Page 20

“Hey son,” my dad said, his voice a bit higher than usual. “Now go to your room and leave me alone!”
I should have been affected by it, seeing as he was Alpha. I was just following instructions. But actually, I didn’t. It was as if I had been hit by a bolt of energy. I crossed my arms and shot him a dirty look. “No.”
My dad looked a bit confused, like he was trying to smile but it was more of a frown. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. I just stood there, ready to react to his next move.
“Well, looks like we’ve got no choice but to do this the hard way,” he said, grinning, and started stomping towards us. He tried to push me away, but I stood my ground.
“Hey, girl, get over here!” My dad shouted at Lila, who was standing behind me, and he went red.
“Yeah, Alpha,” Lila replied, not even looking at me as she went past and went over to my dad.
She stood there like she was innocent and had been put in jail. She was glued to the ground, trying to wriggle out of my dad’s orders. She looked like she was feeling fear, hurt, confusion and all the other emotions. She closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her face. Just before my dad was about to whack her, I grabbed his hand and punched him in the face, knocking him out in the process.
I looked at my hand in shock and saw my father’s body on the ground. Did I just do that? No way could I have punched the Alpha – my own dad!
Grabbing my hair in frustration, I yelled at Lila. “Lila, get out of here and stay with Beck and Cruz for the night! Please wait for my permission before returning. He’ll be up soon, and I don’t want you to be here.”
I started to shake, feeling scared and helpless. I was in a really bad situation! This can’t be good! I begged my mum for forgiveness, knowing she was up there, staring at me with a look of disapproval. I got down on my knees next to my dad’s body. “I’m so sorry, Mum,” I whispered, my voice cracking.
Lila gave me a comforting hug. “Kieran – Kieran. Thank you,” she said, looking into my eyes. “Mom would be proud of you.”
I just sat there, not saying anything. I didn’t believe what she said. How could my mum be proud when I hurt her husband? My father? Lila gave me a proper hug before she left.
I was there for ages, just sitting there, and eventually I shook my head.
I had to make a move. I just had to see her. She’s my only escape.
Tali’s POV
Kieran’s hands came down from the wall and rested on my waist. He pushed me further into the cold barrier, pressing his muscular body against mine. It was as if he couldn’t get enough. I couldn’t get enough either. He let out a soft growl as his lips moved against mine.
Gosh, that was a bit sexy!
I wrapped my arms around his neck. My hands moved by themselves, playingfully running through his soft hair. I was surprised to find my eyes even fluttering shut.
I could feel his teeth nibbling on my bottom lip and I moaned into his mouth. I would have fallen to the ground if it hadn’t been for him holding me up. He was making my knees go weak.
His tongue slid against the bottom lip, as if it was begging for entry. But I’m not one to take it easy. So, I took his bottom lip between my teeth and pulled it a bit. This made him moan and growl at the same time.
It wasn’t just sexy, it was something else entirely. It was really sexy.
He pushed himself into me a bit more, and I could feel little Kieran getting excited. That made me go as red as a tomato. I have to admit, I was also quite turned on. That would be a lie.
Then he licked my bottom lip again, and this time I let him in. He put his tongue in my mouth and started stroking my tongue too. I’m really sorry, but he tasted delicious. I let out a loud moan as I tugged his hair, enjoying myself.
This kiss was a bit of a whirlwind, but it was all in good fun. His lips felt rough, but also kind. He says he’s been waiting for this moment forever, but he wants to let me know he could wait. It was a rollercoaster of emotions – gratitude, adoration, fear, and the like. I’ve never been so moved by a kiss.
That’s why I never wanted this moment to end. The way his tongue swept across mine was like a burst of flavour in my mouth. The way he wrapped his strong arms around my waist told me he would protect me at all costs. The way his thumbs stroked circles on my lower back made me feel like he would comfort me and be kind to me. I was dizzy just from the general. He made me feel good about myself, I couldn’t get enough of him, I loved how he showed his true feelings and the way he was around me always made me excited for the next day.
He was a bit different.
Kieran let go of the kiss, so we could both breathe again. I was out of breath, and he was too. He rested his hand on mine and looked straight into my eyes. I was shocked again by the darkening of his pupils and the way it grew bigger before going back to his normal, beautiful, crystal blue eyes again. His rough hand came up to my face and stroked my cheek.
He smiled broadly, and a dimple appeared on his cheek. I was pretty sure I was smiling like crazy, too. He kissed me again for a few seconds and then said, “You-”
Then the window Kieran was throwing rocks at a few hours ago broke, cutting him off mid-sentence. The glass shattered into a million tiny pieces as Kieran tried to shelter my whole body with his. I let out a loud scream.
“What the hell?” Kieran grumbled when we finally calmed down. He let go of me and turned around. I let my eyes wander at the tiny glass pieces on my carpet that were sparkling under the moonlight. But that’s not what caught my eye.
Kieran took a careful walk around the shards, trying not to get his feet cut. He picked up the massive rock that had just smashed the window. All over the rock were words written in red ink.
My eyes opened wide when I saw the small print. I was rooted to the spot as Kieran looked at me to see if I’d give him the nod to go on. My mouth felt like there were a million cotton balls in it and my throat was unexpectedly very dry. So instead, I nodded, even though I was feeling hot even when the cold air from outside was blowing across my skin.
Kieran gave me a cautious look before reading the words on the rock. “I thought you wouldn’t be scared, even if your window breaks, love? Love, the Iron Justice.”
–
I’ve never been so scared in my life. I was absolutely petrified and ended up shaking like a leaf. My palms were sweating as I felt a bit of a heatwave kick in. I could literally feel my head spinning as my vision became blurred, with black Kiers obscuring my sight. My ears were ringing with shock and exhaustion.
I breathed heavily, looked at Kieran one last time and saw him looking out of the window at the rock and the woods. I saw his nose come up close to the rock, sniffing it as his eyes turned a golden colour. I was so overwhelmed that I just gave in to it.
“Talis!” I heard Kieran’s voice and then I was on the ground.
Hey, just wanted to let you know that I’ve got the lowdown on the latest developments.
“Oh, my darling,” I heard a woman’s voice sob, then I felt a peck on my forehead that was all too familiar.
My eyes fluttered open and I saw my mum. She was sat on the couch next to me, looking over at me like she was trying to protect me. She pulled her red lips into a smile, but it was tight as she was trying her best to be strong in front of me. But I knew it was all an act, because I could see her little, shaking hands as she tried to push a hair away from my face. Even her eyes, which were all swollen and red from crying, confirmed her worry. She tried really hard to sort out her hair because, as I said, she wanted to show me what a good parent she was.
But I was kind of sick of her being my hero. It’s all she’s ever done, even though she didn’t even want it in the first place. We all know that when you’re in pain, worried or feeling down, the last thing you want to do is keep it to yourself. You want to let it out of you physically, even if the pain was just emotional and mental.
I tried to stand up, but this wave of dizziness hit me and I almost fell off the couch. I felt someone grab my arm and gesture for me to lie down again. “No way, ma’am, you’re not getting up just yet,” my mum said.
“How are you doing, my darling?” My mum suddenly blurted out, her voice going high. “Oh, let me go and tell Mabel that you’re ready for your soup – that is, if you are ready. Are you ready? I mean, we could wait. Oh, never mind, I’ll go get it.”
As she stood up, I grabbed her arm, not wanting her to go. I found the smell of Chanel perfume comforting at the time. She smiled gently at me before sitting back down and looking to her right.