AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Too late.
I’d already done so many stupid things, so many things I shouldn’t do after he sold me to Ruin.
I ran my fingers over the scars near his heart. “It’s not fair that you see everything I hide from the world while I can barely see anything of you.”
He rubbed gentle circles on my back. “If you saw the darkness in me, you’d run.” His lips rested in my hair. “I’m a monster.”
“We’re all monsters, Fane.” I breathed deeply and let the tension drain from my muscles. “You’re not worse than me.”
“I am. You’ll see. One day.”
* * *
Fane pulledup to a large white colonial house with black shutters and a scarlet door as I continued to pick at my cuticles. “So, this is the alpha’s home?”
He grabbed my hand before I bled to death. “You don’t need to be nervous. You’re not doing this alone. I’m with you.”
The air in his car grew electric as we stared at each other. I’d woken up alone in my bed this morning, but the covers were messier than usual, and his scent coated them. After I fell asleep in his lap in the bathroom, he must have tucked me back into bed and stayed the rest of the night.
Neither of us mentioned it. We pretended like it didn’t happen.
Fine with me. I’d rather not admit how good it felt to curl up in his embrace or how it ripped the nightmares right out of my head.
Fane cleared his throat, dropped my hand, and looked away, breaking the intense moment. “And my uncle is here too.”
“Right.” I hurried out of the car to escape his heady scent, sucking in the fresh air. “I’m not going to bow to the alpha or anything.”
The demon shifter met me on the sidewalk, and his hand lifted to touch me, but he let it fall at the last second. “Good. You don’t submit to anyone, remember?”
“I remember.” My muscles clenched as I tried to hide the quiver that ran through me. How could I forget his words in the raven’s gym, reminding me that I came from him?
“Just don’t be an ass to the alpha,” he said as we walked up the stairs onto the large wraparound porch. Potted plants hung from hooks in the ceiling, and purple flowers grew in planters around the edges.
“Was Camus the alpha when you were a kid?” I asked.
He cast a glance at me, his eyebrow arching. “Yeah, why?”
From what Logan said and how that douche Dominic acted, most of the pack wasn’t very welcoming to Fane, including the alpha.
“Maybe he deserves me being an ass.” I crossed my arms and met Fane’s gaze.
It took a moment for the realization to settle in, and his head lowered. “He’s not like he used to be.”
After Fane knocked, an older woman dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt opened the door, her muscles tensing as she gave Fane a strained smile. “Please come in. Alpha Camus is expecting you.” Her tawny-blonde hair was twisted into a bun at the base of her nape, delicate strands floating around her face, softening the harsh lines. A few faint copper freckles spotted her cheeks.
“Thanks, Constance.” Fane followed me inside.
The interior of the enormous house resembled a fancy ski lodge—obviously, I’d only ever seen them on TV—with wood everywhere and animal heads nailed to the walls. The scent of cedar and leather filled the air, and flames danced in the hearth of a massive fireplace. A majestic deer with huge, intricate antlers hung above the mantel.
Did the alpha kill the stag himself in wolf form?
“Tate, it’s so good to see you again.” Ephraim, Fane’s uncle, trekked from a hallway on the left, smiling as he made his way over. Instead of attempting to hug me like his wife had, he shook my hand. Maybe Fane had warned him.
“It’s nice to see you too.”
He patted my arm before releasing my hand. “Stay as long as you like. Forever even. We’d love to have you as a member of the family.” His amber eyes swiveled to Fane, and the hidden meaning in his words wasn’t lost on either of us.
“Smooth, Uncle Ephraim.” Fane shook his head and crossed his arms, the muscles straining beneath his long-sleeve shirt.
