Page 7 of Hidden Pain

Kingsley couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Hunter,please…” he implored, leaning forward on the chair.

“Ok,” the wolf reluctantly agreed, shrugging his shoulders in annoyance. Kingsley was certain the alpha had a thing about being bossy. “Kas has handed you over to me to deal with. He has other issues of more concern at the moment, and like me, he doesn’t believe you warrant a severe punishment for your actions. That doesn’t mean you’ll play the lady of leisure here. You’ll be expected to work.” Hunter folded his arms across his chest to emphasize his point.

“Sleep with you both?” Lily asked innocently.

“No!” Hunter bellowed, and a smirk crossed Kingsley’s lips.

“What will I do then? I don’t have any other skills. Nuka used me for his pleasure.”

“But we will not,” Hunter stated firmly.

A cough came from the still open doorway behind them. Lily’s eyes went wide, and fleeing to the back of the room, she cowered on the floor. When Kingsley turned around, he saw the snarling face of Brayden Dillon. It had been his partner, Selene, who Lily had exposed to the public eye.

“Something I need to know?” The beta of the Glacial Blood pack was an imposing figure with his black and white speckled hair and muscular stance. A low growl rumbled in the snow leopard’s throat, which was responded to by Hunter’s own sign of power: a commanding snarl with a curled upper lip. Kingsley being devoid of claws, sharp teeth, or anything remotely threatening was happy to sit back and let the two of them engage in their pissing match until common sense prevailed.

“Selene’s down the hall as well as Emma and the twins. I’m not sure havingthatbear walking around freely is a good idea.” Brayden’s concern for his pregnant mate was clear in his aggressive stance.

“They’ll be safe,” Hunter replied quickly.

“How do you know?” Brayden argued.

Kingsley looked over to where Lily still cowered in the corner. He got to his feet, and going over to her, he rested his hand reassuringly on her shoulder.

“Hunter won’t let you be hurt,” he reassured her. She looked up at him with her wide eyes full of unshed crystalline tears.

Hunter continued, “Kas gave me full control of Lily. He’s of the opinion she was little more than a pawn in Nuka’s plans. I agree with him, and I’ll not leave her languishing in a dungeon. Something has happened to her in the past, and Nuka has exploited that for his own gain. I’ll help her to understand it better and come to terms with it instead.”

Kingsley helped Lily up from the floor and over to the bed. He then went over to the men and blocked Lily’s view of the angry snow leopard.

“Arguing in here is upsetting Lily. No matter what she’s done, she doesn’t need to see it.” Kingsley motioned for them both to leave the room before following them out and pulling the door closed behind them, so the bear shifter could rest undisturbed.

“What do you think about this?” Brayden asked Kingsley. “Lily was partly responsible for the trouble your sister and Zain had. Your injury as well.”

“No.” Kingsley shook his head. “Nobody else is responsible for what happened to me other than my father. I won’t let Lily be blamed for that. My father already believed shifters existed long before Lily forced Selene to change.”

“This is a big risk.” Brayden was still not convinced. “Will one of you be with her twenty-four hours a day?”

“Between us, she’ll be monitored all the time,” Hunter affirmed while Kingsley opened the door slightly to check whether Lily was still on the bed. He could see she was on top of the blankets, curled up in a little ball with her arms wrapped around herself, and her knees tucked up into her chest.

“I know this is risky, Brayden. I worry about my sister as much as you do for Selene, and Scott will regarding Emma—but Lily deserves a chance. Everybody needs help sometimes. I’ve already lost so much because of this impending war. My livelihood has been taken from me because I can’t tattoo anymore. I can’t even hold a pencil at the moment. Lily believed she’d been brought upstairs to these rooms, so we could have sex with her. Without any further investigation, that already says a lot about how Nuka used her. Please support us on this? The first sign of trouble, and I’ll agree to her being returned to Kas for punishment. I don’t know why, but I feel the same way as Hunter that all isn’t right with her. She just wants to be loved, and I think Nuka exploited that.” Kingsley held his bandaged hand up during his heartfelt speech as a stark reminder of the day that Zain, his now brother-in-law, had shared with him not so long ago.

“Ok.” Brayden nodded his defeat. “I can’t say I’m happy about it, but I’ll trust you both. We should probably try to keep Lily and Selene apart, though. The baby is unpredictable, and I’d hate it to tap into the magical abilities Selene has and blow Lily up or turn her into a frog. My kid already has a mind of its own, and it’s not even born yet. God, I hope it’s a boy. If it’s a girl, I’m totally screwed.”

Hunter and Kingsley both laughed at the look of worry crossing Brayden’s face. Kingsley couldn’t help agreeing with Brayden that should the baby be a girl, it would make the snow leopard’s life a happy hell. The beta was a protective man by nature, and a girl would most certainly wrap him around her finger. Dating would be fun…actually the entire Glacial Blood pack would suffer with that one. Zahara, Emma and Scott’s daughter, together with a daughter for Brayden and Selene would lead to a never-ending nightmare of boy visitors for them all.

“Yeah. Good luck with that one.” Hunter thumped Brayden on the back, and the snow leopard’s anger from a few moments earlier completely disappeared.

“Why does nobody tell you this bit when you’re busy fucking your mate? It’s supposed to be all sweetness and light. I wonder if Jessica can ensure it’s a boy?” Brayden mused.

“No hocus pocus on babies in my house, please.” Hunter’s deep laugh filled the corridor.

Kingsley checked on Lily again. She’d moved closer to the door and was listening to the laughter. He opened it wider, and she froze, rooted to the spot and staring at Brayden.

“You stay away from Selene,” the snow leopard ordered.

“Of course. I didn’t mean…I mean. I don’t know,” Lily stumbled over her choice of words. Kingsley reached out and offered her his good hand. “It’s ok,” he reassured again.

“I’m sorry.” Lily eventually found what she wanted to say.

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