Chapter 50

Elena

Killian was already up and out of bed when I woke.

At first I thought he had left me there alone, until I turned over and saw him sitting in the chair by the window. He was reading a paperback book that looked like a romance novel, clearly something left behind or planted in the room to encourage the happy couple who was staying there.

He seemed to be enjoying himself by the color high in his cheeks and the smug look in his eyes. I cleared my throat and got his attention. It him scrambling to sit up straight and put the book on the table next him, trying to print I hadn’t just got him reading it.

I laughed softly, and he couldn’t help but smile as well. I’d never seen him so sheepish around me, especially after we’d slept together. Though, to be fair, usually we didn’t share a bed after we had sex.

I felt different too, and when I searched deep within myself I realized it was because I had no regrets about our night together. In the past I would be guilty for giving into his seduction, even when it was what I wanted. I knew that it was just a physical act, and even though it meant I was close to him, it still would leave me feeling hollow when he left.

But now, I felt only elation and satisfaction. He had been more attentive to my needs than ever before, and my body trembled as I recalled the shaking orgasms, plural, that he’d given me throughout the night.

“How’s the book?” I asked him with a cheeky smile.

“Spicy,” he said, daring to catch my eye.

“Spicier than last night?”

He let out a quiet moan that turned into a sigh, and pulled him out of the chair. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he placed his hand on my head, letting his thumb rest on my temple. His touch was light and warm, and I closed my eyes as he traced small circles next to my eye.

“Almost as spicy,” he said, hesitant. “There are some things that words can never describe.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked, playfully. “Like what?”

With a wicked grin, he bent down and whispered something saucy in my ear. His teeth nipped my earlobe, sending a tremor through my whole body. I closed my eyes and couldn’t stop the moan from escaping my open mouth.

“See what I mean?”

When I opened my eyes again he was staring at me, so self-satisfied and smug. I took the hand that now rested on my shoulder and brought it to my mouth. He watched my movements, anticipating a sensual act on my part.

He nearly shrieked when I bit his hand, just between his thumb and index finger.

“Ow!” He snatched his hand away from mine, shaking it in mock pain. “You saucy little minx!”

He rolled me onto my stomach and landed a light swat on my backside. It was my turn to feign outrage, but when I flipped over he was already pressing on top of me. The thin sheet was between us, but I knew he could feel every inch of my naked body underneath him.

His face hovered over mine as I squirmed under him, laughter being squeezed out of my lungs.

“You’ll crush me, you brute!”

“Then you’d better stop wiggling around,” he said, with wisdom and authority in his voice.

I gave in, settling underneath him, watching his expression change.

We both felt it, that moment when the pretending becomes real.

“Killian…“

He bent closer to cover my mouth with his, his lips soft and tender. It lasted only a second before he pulled away, gazing through hooded eyes, but a million thoughts and emotions based between us in that simple kiss.

Loosening his grip on my arms, he slid off me and stood beside the bed. I fought the urge to reach for him to pull him back down, my previous insecurity returning for a moment.

“We should get ready,” he said, sounding slightly disappointed at his own idea. “We have a long day ahead of us.”

As I had predicted, we made the journey faster than I had expected. There was no reason to pretend that we were on this trip for any other reason than to find Natalie, so we decided not to waste time. Our Beta guards were kind enough to nod in silence when they heard of the new destination, keeping their opinions to themselves.

The sun was setting as we arrived, and it was clear that had we been any later we might not have been admitted.

“He gave you this willingly?”

The guard at the gate eyed me suspiciously.

“Yes, Graham is a friend of mine.”

“He seems to have made a lot of friends recently,” the guard said with a shrug, surely referencing Jaxon’s entry into the Pack many days before. “Next time, tell him to bring you himself.”

“Of course,” I said, trying to sound casual, “he has been ill of late, resting in the south, and regrets that he could not join us for the journey.”

“Hmph,” the guard responded.

“Please,” Killian spoke up, “we’d like a meeting with the Alpha. I am representing my Pack, Waning Moon, and on a campaign trial to unite more of us under the Alpha Alliance. I have opportunities that would benefit him and his people.”

“The Alpha won’t see you tonight,” we were told, “but because of your status, we can put you up for the night in our guest house. You can see him in the morning.”

We didn’t argue, and followed our escort as they led us to one of the first buildings on the property. I noted that they kept their guests close to the entrance and therefore close to the guard tower. I swallowed my apprehension, and Killian and I settled in for what would be a restless and anxious night of sleep.

“I don’t need your help.”

The response from the Alpha was not unexpected, given what we already knew about him and his Pack. He was broad and fat, and his name was Toro. I found it odd to name a wolf after a bull, but maybe it was a nickname he chose for himself.

“My walls are thick and my security is tight,” he told us, the way he emphasized his adjectives somehow sounding inappropriate. “There is nothing I need from others than I cannot get for myself.”

It was honest and vaguely threatening, and I could tell Killian was proceeding with caution. This was all a front anyway, a distraction that would hopefully give us time to get information about Natalie.

“But what about the future?” I asked, taking on a maternal concern. “Your children, and their children— do you think they’ll be as safe down the line as you feel now? We never know what the future may hold.”

This last line was a small joke to myself. I knew exactly what the future had in store for me, but I was on a mission to change it.

“My children will rule like I do, with a fist,” he smiled with pride that made my skin crawl, showing his yellowing teeth that I was acquainted with chewing tobacco. “In fact, where is my son?”

He snapped his fingers to a man near him.

“Where are they?”

“They are just in the other room, Sir, looking at a picture book.”

Toro seemed repulsed by the idea, but nodded. “Good, she’ll hear me.” He turned his head slightly toward the door of the sitting room we were in, and bellowed in a voice that rattled my skull.

“Natalie! Bring my son to me!”

Without thinking, my hand reached out to grab Killian’s knee, and he put his hand on top of mine. He nodded without looking at me, and I could see the tension in his jaw.

It was true. She was here, and we were about to be reunited.

Her face froze when she saw us, and time seemed to stand still.

“Oh,” she said. “It’s you.”

“You know these people?” Toro was confused but not angry, and I took the opportunity to stand and play the part I had rehearsed. The part of the doting sister.

“Natalie? Is it really you?”

I stood and walked toward her, opening my arms and wrapping them around her. She flinched slightly, and though she didn’t reciprocate the action she didn’t stop me either.

“Sir, this may sound crazy,” I said as I pulled away, “but this woman is my sister, adopted as you might guess. It’s been years…”

“Sister?” Toro seems surprised. “She told me she was an only child, dead parents, no one who would really miss her.”

Killian frowned but said nothing, and I would’ve given anything to know what he was thinking at that moment.

“Do you remember me?”

Natalie scrunched her face, like she was smelling something sour. “I don’t…know,” she said slowly. “You smell familiar, but…I’m sorry, I’ve lost so much of my past.”

“Amnesia, they say,” Toro said, finding the word and the woman’s ailment to be tedious.

“Do you mind, sir, if we take some time to reunite with her,” I said, placating myself to his authority. “I thought I’d never see her again.”

“Sure, whatever,” he said, rising with his little boy in his arms. “I hope you’ll join me for lunch, before you leave.”

The three of us stood awkwardly together, alone with guards for the first time. Once she saw the door close, Natalie’s body shivered and she ran into Killian’s arms. He was caught off-guard, but accepted her embrace.

“You finally came!” She sobbed into his shoulder. “Please, take me back. I’m ready to return and be your Luna again.”