Knightly
“I’m never going to be able to leave. I should never have come back here,” she says to herself.
To say her words cut deep is an understatement. Phoebe sits down with her arms. wrapped around her belly. She’s right, but not for the reasons she thinks. I’m hoping that she doesn’t want to leave eventually. I sit down next to her.
“Phoebe, before I tell you. I want to tell you that I never meant for any of this to happen,” “I know,” she says quietly. “I didn’t either. This shouldn’t have happened. I have an implant. I had an implant when we met, but we’re here now,” she turns her body so she can look at me. I sit back so she sees what I’m telling her isn’t some kind of joke. “Just rip the bandaid, Knight. I promise I can take it. I’m a big girl,”
“I see that,” I smile. Those aren’t the words I’d use to describe her. She’s a woman.
“Are you the mafia?” she tries to guess. I laugh..
“No,” I shake my head. “We don’t do anything illegal,”
“Shit. Then I should be more scared. My dad works for the government and I hate him,”
“We don’t work for the government,” I rub my eyes. I see where Ayrie gets her enthusiasm. “I’m not making a joke here, Angel. I want you to understand that. This isn‘ t bullshit. This is real and it sounds insane,”
“Oh, god,” she swallows hard. “Go on. Say it,”
“I’m a shifter,” I say as calmly as possible. Even to me, it sounds fucking stupid. Her imperial blue eyes zero in on me.
“What?” she asks in the same calm tone I used. “That’s it?”
“Yeah, wait. What do you mean that’s it?”
“Oh, my god,” she bursts into laughter. She looks genuinely relieved. “I mean holy shit, but still, I was thinking the fucking worst. You really had me going, Knight,”
“I’m going to be honest with you, Angel. That’s not the reaction I expected,” I laugh nervously. “Are you-”
“No, no. I’m human. My stepmom is a werejaguar,” she breathes out heavily. “It’s another reason why I don’t speak to my dad. They have two sons and from the start, she made it pretty clear that I wasn’t welcome in their home. My dad denies it, but ! think she killed my mom when they found one another. He’s her mate,”
“Shifters are very territorial,” I nod.
Successfully unlocked!
That–I don’t know what to make of this. I find it lucky that she knows about our existence. It makes it a little easier. Humans owned by our kind don’t know what we
are or that they’re owned. Given her talent and success, her alpha keeps her very happy and pampered.
“Does this mean they’re like you?” she asks.
“Yes,”
“What kind of shifter are you?”
“Wolf,”
“I’m sorry, but I know nothing about wolves,” she takes my hand. “Cats are solo shifters Thear
I can feel our bond rush through my body at the skin–to–skin contact. My wolf is ecstatic about the causal way she reached for us as if to comfort me. I’m still trying to catch up to her. My little human is strong.
I
“Well, we live in packs,” I explain. “We conquer territories. My dad, Freddy is the alphal of the City,”
“That sounds important,”
“It is. I guess in human terms, he’s the king of the city.“.
“No way,” her eyes widen. “That explains Kendra’s reaction,”
“How are you involved with Ruin Alcantar? Where did you meet them?” I can’t help the possessiveness that comes over me. If she takes notice, she doesn’t comment on it.
“I’m not involved with him exactly,” she shrugs.
“He seemed like more than just an acquaintance,”
“He wishes,” she rolls her eyes. “I honestly don’t know him well. I know him through Kendra. I swear I thought she was good people. She was a pediatrician when we met. When I brought the twins to be registered as American, she was the doctor that helped me in New York,”
“She ran their blood?” I ask.
“Yeah, they did a full physical on both of them,”
“Then what happened?”
She knew they weren’t human. Maybe she was waiting around to see if their father would show up.
“She asked me who the father was and I told her I did IVF. That it was anonymous,”
“How did she end up working for you?”
Kendra knew that was a lie. We can’t do that. There’s only one way for a wolf to procreate. One look at our pups and it’s obvious what they are. Especially with Ayrie.
“I told her I lived in Paris and I told her who I was. I offered her a job jokingly. Before I went back, she called me and asked if I was serious. Her credentials were more than
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perfect. She went to NYU and she came highly recommended. All that and she was willing to move to Paris with me,”
“Did she live with you?”
“At first, but then she got her own place. She lives lived,” she corrects herself. “With me now because we’re both looking for our own places. The condo is only until I get settled at work. It’s just a six–month lease. Moving here kind of happened fast. I sure as hell didn’t expect to run into you ever again,
“That makes two of us,” I admit.
“What happens now?” she asks. “Knightly, what happens to the twins when you find. your mate?” she asks suddenly. “I can’t imagine-”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Phoebe,” I stop her from imagining anything about
that
“Was it her?” she asks me. “Hailey?”
“You know about that?
“The whole world knows about that. Your brother died..I doubt the Rodens will ever recover from what you and your family did to them,”
“I sure hope not,” I scoff. “I wouldn’t have done my job properly if they do.”
“What?” she shakes her head.
“No, she wasn’t my mate. I met Hailey not long after I met you. I was in a dark place. and she was willing to overlook that. She was spoiled and she dropped everything to go on tour with us. She didn’t even hesitate.
“When the Striker tour was over, I brought her home with me. Her dad showed up and he demanded that we get married. A union between our packs,”
“I thought you said you were adopted by Mr. Blake,”
“I was, but my donor is also an alpha. Not like my dad. He’s feral,”
“What does that mean?” there’s an excited edge in her tone.
“It means he doesn’t need a luna to rule his pack,”
“A moon?”
“A luna is what my mother is. She’s the alpha female of the pack,”
“Oh, like the queen?”
“Exactly,”
“And that’s a requirement?”
“Yes, for most packs. But he killed his mate after marking her,”
“Is that allowed?” she asks alarmed. “That’s so scary,”
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