Page 9 of Hidden Pain

Mr. Windsor,

I understand that you have recently come into possession of something that belongs to me.

Please, can you give me an update on her status?

Nuka Lincoln

* * *

Mr. Lincoln,

If by possession you mean the bear shifter, Lily, then yes, I have her. I can inform you that she is doing well and will remain here at my mansion for the foreseeable future, following a declaration imposed by your brother Kaskae Lincoln.

Please, let me know if this will be an issue, and I will prepare a welcoming party for your arrival.

Hunter

* * *

Mr. Windsor,

It’s good to know that my brother is still in the habit of taking things that don’t belong to him. I will consider his declaration and your offer. I will respond shortly.

Nuka Lincoln

* * *

Mr. Windsor,

On further consideration, I have decided that the particular chattel of mine you are now in possession of is no longer of consequence to me. She has exceeded her usefulness. I will not be visiting.

I wish you all the best for the future and urge you to reconsider your position as an ally to my brother. I fear it will lead to the downfall of your pack.

Nuka Lincoln

* * *

The phone fell out of Lily’s hands and clattered to the floor. She couldn’t believe what she’d read. Nuka had taken her into his pack and welcomed her with open arms. He’d protected her, and although she wasn’t entirely comfortable with his sexual leanings, she’d repaid his kindness by allowing him to take her whenever and however he wanted.

“This is some kind of trick.” she declared, feeling a lump of regret form in her throat.

“I wish it were,” Kingsley replied, bending down to pick the phone up and put it back in his pocket. “However, it is true.”

“He won’t be coming for you. This is your only option now,” Hunter added, getting to his feet. “I may be harsh at times, Lily, but I promise you I’m only doing it to protect you.”

His voice faded away into the distance. She was no longer paying attention. All she could focus on were the words Nuka had used, ‘exceeded her usefulness’. They were the same words the men had said to her mother and father right before they shot and killed them.

Her breath hitched. She was gasping for air, but she couldn’t get any into her lungs.

The memories were too vivid in her mind:first seeing the gun pointed at her father, and the trigger being pulled—then the sound of metal piercing bone accompanied by the smell of gunpowder as her father slumped down to the ground. His eyes were wide open, and his brains splattered all over the floor. She recalled her mother’s hysterical screams that were quickly silenced with another shot, leaving Lily alone in the world. The gun was never pointed at her. No, she hadn’t outgrown her usefulness. She wasn’t too old. She still attracted people to the circus, for the time being anyway.

”Hunter?” Kingsley’s voice sounded uncertain as it registered in her head. Human…he was a human, and they were the people who did this to her. The species who’d murdered her parents and threatened her with the same fate unless she performed tricks for the customers. Her hand shifted quickly, the paw and sharp claws of a bear appearing, and she lashed out at Kingsley, catching his right arm and tearing at the fabric of his cotton shirt and the soft flesh below. The smell of blood filled her nose as the rest of her body changed to her true form: a brown bear. The creature the humans all wanted to see, performing in front of them.

Suddenly, Lily was knocked aside. In her bear form, she was larger than a human, but she was no match for the enormous wolf now bearing down on her with fangs showing, and a growl deep in the back of his throat.

“Turn back to a human.” Hunter’s voice entered her head.

“You trust him?” Lily pushed her question back to Hunter and sounded her own warning with a roar.

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