72
There are wolves all around us. Amold Knightly arrived shortly after Perry and Violetta took the woman who broke into our house. The rug Knight and I picked out a couple of days ago had blood stains on it, so he tossed it out with the promise of getting us a new one
The twins point out their favorite colored wolves outside. They have no idea what happened or why so many people are here. I still don’t understand what the hell they want. I mean, are they really coming after us because of what Knight said about wolf spirits? Is that racist or at least some form of a?
“How are you feeling, Phoebe?” Mr. Knightly sits on the couch next to me. I can’t even glance in his direction. I can’t take my eyes off the twins
“I can’t believe that just happened. We were just picking them up from school. We had a great day,” I admit. He pats my hand awkwardly and scoots a bit away from me.
“Your wolf is very alert at the moment. I want you to sit back and take a couple of deep breaths for me, although he says it politely, it’s not a suggestion and it pisses me off
“Why don’t you tell me what you really want? I don’t like being told to calm down when I have every right to be fucking angry. Mr. Knightly,” I growl unable to help it.
Some of the wolves cleaning up pause and look over at us with disbelief. The man clears his throat and they immediately go back to doing what they’re doing. He lets out a heavy sigh and just when I think he’s going to get up to leave me alone. he sits back and lays his foot on his thigh like he’s never been more comfortable.
“Very well, then,” he says calmly. “I’d like to request staying here or a bit after your shift tomorrow night. Nate is going to be busy with everything going on, and I’d like to try and properly train you to control the thing inside of you.
“I understand your circumstances, Phoebe. You know what you are but don’t understand how this world works. Maria and her baffoon of a mate will try to sugarcoat everything for you, to ease you into pack reformation because of the twins
“They’ll give you a runaround instead of answering you directly, I will never do that. I need you to know the truth so you can protect yourself and my grandkids. I need you to teach them how to survive when things like this happen. You are not my kin, I don’t expect from you what I expect from my children. It’s just basic instinct for muscle memory and control over the beast inside. That’s all,”
“I don’t like you,”
“No one likes me. Not my children or my pack. I can tell you with certainty that it’s not important to me to be liked. Anyone who has been under my teachings will tell you they respect what I’ve taught them. I have one request. Obedience. You do as I say and trust that I know how far I can push you without complaints, and discipline will never be a problem,”
“You sound like a crazy person,” I shake my head. Maybe I’m just as mental because I’m considering it.
“Most leaders do. But we all have a vision of the world we wish to live in. We live in a world where beasts like me exist. The world shouldn’t be worried about what I’m doing or what I’m saying.
“They should be learning how to survive because I’m not the worst monster out here. I’m just the most famous because I have a very loud and very eccentric heir,” he smiles with genuine pride. “And as his mate, I want you to always be at his side. He’s been alone for far too long. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. One of you has to,”
“I know you’re just trying to manipulate me by giving me compliments,” I roll my eyes. “I do it to the models that work for me all the time,”
“So, it’s working then, he smirks. I groan and finally tear my eyes away from the twins
“You can stay. I don’t mind you here. I just need you to understand that this is Knight’s home. Not yours. If he doesn’t like something, you have to respect that, the same way I respect you because you are a guest.
“You put one finger on him again and you’re out of here. My step–mother did what you did to him when we met as well, and seeing you do that to me made me feel the same hate I hate her with. You don’t do that to your son. Even if he is hardheaded and makes us want to rip our hair out. Clearly, fucking him up doesn’t work.
“You claim to be smarter and better than everyone who has ever posed a threat to you, yet you keep doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome. That’s not very alpha of you, sir. You can take Knight’s room for tonight. I will have one of the spare rooms made up for you. So as long as you behave when you are here, it will always be available for you. Deal?”
I hold out my hand for him.
“What is this?” he asks.
“You don’t shake hands in your world?”
“What for?” he shakes his head. I drop it.
Successfully unlocked!
72
“It’s a symbol of good faith. It means we understand one another. A formal bond of trust,”
“I see,” he smiles and lifts his hand. “How binding is this?”
“You lie and it’s broken,”
“I understand,” he holds his right hand out to me. “We have a deal,”
“Sweet,” I shake his hand.
“What is that? What is happening?” Knight asks, pointing between us.
“Sweetie, I invited your father to stay with us,” I stand up to put some space between the two of them.
“Yay!” Ayrie shouts and runs over to us to jump on Mr. Knightly’s lap. He laughs, wrapping her up in his arms, “Pop–pop, want to see my coin collection?”
“You have a coin collection?” he asks with disbelief.
“Yeah,” she nods.
“Rare ones,” I admit. “She’s liked coins since she was still chewing on a binky. I always find them in her clothes,”
“He has one too” Knight shakes his head and grabs me by my arm. “Phoebe, a word,”
“Don’t be rude to, Pop–pop. I’m watching you both,” I point at them as Knight all but shoves me through my study doors.
Once inside, he releases me and turns around to shut the doors. Once we’re sealed inside, he places his hand on his hips and slowly spins around to face me. I knew he wasn’t going to like the idea, which is why I was the one who spoke up
before his father could.
“I don’t know what to say to you right now,” he inhales deeply.
“Is this room sound proof?”
“Yes,” he nods.
“Knight, if you want to become the Rogue King staying here with me is the best bet,” I rush out.
“I agree” we both look around to find the speaker by the fireplace.
“Perry?” I ask.
“Mhm, no way I’m letting you guys
ys go unsupervised with papa nutcase in the house,”
“See, and Perry has the house wired,” I point at the speaker. “Not the rooms right?”
“Just the twins,” she answers truthfully. “But if you have any cameras around I could probably get into them if I wanted really wanted to,”
“Thank you for being so honest, I groan, “Now we know we can’t do weird shit around our house. New rule, no laptops in
the room,”
“I’m not leaving you here with him,” Knight shakes his head.
“We don’t have very many choices at the moment. I may not know how this works, but it sounds like we’re going to need as much time as we can get. You’re not going to be able to help me the way I need to be helped because literally at any sign of distress you get all I motion his body. “You know, Knightly,”
“Speaking facts,” Perry adds “You know she’s right,”
“I don’t like this,”
“I don’t like what happened today. The twins were in the car with us, Nate. We both have to find a way to make this work. You’re not the only one being hunted here. I want us to be safe by the time the twins are old enough to be able to go out and do dumb shit the way I did when I was a teenager,”
“Nate” Perry snorts. “Bro, did you know Knight’s name is Nate?”
“Gross,” a distant Violetta answers before the two of them start giggling. Knight crosses his arms over his chest and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“There aren’t any beds in the spare bedrooms,” he shakes his head.
“Your bed is available, right?” I shrug. He opens his mouth to say something and then he shuts it quickly with a clack of his teeth.
“Oh, I see it,”
lee it. Violetta laughs. “Tim so glad this one is perky. I’d hate to have two emo weirdos on the team,”
