Page 31

WREN

I stared at the man behind the desk. Some part of my brain recognized him as Kingston, but it was as if he’d completely changed in front of my eyes. King had always been reserved, never sharing too much. So, who was this stranger laying himself bare before me now?

It wasn’t easy for an alpha to admit weakness. It was in their DNA to show no mercy and know that every tiny fracture in their facades could be manipulated in battle and lead to their demise.

What Kingston had just done was the equivalent of baring his neck to me. It was a sign of submission and complete trust. And it knocked me sideways.

My breaths came quicker as I took one step and then another, walking toward the man who’d just given me the ultimate gift.

I had no idea what to give him in return; I only knew I needed to be closer to do it.

When I reached the massive man, I stopped just in front of him, so close I had to step between his legs.

King stared up at me, evident pain and wonder in his gorgeous pale-blue eyes. But he made no move to touch me and didn’t ask for anything.

So, I touched him.

My hands lifted and slid through his dark hair. King let out a sound that resembled a purr—deeper than Princess’s, but the quality was the same. He slowly bowed his head, lowering until it connected with my belly.

My fingernails scraped his scalp, and that purr morphed into a soft growl. “Too much?” I asked.

“Perfect,” King mumbled.

I kept massaging his head as if it would solve all our problems. But I knew it wouldn’t. I realized I had to be brave, too.

Sucking in a breath, I gave him a piece of my truth. “I’m scared you’ll never be able to see past who my father is.”

King didn’t lift his head, but his hands moved to my hips, holding on as if I were his lifeline. “You’re not the man who brought you into this world. I won’t even call him your father because he’s not. He’s the bastard who terrorized you and held you captive, nothing more.”

Kingston’s grip on me tightened with each sentence, but I took in every ounce of honesty in that touch. My fingers slid lower, kneading King’s neck. “His blood is still in me.”

“No,” King clipped. “It’s not. Because you are your own person. You fought everyone who tried to break you and made yourself into a warrior.”

A burn lit down my throat as pressure built behind my eyes. “Will you tell me about her? Your sister?”

Kingston stiffened but slowly forced himself to relax. “Natasha. Her name was Natasha.”

“Natasha.” My mouth formed the syllables as if I were trying to get to know her that way.

“She was a year older than me and so full of mischief and life. Right up until Bastian’s men kidnapped her from a nightclub and put her into their trafficking operation.”

Sickness slid through me. I’d heard the enforcers talking about the operation a handful of times, the darkest of the dark things they were involved in, selling women to the highest bidders and throwing them into a life of horrors.

“It took me two years to find her,” King rasped. “Two years of hell for her.”

My heart thumped against my ribs. I hadn’t known Kingston had found his sister. I’d thought my father killed her.

“We got her out of where they were holding her, but she was nothing but skin and bones. And practically catatonic. The only safe way home was to hide out on a damn fishing boat.” Kingston paused, his throat working as he tried to swallow.

“She threw herself overboard during the night, preferring death to living with the memories of what had happened to her.”

Tears tracked down my cheeks, and my hands fisted in King’s tee. There were no appropriate words. Nothing that could ease that kind of pain. But I had to try. “I’m so sorry,” I croaked. “It’s not enough, but it’s all I have.”

King’s head lifted, and I saw pure agony in his eyes. “It’s not yours to be sorry for.”

“Isn’t it?” I asked. “I should’ve plunged a knife into Bastian’s back years ago and taken the death sentence that would’ve come from it.”

Silver sparked in Kingston’s gaze. “And then what? His beta would’ve taken over and continued it all. It would’ve done nothing but extinguish your light. A light this world needs. A light this pack needs.”

“And what about you? What do you need?”

His hand lifted, his fingers brushing away my fallen tears. “You, Wren. My little warrior. What I’ve always needed was you.”

Fresh tears began to fall, spilling down my cheeks and onto King’s fingers. “I’m scared you’ll always see him when you look at me.”

Kingston’s expression gentled as he gazed up at me. “I see you . Your fierceness. Your gentle care. The way you give to those around you, even when they don’t deserve it. I see everything about you. And one day, you’ll see that, too. But I’m not in a rush.”

He stood then, pushing his chair back and towering over me before bending, his lips hovering for a moment before pressing gently to my forehead.

Suddenly, he was gone.

But the feeling of him wasn’t.

The place where King had kissed me still burned. It was a scalding brand—a promise of forever.