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“You would really go against your father for a rogue?”
“For you and Valarian, I would go against the entire world if needed,” Valen says, and I chew my lip. I can feel he means what he said. Feeling him makes his words hold more meaning, and I don't know what to think about him. He can lie through words, but not through the bond, so to feel that he means exactly what he said kind of throws me off.
“He didn't threaten me. He told me to let you mark me.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, he’s a good father, strict, but he means well, mostly.”
“Is that why he tried to get you to marry my sister?”
“No, idea what he meant by that. He’s hated your father for decades. It makes no sense to me,” Valen admits, and I can feel his worry through the bond, making me realize he, too, noticed his father's change in attitude.
“Are you worried about your father finding out?” Valen asks as we pull into the hotel parking space. He stops the car.
“Yes and no. I’ll be relieved I don't have to keep it a secret anymore, but I’m also scared of everyone's reaction.”
“Why didn't you just tell him?”
I raise an eyebrow at him and he laughs.
“Yeah, that was a dumb question,” he adds. “Do you think he would have kicked you out if he knew?”
“I’ve thought of that actually—thought about telling him, especially once I found out you were, in fact, my mate.”
“Then why didn't you? Would have saved you being homeless.”
“Your father isn’t the only one that worries about his reputation, Valen. When he found out I was pregnant, he tried to get the doctor to abort Valarian, sweep it under the rug so no one would know, and I could still take my place as Alpha. Like Valarian was some dirty secret.”
Valen growls at my words, and his knuckles turn white as he grips the steering wheel.
“I couldn't do it, so he kicked me out. I believe the reaction would have been the same, if not worse, if he knew you were his father.”
“You think he would have pinned you down and made you abort if he knew?”
“No, I believe he would have killed me or come after our son once he was born to use him as a tool against you. I couldn't allow that.”
“And now what's changed? Why can you be honest now?”
“Valarian has you. I know you’ll keep him safe,” I admit. I can tell just by his reaction to having a son. Zoe said it herself too. She knew Valen's intentions were good, unlike some we’d come across over the years.
“Can I ask how you came into the possession of a hotel, being rogue?” Valen asks, looking out at the place I call home—my village. I love this place, not just because of what it has given us but because of where it came from and the history behind it.
“It was given to Valarian and me. We inherited it.”
“By your grandparents?”
“No, by the woman who owned it. When you kicked me out of the packhouse, I went home—or tried to anyway. My father was gracious enough to let Valarian in the house after my mother begged him because it was raining. The next morning, dad tossed some money at me and said he never wanted to see me again, that I was causing problems between him and mom, so I went back to my car. I grabbed a few things, walked here, and met a woman,” I told him. I look over at the doors where the main front counter is. I can still picture her clearly, like it was yesterday; Valarie sitting out front with a smoke between her lips, rough as guts but with a heart of gold. She was a tough woman. A remarkable woman.
“I thought she was someone staying at the hotel,” I chuckle. “She was rogue also. She gave us a fresh start, offered me a job, paid for my schooling—she gave me hope. Then, when she died, she left it all to me.”
“Is that how you met Zoe and Macey?”
“No, I met them at the maternity ward. When I was given the job, we needed help to clean it up—the place was a dump. She gave them jobs too, said we would build our own village, that family is what you make it. So once it was running and I found out about inheriting it, that's what I did; I built our village. Our village of rogues.”
“I guess I owe her one. She seems like a good woman.”
“She was. I can only dream of being half the woman she was. No words can describe how great she was.”
“Have you got pictures of what it looked like before? I honestly never knew the place existed,” Valen laughs.
