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"Please. You don't understand..."
Lucy, Nico, Amara, and even Mark... they may not be my blood, but in my heart, they are the first family I've ever had.
"I know you and I have already lost so much time together," I try to explain. "Believe me, no one is more hurt by that than me. But you said it yourself, and I told you already: I am not a child anymore. I can't just disappear and start over like nothing happened."
I reach out instinctively and take his hand, which is freezing to the touch and twice as large as my own.
"I'm glad you found me. Truly," I tell him, and I'm surprised by how much I mean it. "There is so much I want to ask you and so much for me to tell you, but I can't just leave the Rovers behind. I can't leave my mate."
He narrows his eyes at me, curious but unconvinced. "But you said you are not their Luna, and this Tristan fellow has not mated with you."
I wince.
That's a delicate conversation.
"No, but they are my friends, and Tristan is my mate. You may be my father, but they are my family. Tristan hasn't marked me, but he cares about me. He's protected me, given me a home, and helped me grow. Whether it's official or not, it doesn't matter. I am bonded to him, and I will not abandon him. You have to take me back."
There's a sudden change in the Night King's expression, and his scarlet eyes soften, a small smile playing on the corners of his lips.
"You love him."
I pull my hands away from his as if he'd stung me, and I curse under my breath.
I didn't say that. I hadn't even thought it. I had not admitted it to Marco, or Tristan, or even to myself.
But as my father's words play over and over in my mind, I cannot bring myself to deny them, so I find myself answering almost unintentionally, my voice shaky with awe and unexpected certainty.
"Yes."
I do. I really, truly do.
"I love him," I say softly, my cheeks still damp with tears.
Even if he doesn't feel the same way. I know he does not trust the mating bond. He only brought me into his home for the sake of his pack. But I don't care. All my life, I've been denied a sense of belonging, but even with his own reservations about me, Tristan has treated me with kindness and respect. He is a great king to his pack of peculiar misfits and a good man, and I love him.
"Very well then, princess." Marco nods, a compassionate fondness softening his sharp features. "It sounds like you have spent enough of your life trapped by others. I will not do that to you as well. You may not be a child anymore, but you are my daughter. I would like to do right by you, even if I am late to do so."
Better late than never. Thank the Goddess first impressions aren't always right.
Relief floods me, and while I knew he was my father even before he said it, this is the first time it feels true. This feels real. I have a family. I have a father who wants to do right by me. I have a mate that I have unintentionally and unwittingly fallen in love with.
"Thank you."
The Night King inclines his head in a slight bow before offering me his hand.
"Although you will have to tell me all about this Alpha of yours some other time. I do hope, for his own sake, that he has a good reason for not mating with you."
My hand freezes in midair before I can take his.
The mark! I was so caught up in the discovery of my parents' love story and my concern to get back to Tristan... I completely forgot about the bloody mark.
"Actually, he does!" I say suddenly, unable to hold back my excitement. This is the final piece of the puzzle, and I can't believe I almost forgot it. "There is one more thing I want to clear up with you before you take me back."
"Oh?" He arches a brow.
I pull the strap of the pastel blue sports bra to the side of my shoulder, exposing the mark. I can't believe I'm still standing here in my sports clothes. When I get back to the Villa, I'm going to tell Lucy all about the adventure I had in the ridiculously aesthetic workout clothes she picked for me.
"This mark over my heart, I think it's some kind of spell. Whenever I try to get close to my mate, it hurts me. Last time the pain was so intense that I passed out from it," I explain, and my father's eyes narrow. "We figure it had something to do with my past and my lineage, so... can you remove it?"
