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“You don’tdeserveshit,” I cut him off, spinning around, throwing my wrath at him. It needed an outlet, and Zen was the unfortunate recipient. “Your shitty little stunt fighting Rune and keeping information from me rubbed me the wrong way tonight. Don’t get me wrong, you’re a close friend and a beta I will always turn to, but you should remember who you are and where you fit on the food chain.”
Zen clenched his jaw.
“Of course, Alpha. I should have handled it differently. What else do you need me to do?” He was playing nice to get back in my good graces, and that was a good move.
“Take Cullen and get back out there. I want to find out why the hell those two are here in my territory when they’re human, where they’re from, and how the Rogues want to use them.”
“I don’t know if I can find answers.”
“You can try, that would be a good start,” I growled.
Zen and Cullen hurried away.
Fuck, my emotions were all over the place. I’d been harder on Zen than I usually was, but maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. He took liberties way too often lately, and someone had to remind him who was boss.
I was all tied up in knots after seeing Danna again.
How was she back in my life? I hadn’t known anything about her two weeks ago, and now, not only did I know I had a child who, apparently, was a shifter, but she was here in my hotel. No in myapartment.
I should have offered them a room, but the moment I’d heard she was in trouble and terrified, my protective side kicked in.
I was past the point where I could convince myself that I didn’t care. Even the guys had been able to tell that I cared, or Zen wouldn’t have asked.
I just needed to know why they were here and what the Rogues wanted with them. That was the only reason I cared—it was about being alpha.
Keep telling yourself that.
I was suddenly furious. Why the hell was this happening to me? As if I didn’t already have more than enough to deal with… I had to get rid of them. I just had to find out what was going on, and then I had to get them the hell out of here so I could get back to living my life the way I liked it—single, unattached, in charge.
They were here for one reason and one reason only: to tell me what I needed to know.
Then I could kick them to the curb.
Did it seem unkind? Hell, yeah. It seemed monstrous, but I didn’t have what it took to get involved. Not emotionally, and not physically. I was the alpha, and I had to take care of my own.
I couldn’t let them be my own. That little girl was mine, and the moment I’d seen her, my heart had leaped, a protectiveness coming over me... but it was that protectiveness that needed them gone. They were in more danger with me than they were away from me.
The only people I could keep close were the ones who were aware of my curse and chose to be here, anyway. Rune and Zen could take care of themselves, hold their own, so they stayed.
As much as it hurt me, Danna and Emmie had to leave. For their sake.
When I’d taken a moment to compose myself, I left the boardroom and got into the elevator that took me up to the penthouse apartment, where the questions about my past and the questions about my future would be waiting for me, wrapped up in a beautiful package with evergreen eyes, dark brown hair, and a daughter that was clearly the perfect amalgamation of the two of us.
I took a deep breath, but nothing could prepare me for any of this.
10
DANNA
Itucked Emmie into the king-sized bed in one of the guest rooms and kissed her forehead. We were on the second floor of the penthouse apartment, that I visited on the night I had met Wesley.
“I’m right here, sweetheart,” I said. “We’re safe here.”
Emmie’s eyes were wide. “I want to go home.”
“I know,” I said. “Me too. We’ll go home soon, though. Wesley is a nice man. He can be trusted.”
I swallowed the rest of the truth.Wesley is your father. He disappeared. Somehow, I don’t feel like we’re in danger when we’re with him, even though I don’t know him at all.
