AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He wrinkled his nose and asked, “How did you handle it?”
Cain laughed harshly and huffed. “I didn’t. Since Drake was sent down, my people have checked on him weekly. Then he stopped talking to them.” Cain snorted and rubbed his eyes.
“It’s understandable why he stopped communicating with them.” Cain thumped his chest. “His Alpha abandoned him when he was trying to do the right thing. The blood of one of them would have been on his hands regardless of what he did. Drake gambled and hoped Lila would confide in me.”
Cain grimaced, but the grimace quickly softened into a smile. “My mate is too concerned with our freedom and happiness; she will take on the world for us.” Cain shook his head.
He smiled. Even when he first met her, she was shaken by the torture she had witnessed but determined to help.
“Lila had always relied on herself, even when she knew she would have to enlist help from someone else to free you,” Nick agreed. “She never let go of the reins because she wanted to be involved in every aspect of your freedom.”
“You and Lila were the driving force behind getting us out. So don’t assume that we are blaming you for one of your trusted males betraying you. They were dishonest and unfaithful, and the traitor should be hanged,” Cain snarled.
He nodded, but it didn’t alleviate his guilt. There was no power in words now, not while the betrayal was still so recent, and should he tell Cain they no longer hang people? No, Cain knew that…probably.
Cain’s gaze suddenly sharpened, focusing intently on his clothes.
He snorted, raising his eyebrows at Cain. Cain arched an eyebrow back, a smug smile tipping his lips up. He suppressed a groan.
What led them to believe they could keep this a secret?
“You look smart,” Cain remarked far too casually.
“Yes.” Indeed, he did.
The last thing he wanted was to see her without looking his best. It was important for him to make a good impression—A lasting one. He wanted them to last a long time.
“And…” Cain drawled.
“Why don’t you ask me?” Nick said, eyeing him closely.
Cain wasn’t known for being gentle when it came to handling things. “Is it really who I think it is? Tell me I’m getting the scent wrong?”
He winced; it wasn’t acceptance. “No, you’re not getting the scent wrong,” he replied honestly. “Considering the betrayals from my department, I wouldn’t lie to you right now.” Cain waved that comment aside.
Would she want to see him after discovering that one of his males had betrayed them and that it was a human again? He sighed and added, “Taking things slowly was my idea. I wanted to make sure she was confident in us.” He shrugged. “I enjoy her company.” What a placid, dull statement. For that one, he wanted to slap himself.
“Has she spoken to Drey?” Cain asked.
“I doubt it,” he replied, his knees bouncing. She wanted to go public. There was still a part of him that feared she wouldn’t stay with him. “It has only been recently that we have begun to allow things to develop beyond friendship. I ordered some items from her shortly after Karen gave birth to Sylva. That’s how we got talking.”
It wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed her. His chest ached when he was around her, and his skin became hypersensitive because he couldn’t ignore her.
Her beauty was delicately stunning, and she didn’t even realise it, which made her more attractive. Sadly, he was always preoccupied with other things, while she avoided humans like the plague.
Until she didn’t and that continued to be a lesson in self control.
His trousers felt tight, so he shifted, trying to contain the emotion he knew Cain would detect.
Cain licked his lips, his eyes shooting away before finally asking, “Is she handling it well?”
He might have been offended if it had been any other female, but he understood how precious she was and why they wanted to protect her, especially if she developed a relationship with a human. Since they knew him, he hoped that wouldn’t be a problem.
“We are taking things slowly at the moment. There is no rush or pressure on us. Each week, we spend three nights together without expectations.”
“Seems smart to me,” Cain nodded. He still heard reservation in Cain’s voice, which made his chest ache sharply. Finally, Cain saw him wince and explained, “She is a treasure, but she is easily bruised and damaged.”
Muscles tensing, he frowned. That description didn’t fit who she was now. “I like her resilience and hope it will lead to something more. But I don’t know…I understand that it may not happen.” He held onto the faint hope that the bastard betraying them wouldn’t change her decision.
