A packed chapter for my lovely readers :)
Next chapter should be up very soon, bear with me!! I've been doing so well, haven't I?
Song of the chapter is "Over and Over Again" by Nathan Sykes
Cute gif of Kiara below!
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Chapter 26
Connor POV
The Alpha's large office doors shut with a loud click, and it echoed in the large room. I'd never seen his office before, so I took some time to look around before I sat down in one of the brown leather chairs in front of his desk. The room was fucking massive, with shelves that reached the ceiling covered in books and bound papers.
The Alpha took a seat at his office chair. I looked like a kid being scolded by the principal or something. I almost laughed, but I wanted to look serious in front of the guy. He was Kiara's dad, and even though I'd been trained to hate his kind my whole life, I respected him. He earned it, believe it or not. He was a good leader.
"Connor," he started, shuffling his papers around on his desk. "I wanted to talk to you about the situation we have at hand." Oh shit. Did he know? Was it time to come clean? My eyes narrowed on their own accord. But I stayed silent. "You love my daughter, no?"
Well, that's not what I thought he was going to say. But as soon as he said those words, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. Because I did. I did love her. "Yes," I replied. "Very much, Sir."
He seemed to ponder for a moment, looking up at me as he read over some more of his papers. Finally, he sighed. "Then I guess you should start calling me James."
"Sir?"
"No. James."
I was fucking confused, as usual in this pack house. "James," I said slowly.
"Good boy." This was almost comical, if I wasn't still so guarded.
"Sir," I started. He gave me a pointed look. "Uh, James, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Another sigh from the Alpha - excuse me, James - as he filed his papers away in his desk. I could see the Alpha position taking a toll on him, the recent threat of the hunters causing a lack of sleep around his eyes. You wouldn't notice unless you really looked at him up close. I wondered how he dealt with the stress.
"I've been very cautious with you, Connor," he said. "As you know, I'm very protective of Kiara. She's everything to me." You and me both, I thought. "But you've proven to be a valued member of the pack, a good match for my daughter." I couldn't help the pride that swelled within me as I fought a grin. "Lynn and I, we trust you with her. I don't want any more tension between us."
"I don't want that either, si - James," I said, not really sure if what I was hearing was real. He trusts me? The Alpha finally trusts me?
James gave me a real smile, and it brightened his whole face. No longer was he the dangerous Alpha. Just a concerned father who loved his daughter with everything he had. I met his grin with one of my own.
As we stood up, we shook hands with more force than necessary. I thought that maybe we were both relieved that there wasn't any additional stress. We had hunters to think of.
And I thought of maybe telling him right then. Telling him of the plan, and what my part in all of it was. That I was so unbelievably sorry, and that ever since I met Kiara I knew I wouldn't be able to go through with it. I could warn them before anything happened.
I opened my mouth to get his attention. "James," I started.
But before I could speak further, the large office door was slammed open with a bang.
Chase was in rare form, sweating and out of breath as he panted in the doorway. "Alpha," he said. His eyebrows were wrinkled in concern. "I ran as fast as I could. Kiara, she-"
That was as much as he got out before I had shot up from my chair and shoved him out of the way.
I was running faster than I had ever run in my whole life. I couldn't even hear anything - just the blood pounding in my ears as I ran and ran. I didn't even know where she was. I didn't have to; her scent was so clear to me now that I could follow it to wherever she was. My wolf was raging to come out, but I managed to keep him at bay. James was running not far behind me, trusting my ability to find her scent.
Oh god, something had happened, I thought. I wasn't fast enough. I couldn't protect her. The thoughts were almost eating me alive as I pumped my legs. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have thought that turning my phone off would keep Saxton away from her? I was seeing red, but I was mostly mad at myself. I thought I'd always be there to kill anyone who tried to hurt her. How could I not have been there?
In what felt like centuries but was probably only a couple of seconds, we finally reached the front lawn of the pack house. There was a crowd, much like there was with Savannah, of concerned pack members. But I didn't care who they were as I shoved them away, until I finally made it to the center of it all.
"Connor," Kiara breathed, and my shoulders actually sagged with relief. She wasn't dead. Not yet, a nagging voice teased inside my head.
"Oh god," I heard myself say, and I immediately had her in my arms, bridal style. I was so relieved to find her alive that I didn't care who was watching as I buried my head in her hair, holding her so tight to me she was practically out of sight. She smelled so good, so fucking good, and she was mine. She was alive. Thank God.
The fear of her being dead felt like something being ripped out of my soul, and it was finally coming back to me as I calmed myself down. I was still almost shaking with rage.
"Hey," she whispered and cupped my face in her hands. I ran my eyes over her face, looking for any signs of discomfort. "I'm okay," she said. But I could still catch a sign of a grimace on her full lips. She was hiding it from the pack members, I could tell.
I pressed my forehead against hers. "I'm so sorry," I breathed. I swallowed audibly. I'm so sorry this was my fault, I wanted to say.
"Kiara," James said worriedly. "What happened?"
I turned around so that we were now facing the crowd, Kiara still in my arms. I realized now that I didn't even know what had hurt her. I am a horrible fucking mate, I concluded.
"The - the hunter," she stammered, looking around at the pack members, specifically the children staring up at her in awe. I knew she didn't want to scare them, and my chest burned with love for her. She was amazing. "I don't know how he got past the patrols, but he was right here in front of the pack house." There were murmurs. Nick, that fucking bastard, I seethed. I was going to kill him. "There was this weird looking gun and I called Chase for help, but he shot me. I tried to dodge it, but it got me in the ankle."
My heart practically stopped. A gun? Nick didn't use guns, unless they were packed with his special bullets. The ones he and Saxton created with a lethal poison that attacked each organ before killing a werewolf. No wolf had ever been strong enough to fight it, even with our enhanced healing. It worked too quickly.
I eyed Kiara's ankle, praying to every Moon Goddess or whoever the fuck was up there that she hadn't been shot with one of those. I'd never forgive myself. But as she handed a bullet to her father, I sighed when I recognized the regular bullet casing. I thought I'd never be so happy to see a bullet in my life.
"I already took the bullet out, it should heal soon," she said and smiled. She actually smiled, like a fucking angel. The children seemed satisfied with her health, and the pack members started filing back into the house, casually murmuring along the way. After they were gone, she leaned her head on my shoulder.
"And now you tell me how it really feels," I said to her.
"I'll be fine," she replied. "It's just sore." I gripped her tighter.
"I should've been there."
She shook her head and placed a kiss on my neck. "Don't do that. It's already healing. It's not your fault, Connor." If she only knew. Her brown hair was covered in snowflakes, but the wind was finally dying down.
"I'm so sorry, Alpha," Chase interjected, his head hanging down low. "I didn't know the hunters could get past patrols. I should've been guarding Kiara."
James sighed and wrapped an arm around his wife. "It's alright, Chase. No one thought anything would happen right in front of the pack house. Let's just be thankful Kiara wasn't gravely injured," he said, taking a side glance at me. I nodded, and so did Chase.
"I will protect Kiara with my life, Sir," Chase replied.
"Chase, stop," Kiara interrupted, making everyone turn towards us. "Look at me, I'm fine! I'm really okay, can everyone stop acting like this is some tragedy?" She refrained from rolling her grey eyes, and I had to stop myself from chuckling. Yeah, she was fine.
"Let's get out of the snow before we all catch something," Kiara's mom said. "There's also hot chocolate on the stove."
"Mmmm," Kiara moaned, and it took all I had not to run her upstairs and make her mine. Even injured, this girl's effect on me was fucking crazy. "You know, I can probably walk now, Connor," she said, jolting me out of my dirty thoughts. She raised an eyebrow at me teasingly.
"I," I started. "I don't think I can let you go yet. I don't know why, I just -"
"It's the mate bond," James interrupted. "You just need to be close to her after you feared for her safety. Perfectly normal," he smiled.
"Ohhkaaay," Kiara dragged out. "Why are you two acting so weird with each other?"
I chuckled. I whispered in her ear, "Your dad likes me now." I followed it with a kiss to her cheek. She audibly gasped, which made James and I laugh.
"It is pretty cold today," James continued. "Maybe we can arrange for a room for Connor on the third floor. The fourth floor doesn't have a heating system, as you probably guessed."
"No way!" Kiara exclaimed, wrapping her arms around my neck tightly. I laughed, holding her close. I'd never get enough of her. "This is the best birthday ever!"
Her parents chuckled, but I went back to my dark place. My reality. Saxton wouldn't stop, no chance. There were still things to be said, apologies to be made. But I had to talk to Kiara first. No matter what, I couldn't lose her.
After we had sipped hot chocolate by the fire, I brought her upstairs to her room to rest her ankle, even though she swore it was fully healed. We sat in front of each other on her gigantic fluffy comforter. Through the window, the snow was falling peacefully outside.
"What's up?" she asked, trailing a hand down my face. "You look stressed." she rested her fingers on my tensed jaw.
My mind was going too fast for my mouth to even form words. How was I going to say it?
Kiara, I was brought up by hunters to kill you and your family, but I ended up falling for you.
The reason I couldn't tell you about my past is because I was trained my whole life to murder you on your birthday.
I'm so sorry. I lied to you about my past. I was really planned to meet you and have you fall for me, because I'm meant to kill your pack.
"Let me in, please," she begged. She could sense my hesitation, and I sighed. There was no good way to put it. So I probably started out the worst, most cowardly way possible.
I gulped. "There's something I need to tell you."
She waited patiently, a concerned look in her wide, grey eyes. A reassuring smile on her perfect face. Fuck, I didn't know where to start.
"First, I," I stammered, licking my lips. "Kiara, I love you."
I waited a beat. But she was still sitting there, looking stunned. Her eyes widened even more, and a light blush crept up her cheeks. And then, she burst into a grin, laughing and threw herself in my arms, almost knocking me over.
"You love me?" she asked. How could she ever doubt it? Of course I loved her, I loved every ounce of her. I couldn't help but return her smile.
"I love you," I repeated. She sighed contentedly and kissed me. I returned it, because there was no way I was going to reject her kisses. But I reminded myself of the situation we were in and pulled away.
"But, Kiara, I-"
"Shh," she told me, and brought her lips back to mine. I cradled her head, tangling my fingers in her hair. It was too difficult not to. "I love you too," she said to me.
My chest practically leaped out of my body when she said those words. Holy shit. She loved me? Someone like her, so beautiful and good, loved me? I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my lips, before I pressed them back to her soft ones.
And before my thoughts had time to catch up to me, she was under me, topless and squirming with need. She moaned loudly every time I pressed my lips to the mark on her neck, bucking her hips up to the prominent bulge in my jeans. I squeezed her narrow hips gently.
"Kiara," I said huskily into her ear, trying to focus. But it had only made her trail her hands down my bare chest and into the waistband of my jeans. Her cool hands felt amazing on my scorching skin, and I practically hissed through my teeth.
"Make love to me, Connor," she suddenly said. It was like a bucket of ice water thrown on my body as I jerked away from her.
"Kiara, I -" I swallowed audibly, because God, she was so fucking hot. "I can't, I -"
She sat up, interrupting me mid sentence. "You don't want me?" she asked, biting her lip and casting her eyes downward. She started to cover herself up by crossing her arms over her chest, but I grabbed her hands.
"No," I said. "God, are you kidding? I want you so badly," I closed my eyes, loving the feel of her skin on mine. The mate bond was going crazy, making it difficult to even think straight.
"Then make love to me, Connor. I'm ready; I want you, too." She looked at me with so much love in her eyes it shocked me right to my core. Her cheeks were flushed as she lay under me, and her lips were red and swollen from kissing. Her silky brown hair was sprawled out on the pillow. She looked fucking beautiful.
How could I possibly reject her with her looking up at me so vulnerably like that? I wanted her to know she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen; I wanted to make her feel amazing and special. I hovered over her gently, careful not to put my weight on her. The tips of my hair were almost touching her eyelashes. "I love you so much," I said. I loved her more than anything.
And I slanted my lips over hers, giving in to her as she made me weak with every touch, every stroke of her hand. I gave in to this one night, knowing that I'd have to tell her in the morning. Scared shitless that she'd hate me, because I knew now that I could never let her go.
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Soon, what do you think? ;)
I know, I know, Connor's an idiot. You don't need to tell me, I already yelled at him a million times. I mean, come on! You need to tell Kiara the truth before you mate with her, clueless boy! hahaha.
What do you think happens next? Will Kiara ever find out the truth, and from who?
Next chapter should be up shortly where you can maybe find out...