I didn’t get much sleep after that, and when I cleaned up so I could make the twins breakfast, I was hoping to talk to Knight about what was happening with Midnight wanting to attack him, but he was already gone. Ayrie told me he said good morning to the two of them and told them he would be back late tonight.
“You seem upset,” Mr. Knightly says when the twins finish their breakfast.
They ran back to the room to play with their new toys. Ayrie even took my camera to make Knight another video. The one they made for him has gone viral. Thanks to their very generous grandfather, we’re going to have the entire morning free.
“It’s personal,” I shrug as I clean up. “Do you always stay in places like this?”
“Yes, this is one of our many safe houses. I travel a lot, and I’m sure Knight has told you how difficult it is for us to trust public services.”
“Repeatedly.” I nod and let out a heavy sigh. “I didn’t know you were also targeted.”
“This is actually the first time in a while where I haven’t been. It’s a bit of a vacation for me. Is that the issue? You’re upset about the threats.”
“I should be,” I laugh. “But no.”
“I see. Is there anything I can help with?” he smirks.
“I’m having trouble controlling myself,” I admit.
“No, you’re not,” he grins. “You’re a natural. It’s all instinct. Follow them, they’ll never steer your wrong,”
“Yeah, well, when you want to rip your mate’s throat out mid–makeout sesh, it kind of ruins the mood. Bad enough for him to get up and leave without even telling you he’ll be home late tonight,” I scoff.
“Oh,” he laughs. I feel my face heat up, and I know I’m bright red now. “Have not mated fully?”
“We have two kids,” I remind him. It only makes him laugh more.
“Nathan can be dense. It happens when you’ve got the weight of an alpha on your shoulders. You miss the small details. Tell me what happens.”
“I don’t know if I’m comfortable talking to you about this,” I snort very unlady–like.
“Of course. Why don’t I go play with the twins, and you can call on one of your werewolf girlfriends?” he smirks.
“You’re an asshole,” I laugh feeling even more embarrassed.
“Come on. I’m not asking for the details. I have a similar predicament. We can
compare notes.” he waves me off. “Surely, your wolf has something to say about this.”
“Okay. Why don’t I start from the beginning?” I sit down across from him.
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“That would be best,” he nods, all signs of teasing gone.
“Midnight is very chill for the most part. She seems happy just letting me do my thing.”
“That’s very good considering her type of beast,” he says reassuringly.
“Okay,” I let out a sigh of relief. “I have dreams of her past lives. Is that normal?”
“For you, yes,” he nods. “Your wolf is a protector. She shows you these things to sort of record them into your muscle memory. It’s why training with me has been going spectacularly. She’s teaching you as well.”
“I love that. Thank you,” I say to both of them. He bows his head and urges me to continue. “This is the first time Midnight has lived past twenty–three.”
“Is that right?” he takes a deep breath and sits back. “Any particular reason?”
“She always dies?” I say because how else do you not live past twenty–three? His eyes spark red, and he glares at me. “She always gets killed. Wars, assassinations, it’s violent almost every single time.”
“Yes, that would be common for a guardian as powerful as she.” he nods.
“I think that because of that, when I get excited, she wants to hurt Knight.”
“In any of your visions, has Midnight ever been mated before?”
“Never,” I say sadly. “There was one time when she met her mate, and he killed her. On the spot. She didn’t even know his name.”
His annoyed expression softens like it did when Garrett Rizen attacked us. I can tell it bothers him. He gets up and comes to sit down next to me, taking my hand in his. He reaches out to pull on the collar of my t–shirt to look at my scar.
“I’m going to tell you something, and I’want it to stay between the two of us,” he whispers. “Yes?”
“Yes, sir,” I agree.
He smiles and sits back with a mix of emotions I’ve never seen on his face.
“I was sixteen when I met my mate,” he starts. “She was the daughter of the alpha I was under at the time. My father had been a rogue, and he converted when he met my mother. She died during childbirth, and my father didn’t take it well. He still blames me for that. When she found out I was her mate, she rejected me.
“She told me I would never be worthy of someone like her being who I was. I couldn’t do anything about it at the time, and not long after, she announced she was to be mated to someone I considered my brother.
“The two of them became Alpha and Luna. After, they sold me to a blood ring. A vampire den. There, I met a man named Alastor Demonia. A former wolf turned vampire. I was his slave. He trained me to run his armada and promised that if I did as he asked, he’d grant me my freedom. I did everything he asked of me.
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“I did things you can’t imagine for my master, and when I turned twenty–five, he did what he promised and granted me my freedom. I killed the two of them and erased both their bloodlines from existence. It’s how I got the reputation I did.
“When I met Maria, I was lost. I had just killed my mate, and I was on the verge of becoming feral. She tamed something in me.” he reaches for my t–shirt again to expose the scar. “It scared the hell out of me because I’d never known love like hers. I believed she made me weak, and it led me to do something I’ll never forgive myself for.
“I know that urge to want to rip everything apart with my teeth. I give into it constantly, and I know that you do not possess the malice that comes with what you are, Phoebe. Your wolf doesn’t know this because, like you, she’s brand new to all of this. What Midnight wants is to claim her mate.
“You get excited because he’s offering you that opening to put your mark on him. This is not a scar; it’s a mark. A very special mark that shows every other wolf in existence that you have what many of us die without knowing. It’s a mark that shows you accept him with your entire soul. It’s more than just an act of love. It’s a promise of devotion.
“When you pull away without placing your mark on him, he doesn’t get upset because you’ve almost attacked him. It hurts him so profoundly that he questions his worth at your side and his entire existence. It’s always been an issue with Nathan. He doesn’t take kindly to rejection because he’s my son. No one has ever denied him a single thing his dark little heart has wanted. No one until yo
