78
Knightly
It has never occurred to any of us that our father is a fucking diva. There are twenty–three of us, and because of the fear and need to please this sick fuck, none of us really took an interest in him as a person or a father the way Phoebe has. It was never a part of his curriculum, and while he has defenses for most military–based combat. He is not prepared for the whimsy that comes with my sweetly devious angel.
A part of me wants to be sympathetic. The part of me that wished my father was a little less himself and a little more like Freddy This will hurt him, and the fact that it is my mate who does it will be that much sweeter. The part of me that hates being around my mother because of him is marveling at the fact that he has met his match in the form of the beast that is perky Alpha Phoebe Ryzen.
“I regret agreeing to let you go with him,” I tell her as I pull her close before she can get onto the plane. The twins ran in when Arnold said there was candy.
“Your father wouldn’t let anything happen to us, and you have a lot to do. Also, Perry is going to be there. She is excited to meet him in person,”
“That’s a big part of why I am worried, Angel,”
Phoebe has been a little distant since I came on a little too aggressive with my declaration of love, but I am not in the least bit worried about it. I don’t need to hear it or for her to even feel it, so long as she understands she belongs to me now. I want her to figure out that I am hers on her own terms.
“I’ll see you in a few days,” she pushes up on her tiptoes.
I lean in to kiss her, but it’s more than obvious her mind is a million miles away. I step back when she pulls away. The worry
on her face bothers me.
“I love you,” I say as she goes up the stairs.
She pauses; it’s a tiny pause, but then she continues as if she heard nothing. We both know she did. She’s a silverback. I watch the plane take off, with the reasons for my entire existence. I pull out my phone to find a text from Roman. I head to the entrance, where he’s waiting for me.
“She hasn’t marked you,” is the first thing that comes out of his mouth.
“Head towards Compton. We have a shipment to pick up for the biker before we head out to Magique,”
“What is Vy’s deal with that big fuck?” he asks. I look over at him to see he’s serious.
“What does that mean?”
“He’s been to the tower a couple of times. His coke has to be amazing because she treats him better than she’s ever treated any of us,”
That doesn’t sound right. Perry hates Arsenial Barnes. Anyone Perry hates is double hated by the tiny ball of rage that is Violetta Wilde.
“What’s going on over there?” I ask him.
“Same ole pack bullshit. The alphas want the Wolfes out, and the Wolfes are laughing at them. Vy has the upper hand at the moment because she’s using force. She’s got those fucks all scared to make a move after she strapped one of them to her bike and paraded him all the way back to his part of the city, so his mate and wolves know he was a bitch.
“Then she took him back to her packhouse and hung him up from a statue in the front yard. No one is allowed to take the body down. Her dad got so pissed they almost fought. They said some nasty shit to one another in front of everyone,”
“What about you and Baby? How are you two culminating into pack life?”
That doesn’t surprise me. I never doubted the stories I’ve heard about her departure from Blood Ridge when she turned eighteen, mostly because Perry broke Roman’s jaw when he mentioned it once not long after. She was there. It was Perry who picked up the pieces once it was all set and done.
“Baby loves it. It’s why I didn’t bring her with me. She’s got the girls all wet over her combat techniques. You know she’s a team player,”
“Yeah, she is. And you?”
He glances at me and shakes his head.
Successfully unlocked!
Roman was born a rogue. He was raised like one. The guy was sixteen when his parents were murdered by his uncle. The former Rogue King. Baby was six and he’s tried his best to make sure she never has to go through what he did. She’s nineteen now and like every father, he doesn’t want to accept that Ramona is not a baby anymore. She’s spoiled rotten and as incredibly cunning as Roman himself. They’re both tough as fuck, and together, they’re a riot.
1/2
78
“Have you tried being around the pack?”
“It’s hard to focus when there’s a lot of people around,” he sighs. “It’s all the same chatter. Who has the newest gadgets, the best shoes, and the nicest ass? It’s mindless. I don’t like being around people whose only ambition is to make money. I don’t know how Ramona can stand it,”
I have the same problem, and it’s because I was born with a golden pacifier in my mouth, much like him. We weren’t born to follow or go with the flow; being around people after everything we’ve done to get to where we are is boring.
“Look, you can’t be on your own right now. Your priority is to keep Ramona safe unwe can find a more permanent solution to our rogue hunting season bullshit. It’s why I called you out. We’re all a little twitchy after what went down with the old man,”
“I’m thinking about taking a professor’s position at Nova,” he shocks the hell out of me. “Ramona wants to go there after the six–month law is up with a couple of girls in the pack who are in a sorority. She can stay in the dorms, and I’ll get a villa on the outskirts. Just to get my mind off this shit. Maybe settle down a bit. I never thought I’d live this long and civilian life is a little slow,”
“That’s not a bad idea,” I admit. “I can have Perry talk to the alpha, and we can give you a few recommendations,”
“I’m good. Temperance offered me the position when I took Baby and her friends on a tour. I’ve worked with her before,”
“Isn’t she a minor still?”
“She’s Ramona’s age, but she’s weird like Perry was at that age. Only in a good way because she’s not fucking crazy,”
“Any girlfriends?” I ask to keep the conversation going. He gives me a side glance that makes me laugh.
“I’m not talking about my love life with you,” he scoffs.
“The first thing you asked me about was my mark,”
“I take it back,” he groans.
“Phoebe was raised mortal,” it’s not embarrassing to me. I don’t want my angel to feel obligated to mark me. I want her to want it as much as I did.
“I don’t understand what that has to do with her marking you. What does that mean?”
“She’s been on her own for a long time,”
“She should be running into your arms then,”
“Not like that. I mean, she knows how to take care of herself, and she’s got everything she could ever need,”
“Oh, so like Vy without the daddy issues,”
“Kind of. More like Vy without the homicidal rage that drives her to punch a hole through anyone who dares defy her,” “No offense, but I fucking hate Princess Violetta Wolfe. I kind of like that she was thrown out and forced to be a rogue before becoming the official Luna of Magique. She’s killing them now, but there’s no doubt in my mind that without the old man, Vy wouldn’t be above taking one for the team just so her stupid fucking idiot brother gets what he wants. I fucking hate pack dogs. Traditionalists are the fucking worst of all of them,”
“Amen,” I agree. “We can’t even kill him anymore. He’d take Vy with him,”
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