Steve nodded and struck.
The scream that tore out of her throat was worse than any sound they’d heard that night.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “You’re not getting yours yet. That part’s for later. Liana deserves the honor.”
Cynthia cried. Cried until her face was soaked, until her voice cracked. She shook as if she was freezing, her eyes glued to the sight of Steve ripping through the skin of one of the men with a fresh whip, while Logan pressed a hot metal rod against the other’s thigh, and the stench of burnt flesh filled the place.
She screamed every time they screamed. She looked away, and Logan whipped her.
“Look!” he growled.
Minutes passed. Or maybe hours. They all blurred. Blood poured. Bones cracked. One of the men threw up from the pain. Another begged to die. Cynthia passed out three more times, but each time she did, they brought her back with a whip on her back.
Eventually, I got up. I was tired of watching and walked to Logan and Steve, patting their backs as I approached.
“Pause for now, I told them, and they nodded, both of them panting, blood splattered on their shirts, sweat dripping down their necks. They looked just as exhausted as I felt.
I didn’t walk off immediately. I stayed a moment, catching my breath. Steve wiped his brow and muttered, “This shit’s getting messier by the hour.”
Logan nodded beside him. “You sure you’ve got a plan here?”
“I do,” I said. “Just not one I can share yet. But I will. Soon.”
I stepped out to make the call I needed to. I dialed the one person who could help secure this place, my head warrior and the Chief of Police for the region, the highest-ranking officer in the town’s law enforcement and the enforcer of my pack’s law.
“Alpha,” he answered immediately.
“I’m sending you an address. I need ten of your best men there as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Exactly twenty minutes later, a black van pulled up. Ten armed, uniformed enforcers stepped out, each one wearing the crest of our pack. They lined up and bowed.”Alpha.”
“Surround this place,” I ordered. “Guard it with your lives. No one dies. If anything happens to them, all of you will answer to me.”
“Yes, Alpha!” they chorused.
As I turned back around, Logan and Steve stepped out after me. Logan was still wiping his hands on his jeans.
“You gonna tell us what the hell all this is really about?” Logan asked. “We’ve had your back through everything, you owe us at least a damn explanation.”
“I will,” I said with a nod. “I promise, but not now.”
Logan gave me a tired smirk and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t keep us waiting too long, man.”
“I won’t,” I said, returning the gesture, squeezing his shoulder before letting go. “Go on. Rest. You both did good today.”
With a final nod between us, they turned and walked off together.
I turned once more to the warehouse before walking away.
My Liana was waiting for me. As for her father, he has some serious explaining to do.
KILLIAN’S POV
By the time I got home, it was already late, and I was exhausted to the bone, but the second I stepped inside and saw the place quiet, I knew Liana was already asleep. I needed to hold her. I needed to feel her in my arms again. I missed her so damn much.
Her dad was sprawled on the couch, looking as if he hadn’t moved in hours. I gave him a short nod, just out of politeness, and started making my way toward the stairs but then I stopped. This was the perfect time to get her dad talking, but my heart was already racing at the thought of holding my Liana in my arms again. God, I had missed her so damn much, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could go without feeling her against me. I shrugged off the thought of talking to him now. Maybe later… maybe tomorrow or something, but not now… tonight, I needed my Liana. I was halfway up when his voice stopped me.
“Killian,” he called, and I paused, gripping the railing.
I turned to him. He stood up slowly, his expression weirdly serious but kind of guilty at the same time. “I want to talk to you.
Everything in me wanted to say no. Everything in me wanted to just run to her room and bury myself in her scent, in her arms. But I nodded and walked back down. Perhaps this was Indeed the perfect time.
He patted my back.
I stared at him. That was… strange. Since the day he found out about Liana and I, the man had made it very clear he wasn’t thrilled about it. The pat on the back felt odd. Forced. Or maybe real. I didn’t know.
He walked over to the bar, opened one of the cabinets, and pulled out a bottle of wine. It said 15% alcohol on the label. I held back a snort. That couldn’t get me drunk if I drank the whole damn thing. He poured us each a glass and handed me one.
He took a sip, then sighed like he was about to start confessing to murder.
I stayed quiet.
“Do you love my daughter?” he asked.
That question hit me hard. I didn’t see it coming. I blinked. “Yes. I do.” I didn’t even hesitate.
He nodded slowly, took another sip, and sat down.
“She’s the only child I’ll ever have,” he said quietly, as if he was talking more to himself than to me. “Her mother my late wife… she was everything to me. Not that I don’t love your mother, I love her so much too, but with Emilia… it was different. She was my world, Killian. Liana… she’s the only piece of her I have left.”
I sat there, just listening, not touching my drink.
Then his voice cracked, and he said something that made my chest tighten. “She didn’t die a normal death. She was murdered. Beheaded.”
He was crying now.
“Ever since she was brutally murdered, I hated werewolf beings. I promised myself my daughter wouldn’t have anything to do with them. I hid her scent so she could live like a human. So she wouldn’t live in fear.”He wiped at his face with the back of his hand. “When your mom told me you were a werewolf, I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. And then I found out you were the reason Liana ran away all those years ago, I got so pissed off. But it wasn’t you I hated, Killian. It was what you were.”
I stayed quiet. I understood him, even if I didn’t like it.
Then he looked up, eyes red, face tired. “But after watching you… the way you are with her… even though you’re a little too possessive, and sometimes borderline obsessive… you treat her like she’s your last breath.”
“That’s because she is,” I said without thinking.
He let out a dry chuckle and nodded again. “But you were married.”
“That was a political marriage. I should’ve told you and my mom when I brought her to you. I never loved Cynthia. I thought I needed her for power, for connections. But I was wrong. I never did.”
“That’s good to hear,” he said, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. “I know Liana is angry with me right now. Hell, I deserve it. I lied to her. I kept the truth away, thinking I was protecting her. But I failed. They still got to her. Those monsters still got to her. I couldn’t protect her. I’m such a useless fool.”
He started crying. “If she never forgives me, I’ll understand. I just hope she knows how much I love her. I never wanted to hurt her. Never. I just… I didn’t know what else to do.”
He was sobbing now, and I had no idea how to comfort him. I reached out and patted his back, awkwardly. “I’m sure if you explain it to her, she’ll understand. Liana loves you so much-“
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