Page 81 of Craved By a Wolf

When Kin had learned of what had happened to her, he had felt she was a fool for admitting how he had come to be, that she should have kept her mouth shut and made the alpha believe he was the sire of her pup. Now, he wasn’t so sure. He could see why she had chosen to speak the truth, even though it hadn’t worked out for her.

Love.

She had been in love with a male and had thought they would have a life together.

She had risked it all for love.

Kin gazed down at Hella, lost himself in her eyes and hoped that she would prove him wrong and show him that sometimes it was worth risking being hurt.

Sometimes, it paid off.

“Bastards,” Hella growled, sounding as vicious as any wolf female, and then her expression softened again, her eyebrows furrowing as she gazed up at him. “Did they banish her because of you? Is that why she was living at the edge of your pack’s territory?”

“Aye.” He nodded, glad that he didn’t have to try to tell her everything. “We were happy. I never knew of her banishment. I thought she chose to live apart from the pack and I was schooled with the other pups. I was always so eager to return to her that I never noticed I was treated differently.”

“Did you give the alpha hell?” Her look soured. “I hope you beat him black and blue.”

Kin smiled. “I didn’t let him off lightly. I left the pack for a while after that and took my time growing stronger, learning all there was about fighting. I intended to come back and claim his head, and the position of alpha. Only he died before I could. Instead, I won the position of alpha by defeating all challengers for the position.”

“Are you a good alpha?” She circled his left nipple.

“The best.”

That earned him a slap and a scowl from her. “Be serious.”

He sighed and looked at the ceiling as he thought about it. “I’ve never had any complaints. I’m just, and take care of my people, and never place them in unnecessary danger. Too many alphas out there want to make their mark or prove their pack’s strength by participating in battles. I’d rather we all lived peaceful, fulfilling and long lives.”

She looked satisfied by that answer as she snuggled closer.

“Kin.” Her expression sobered and he knew what was coming. He braced himself for it, but it didn’t stop him from flinching as she quietly asked, “How did you come to be someone’s captive? Was it because of your alpha? Or did the mortals who killed your mother take you?”

He swallowed hard. “Nay. Nothing like that. I was a pup, looked no older than nine or ten to human eyes, but was more like forty or so. I was out in the glen running and had always wanted to see the other side of the mountains that enclose the valley. I had been told countless times not to cross the border and to remain in the glen. Even the alpha had told me.”

“The rebellious years, huh? I know those well.” She laid her palm on his chest, soothing him and calming his wolf side.

He made a mental note to ask her about her so-called rebellious years later. She wasn’t the only one who wanted to know more about the other.

“I should have stopped once I could see the other side of the mountain, but evening was falling and it looked so magical, and I saw moving lights below me. I was an idiot.”

She frowned now and petted his chest. “You were curious.”

“Same thing,” he muttered and huffed, wishing he could turn back the clock and change his past, even when he knew it was impossible. “The lights were from a caravan led by immortals. I drew too close and they spotted me, and I wasn’t fast enough. The next thing I knew I was in a cage and then I was in an arena and being sold to fae nobles.”

She gasped, her wide eyes bewitching him together with the shock and anger he could read in them. His wee witch didn’t like that he had been treated so miserably, and they had only just scratched the surface. How furious would she be once she knew the truth?

“I can’t believe immortals would treat other immortals like that.” She shook her head.

Kin lifted his hand and brushed his knuckles across her cheek. “They do. It happened back then, and it still happens now. Immortals are always buying other immortals, pushing them into slavery or worse.”

“What was it like?” She lowered her gaze, avoiding his, and he smoothed his fingers down to her jaw, silently telling her that she didn’t need to fear asking him questions. He wanted the truth out there. He wanted her to know him, despite how much it hurt to remember his past.

“I did things I’m not proud of, Hella. I lived in a constant state of fear. I wasn’t the only one the fae nobles held in the cages. There were others too. Shifters of every breed. Most nights they would make us perform in one way or another, whether it was innocent entertainment in our animal forms… like a circus… or something more—” He couldn’t bring himself to say it, not when he could feel her looking at him.

“The scars I saw when you shifted into your wolf form…” She trailed off, and the fact she couldn’t bring herself to talk about them led him to suspect she knew how he had gotten them.

“If I disobeyed my owners or displeased them, I was punished.” He closed his eyes and lifted his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as the past roared up on him. Rather than seeking to subdue it this time, he let it come. He let the memories roll over him. “They would whip me raw most of the time, but… sometimes… sometimes they punished me in other ways. The master preferred young boys and—”

Hella placed her fingers against his lips. They were trembling.

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