4/4
98
98
On this floor, there’s a huge conference room open to the public, and this is where we all are having dinner. Ayrie is running Ashley’s ear with everything she can possibly think of. Aizen and Knight are both having fun with Knight’s brothers. His uncles.
“How are you so calm?” Perry asks.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t feel it now because of my upgrade,” she smirks. “But I couldn’t be in a room with this many Knightlys in it as a wolf. I bite.”
“They’re Knight’s family, and I think I did okay today. Midnight is changing everything, so I’m just trying not to get overwhelmed by so much change.” I say honestly. “She’s also told me we can take ‘em, especially with you here. She trusts you as much as I do. The words ‘it would be fun were spoken.”
Mr. Knightly is the first to laugh. Knight cracks a genuine smile. Perry places her hand over mine playfully.
“So she’s cocky.” one of Knight’s brothers asks. Neo.
“She really isn’t. Phoebe believes in actions. Not promises. ” Mr. Knightly says. Neo looks between the two of us and then keeps his glare on me.
“Stop looking at her that way.” Knight lets out a low growl that sends a chill down my
back.
Midnight, on the other hand, gets very excited. I can’t help the feeling that comes over me, and I can’t stop myself from smiling.
-Let mate, play.- She brushes against me. The push is strong enough to make me growl at her.
“Relax.” I scold her. “The twins are here. These are not enemies. What the hell is wrong with you?”
-Phoebe- she growls.
“Midnight,” I use the same tone. When I look up, they’re all staring at me. “See, now we
look insane.”
I feel her push against me enough to make us roll our eyes before she relaxes. I rub my chest, feeling a little tired all of a sudden.
“Stay.” Mr. Knightly comes over to me. He tilts my head back and flashes his pocket light in my eyes. He does this a lot more than I care to admit.
“She’s not feral,” Perry reassures him. “It’s just the kind of wolf she is. It’s a guardian not just to others but to Phoebe herself. Given that she’s mated into your family, I think it’s poetic. You’re never going to be able to get away with shit without consequences again.”
1/4
98
“You’ve always liked the sound of your own voice.” Mr. Knightly growls lowly. “Whether you’re ranting nonsense or complaining. You never shut the fuck up.”
“Hey,” I snap my attention to him. “I never once disrespected anyone in your family. Your daughter tried to attack me, and she’s eating dinner at my table. If you have a problem with her, you’re going to have a problem with me.”
He stands up straight, looking down at me, and I swear I see hurt in his eyes. But Perry is the only family I have left, and no one is going to disrespect her in front of me. Even if I owe this man my life, he glances over at her and gives her a nod.
“My apologies,” he says without meeting either of our eyes. He goes back to his seat and turns his glare to Ashley. “Did you apologize to your brother’s mate, Ashley?”
“I’m sorry for attacking you, Phoebe,” she says, and it’s genuine.
“And?” he growls.
“For accusing of you trying to fuck my father,” she whispers and turns bright red.
“I mean,” Lillies looks him over. “Maybe if I wasn’t mated.”
“Lils.” I laugh.
“Oh, come on. Look at him. You should be excited that your mate is going to look like that,” she giggles.
“I actually wanted to talk to you about something kind of important.” Perry grins. ” Privately.”
“I’ve got it here, Angel. We’ll clean up. Ashley volunteered to wash the dishes.” Knight looks over at his sister with a smirk. Her mouth falls open with disbelief.
“Thank you, Ashley. That is going to be a huge help. I still have to get the twins. cleaned up and ready for bed.” I back him up.
“Mom,” they both groan.
“You have an hour of free time before bath time.” I tap my watch. “Starting now.‘”
“Dad, want to watch our new video?” Aizen blurts out.
“Let’s do it, buddy. Your uncles can join us after cleaning up the table,” he agrees. Ayrie jumps out of her seat and runs over to him with her arms held up. He laughs and lifts her up. “Let’s help your brother set up the TV.”
“Okay,” she agrees and wraps her arms around him to rest her head on his shoulder. We make eye contact, very briefly, and it feels like I got stabbed in the chest when he looks away. Perry and I excuse ourselves back to the apartment.
“Did you guys fight?” she asks when I let her into my room.
“Not exactly.” I drop onto my bed and pat the spot next to me before falling back. She takes a seat beside me and gets very serious. I sit up and bump her with my shoulder. ” What’s up?”
2/4
98
“I-” she turns her body so she can cross her legs on the bed and fully face me, and I do the same.
“I’m worried now. Did something happen?” I reach for a strand of her pretty silver hair. I swear she looks like something out of a fantasy novel.
“I am usually the one tasked to decode complicated shit for the team. It hasn’t really changed because I’m just that good at it,” she begins. I nod, letting her know I understand. “So, your uncle told you a story. It wasn’t important at the time, and he had something on him that corrupted the audio.”
“Do you know who he was talking about? Wait, I’m not sure I’m ready to know yet,” I shake my head.
“It’s not just about you, Phoebs,” she shrugs. “And yeah. I know exactly who he was talking about.”
“Ummm,” I clear my throat because I’m not sure what to say, but the look on her face tells me that I need to listen to what she’s about to tell me.
“When I was a kid, my dad did everything in his power to protect me. Training, conditioning, and discipline. He did it because he knew that if people knew the truth about me, they’d hurt me. He didn’t tell me why because he was an assassin for the Alpha King. Not the young one. His dad and his grandfather. But it’s top secret.
“My dad took a mission with the Lockwoods because Luna Bess and my dad had been together before she found her mate. She contracted him to find her daughter, Eloise Lockwood, who was stolen from their packhouse two years prior. He found her and because he was a jealous piece of shit, Alpha Lockwood outed my father as a spy.
“My dad had to go on the run and stay hidden. Not long after, he found his mate, and she raised me. I thought she was my mother. It turns out that I am the daughter of a princess at court, and he took me because if anyone found out, they’d kill me. I would have been a potential candidate for the throne and you know how that shit goes,”
“What an asshole. Your dad saved his daughter.”
“Yeah,” she agrees. “Anyway, my mom and yours are first cousins. And my dad fucked
them both.”
I laugh, and then I get serious. I scratch my eyebrow, feeling the weight of her words prickle across my face.
“Wait,” I deep a deep breath. “Are you saying we have the same dad?”
“Yeah,” she nods.
“Perry,” I laugh. “Holy shit.”
“I know.” Her eyes fill with tears as she holds up her phone. “Here are our blood-”
“I don’t need that.” I push the phone away and hug her. The sweet caramel scent of her
sadness swirls around us as she starts to cry. I hold her tighter. “I have a little sister,” I
3/4
98
say against her shoulder. “This is the second coolest thing to ever happen to me.”
“What was the first?” she shoves me playfully and immediately wipes her tears away. I help her so she doesn’t smear more of her mascara.
“No offense, baby sister, but I has a one night stand with a rockstar who fucked up my entire existence in best way possible. Look how cute my kids are.”
Subscribed
6 Likes
99
99
