Chapter 25-2
“And you wouldn’t even hear my advice,” Mom replied with a grin. “You were such an ass.
“You were the only person who could undo them,” Dad said defensively. “Not my fault I have such
an incredible null mate.”
“That was the first time we saw each other after you rejected me!” Mom grunted. “Shut up.”
“I love you,” Dad sent her a flying kiss, and the look they shared was so full of love and history that it made my chest ache. Several groans were heard through the table at the display.
“Wait,” Kane said slowly, looking between my parents. “Kiana is a null?”
“Yes, so I can help with those traps. Sisi got my abilities as well.” Mom said with obvious pride. I could see the wheels turning in Kane’s head as he processed this information, but thankfully he didn’t say anything about knowing I was a null.
“How did you survive all that, though?” my mother asked Kane, turning back to him with genuine
concern in her voice.
Kane was quiet for a moment, and when he answered, his voice was softer. “Stubbornness. And the knowledge that someone was counting on me to make it through.”
His eyes found mine across the room when he said it, and I felt my breath catch. He’d been thinking about me during all those dangerous months, using thoughts of me to keep himself alive.
I felt guilty about some of the things I’d thought about him, though I didn’t show it. All this time I’d been assuming he was living comfortably somewhere, maybe even working with his son. Instead, he’d been fighting for his life in the wilderness, dodging ancient magical traps, searching for me. I made a point to avoid Kane and not speak to him at all during the entire meeting, but I found myself listening intently whenever he spoke. His voice was different from than I remembered, more confident, less guarded. The isolation had changed him, stripped away some of the careful control he’d maintained.
Until the meeting was finally winding down, and…
“Sisi,” my father called me from where he was chatting with Kane, waiting until I was standing next to him to pat me on the head. “Why don’t you show Kane one of the guest rooms?”
“What?” I almost shrieked. “I have things to do. Dash can…”
“No, no, miss. You won’t be doing anything else for the rest of the day. You need to rest, dear,” my mother chimed in with that worried expression she’d been wearing more often lately. “So show
12
Chapter 25 2
Claim
him his room and lie down. There’s no reason why you should be here for the rest of the meeting. London is bringing his shit beers and they’ll start talking nonsense. No more plans will be devised
today.”
“I heard that, Kiana!” London grunted as he walked into the room with a crate of bottles. “Shitty beers. Ha. I’ll make sure no one sells my shitty beers to you from now on, let’s see how you like
that.”
He grumbled under his breath as he set the crate down with more force than necessary, making my mother roll her eyes with an exaggerated expression and a pointed look at me, as if to say’
men.’
“Don’t be such a baby, London, you know I was joking,” Mom whined as she followed the alpha across the room. “Your beer is perfectly adequate.”
“Adequate!” London sputtered. “Woman, that’s even worse than calling it shit!”
“Our Sisi will show you your room, Kane. Welcome!” Mom called over her shoulder with a bright smile, completely ignoring London’s continued complaints.
“See you tomorrow, Si,” Dad kissed my head and walked over to Finn, who was chatting happily with Dash about pack politics or hunting strategies or whatever it was alpha heirs discussed when they got together.
Only Kane and I were left standing in front of each other, and it was awkward as hell. The noise of the room seemed to fade around us, leaving just the two of us in our own little bubble of tension. He cleared his throat, but I interrupted whatever he was about to say.
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