“What?” I mumble, shocked.

She stares at me, slumped in my arms as if she has no strength left. “I slept with you at the party. It was the best night of my life. Did you know I’d been crushing on you for years?”

“No,” I say honestly, my voice coming out as a harsh whisper.

Did you know that I was watching you, too, Lexa?

“When I woke up and you were gone, I thought you’d been called away by official duties, that you didn’t mean to leave me alone. So, I went to your house—”

Her resolve deserts her, and she buries her face in her hands to cry. The napkin falls to the floor, leaving a trail of cake crumbs.

“Shh,” I whisper, hugging her and rubbing her back. “I’m sorry for that. I’m so, so sorry. But there was a reason. I have to tell you—”

My throat closes as the time comes to reveal my guilt. I actually gasp for air, as if my mouth can’t force the words to come out.

“It doesn’t matter,” she hisses. “Not in the grand scheme of things. Because I went home to cry, and he found me. I was only there a matter of minutes before he busted in, grabbed me, and dragged me into the woods. That’s when I saw—I saw—”

The sobs really come now, shaking her whole body, almost ripping her chest apart. She moans as she wraps her arms around her knees and rocks back and forth.

“I saw my mother. Broken, bloodied, dead, discarded in the woods like a piece of garbage. He said he killed her, and the wild animals could have her and tear her apart. I was so scared—”

“He killed her?” I cut in. “Your father killed her?”

Lexa’s tears don’t stop, but when she turns to look at me, her face is frozen with icy calm.

“So he said,” she answers. “But what do you know about it?”

The pain in my chest intensifies, and I know the only way to get through it is to let it out. My breath hisses through my teeth as I try to stay calm, keeping my eyes down just like Lexa did before.

“I was ordered to—I was ordered—”

I collapse forward onto the couch, trying desperately to get my breath back. I can feel Lexa trembling underneath me as she wrestles with her own pain.

Finally, I sit up and look into her eyes. Her tears are drying on her cheeks, and even though her eyes are still shimmering with grief, she looks much calmer now.

“I was ordered to kill your mother,” I say in a raspy voice. “And you.”

Her beautiful, pale gray eyes widen, and her face goes slack with shock.

“By your grandfather?” she asks.

“Yes. I humiliated you in front of the family, but it wasn’t enough. He couldn’t stand the idea that I might be interested in you. He ordered me to kill you both.”

“And you agreed?” she gasps.

“I had no choice! I went out to your house and found it busted up. I followed your trail, and I found your mother’s body.

I had no idea what happened. I didn’t know if you had left or if you were dead, too.

The fact that your scent cut off at the stream meant you were probably alive, but I didn’t know if you left willingly or… got chased by the kill squad.”

Lexa stares at me, her eyes wide. She reaches out to stroke my cheek.

“You found Mom?” she asks. “You found her and brought her back?”

“Yes,” I answer. “Grandfather was not happy about it—he wanted your bodies thrown over a cliff. I insisted that she have a proper funeral. Grandfather was in such a hurry to go on his special mission, he didn’t fight me too much over it.

He also insisted we find evidence that you were dead and have it for him by the time he returned. ”

“But then he was killed,” Lexa murmurs.

“And I lost my chance to find out all the details he gave the kill squad,” I say. “Wick, Bolton, and Slade. They still live out in the woods—they’re very old now. I questioned them, of course, but I couldn’t get much out of them. I was sure they killed your mother, and probably you, too.”

Lexa wipes her face, sniffing a little. “I was so sure that it was Father until I got back here. Then I started to think maybe it was your grandfather, or at least done on his order…”

Her voice trails off, and she won’t look at me. I blink hard, trying to move past the great weight in my chest.

“You suspected me,” I say.

She looks up, locking her eyes on mine. “Yes,” she admits in a whisper. “I did.”

“Lexa.” I reach out and cup her cheek with my hand. “When I saw you standing next to that fountain, it was the best moment of my life. I searched so hard for you—and found nothing—for so many years. I really did think that you were dead and that I would never know what happened to you.”

All the tension goes out of her body, and she seems to shrink in front of me. Her lip trembles, and she blinks back more tears.

“I spent all this time thinking that no one loved me, that I had no one in this world,” she says, her voice shaking. “And my mother’s body was left in the forest for the wild animals to tear apart.”

“I was heartbroken when I found her,” I say. “I was trying to get to both of you in time. I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do, but I had to keep you safe. When I found Laura and lost your scent… it ripped me in two.”

My voice catches in my throat, and my hand slips off her cheek. I’ve let out so much of my pain that I feel hollow. As if now that it’s gone, there’s nothing left inside me.

I feel Lexa’s hand on my cheek and look up into her eyes. To my surprise, she’s smiling.

“Thank you,” she says. “Thank you for finding her, taking care of her… and looking for me.”

“But I didn’t find you!” I cry, grabbing her shoulders. “Horrible things happened to you, and I let it happen! It’s my fault!”

“No, baby, no,” she whispers, shaking her head. “It’s not your fault.”

She leans forward and presses her lips to mine. I wrap my arms around her and pull her close to me, as if I’m trying to convince myself she’s real. Lexa writhes in my arms, squirming off the couch until she practically falls into my lap.

We fall on the floor, tumbling against each other. Lexa laughs and rolls over, flipping herself on top of me.

“No, Lexa,” I whisper. “I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve you.”

“That might be true,” she says with just a hint of humor. “But do you really think I’m going to let you get away now?”

She leans down and kisses me, pressing my shoulders into the floor with both hands. The kiss deepens, and my body comes alive, snapping tight like an electric wire.

“Are you sure?” I ask.

She pauses to give me a nod. “I thought I had nothing, and no one,” she says. “Now I know you were always there, caring for me, looking for me. I always had a safe place. I just didn’t know where it was.”

The moment stretches out between us, and a new emotion swells inside me, filling up all the space left behind after my confession.

“Lexa, I love you,” I say.

She smiles, stroking my hair and looking into my eyes.

“I love you, too, Kit,” she says.

When her lips meet mine again, there is an urgency in her, a growing need, as if all her inhibitions are finally coming completely undone. As her walls come crashing down, passion ignites in me, more than mere lust or desire.

For the first time, we are truly together, with no lies or secrets between us.

Now, we are truly one.