I walked into my fatherโs office to find him surrounded by the other alphas. โDaddy?โ
He smiled as he stood. โBaby girl, youโโ He stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes fell on my neck.
Rowan entered, and my fatherโs eyes snapped to him. โGavin,โ Rowan began.
Everyone quieted, sensing the tension between the two males glaring at each other. โYou two mated?โ My fatherโs voice was unusually soft.
I stepped in front of Rowan, but he pulled me back against his chest and stepped in front of me. โNot now, Rabbit. This is between your father and me,โ Rowan said, standing straighter. โYes.โ
A soft growl escaped my father. I leaned around Rowan to glare at my dad. โIs this what you want, Amy?โ His eyes met mine, revealing an internal struggle.
I nodded. โHeโs my second chance mate, Daddy,โ I said, turning to Rowan. โHonestly, I think he was always going to be my mate.โ
My dad seemed to accept this. He shook his head and exhaled. โYou are probably right.โ Everyone looked at him in surprise. He smiled. โI may be a stupid alpha, but even I can see thatโs a goddess mate mark. And with what happened the first time around, I can only assume this was all part of her plan.โ He shook his head before looking back at Rowan. โYou are my king, and I respect you. Like you, even. But if you hurt herโฆโ His eyes hardened. โI will kill you.โ Everyone gasped.
โDaddy,โ I said, reaching for him. โYou canโt say that. Thatโs treason.โ I was terrified for my father.
โDeal,โ Rowan said firmly, extending a hand.
I froze, turning on Rowan. โWhat did you just say?โ
He grabbed me with his other hand, keeping the first outstretched toward my dad. โI said โdeal,โ Rabbit. I understand your dadโs worry. And I will never, ever hurt you again.โ He kissed the tip of my nose before turning back to my father. โYou can kill me if I hurt herโฆ Iโll even let you.โ He grinned as my dad glared at him for a moment before smiling back.
โDeal.โ My dad slapped his hand into Rowanโs, and they shook.
I tossed my hands in the air. โMen are stupid.โ I turned to the bookshelf and searched for the picture Rowan had spotted last night. There it was, at the top, just as heโd said. I jumped up, grabbed it, hanging off the bookshelf and staring at the picture. I recognized the two in the photo, though I wasnโt sure how.
โGet down,โ Rowan rumbled from below.
I smirked as I dropped into his arms. โI am a werewolfโฆ like you.โ
He set me down. โWe are lycans, and that doesnโt change the fact that I donโt want you dangling off a rickety old shelf.โ He shook his head, looking at the photo. โWhy did you grab it?โ
My dad walked over and took the photo from my hand. โWhy did you grab this picture?โ
Rowan looked at the photo. โWe talked about it last night.โ
I reached for the photo, still confused by their expressions. โI felt the urge to see it.โ I touched my grandmotherโs face. โThey look so familiar.โ
My dad placed a hand on my shoulder. โNot possible, bug. They were gone before you were alive.โ
I nodded, but felt a tug in my chest. I recognized them and needed to find out why. โCan I keep this photo?โ I asked my dad.
โI donโt see why not.โ He paced. โBut the picture isnโt why youโre here. The rogues are starting to move. I sent Cass back this morning. She sent one text before going silent.โ He handed me his phone.
Chapter 521
I read the screen and staggered back.
Cass: Rogue spotted me. Had to run. Going silent.
My eyes snapped to my fatherโs. โSheโs been found, right?โ I waited for his answer, but none came. โRight?โ I turned to Rowan, but he wouldnโt meet my eyes. โHow long?โ I yelled, checking the textโs timestamp. I stumbled back against the bookshelf. โTwo hours?โ My head snapped back to my father. โShe sent this two hours ago, and you just came for me.โ
My dad called out to me, but I sprinted from the room. โAmy!โ
โBaby, you have to understand that she was trained for this,โ my father yelled, but I was already out the front door and shifting.
Erubus appeared beside me instantly. โWe will find her.โ