Page 14 of Hidden Pain

“Oh, Hunter!” Ebony threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek. He pushed her off. “You’re so wonderful. I thought I would be living on the streets. Maybe if I prove that I can change, we might stand a chance as well. I’ll use my position to organize fundraising and helping others.”

“No.” Hunter shut any thoughts of a reconciliation down, immediately. “It’s not going to happen, Ebony. I said you can come back here, but you’ll do so without any status. You’ll not be my mate. You’ll have no title or position. You’ll be a member of the pack, and a working member. You’ll be expected to help out as a matter of course. To hunt for the families who can’t do so.”

“Ok.” Ebony slumped down on the heels of her feet. “Where will I live?” she gulped out.

“I will set you up in a house in the village.”

“I won’t live in my room in the mansion.” The despondency was woven into her words.

“No.”

“Ok.”

Hunter got to his feet and reached out his hand to help Ebony to hers.

“I’m sorry, Ebony. This is all I can offer you now. A roof over your head and food. I hope that one day you’ll find your own way in the world and meet another who loves you as you deserve.”

Without another word or looking back behind him, Hunter strode from the room, wondering if he’d just made a massive mistake. Especially when Ebony finds out Lily’s now occupying the rooms she once inhabited.

Chapter Eight

“How many tattoos do you have?” Lily asked Kingsley as he continued to do his warm up stretches. The pack were going for a run soon—he wouldn’t be able to join in with them, so he was going to go for a run of his own around the village. He’d not really exercised since he was hurt, and with the massive portions of food on offer here, his six pack was rapidly disappearing. It was an exceptionally warm day, and he was dressed only in a pair of running shorts, sneakers, and socks. Any shirt would be covered in sweat before he even left the mansion garden. His bear shifter friend sat on a wall, swinging her legs and trying to count his tattoos.

“Last count, fifty-six.”

“Wow. I don’t even have one.”

“I can always take you to my parlor to get one when Hunter agrees to you leaving.”

Lily snorted. “I don’t think that’ll be anytime soon. Remember, I’m not even allowed to shift without his permission.”

“He’s just being protective,” Kingsley offered, knowing that was only part of the reason. The other part was that Hunter was used to being in control.

“We both know that’s not true, but thank you anyway.” Lily winked at him. Over the last few days, she’d really come out of her shell. It was as if telling them about how she’d suffered as a child had lifted years of oppression off her shoulders, and she was able to start to live again. Kingsley discovered she liked to play jokes on them. Just yesterday, she’d squeezed herself into a small cupboard in her room. They’d both started to get frantic, thinking she’d disappeared on them until she’d jumped out of the cupboard shouting ‘surprise!’ and offering up cookies she’d made earlier in the day. It didn’t go down as well with Hunter as it had him, but eventually they ate all the cookies and laughed about it. That wasn’t to say she still didn’t have bad days. They were becoming hard for him to watch as Lily drowned in the memories of her past: the loss of her parents, and the guilt of what she’d done to Selene.

“If you want a tattoo, Lily, I can always see if I can bring the equipment here and do it.” Kingsley realized what he’d said too late. Who was he kidding? With a missing finger on his dominant hand, he’d probably never tattoo again. He wouldn’t have the full control he needed, and the end result would be awful at best. His mood soured.

“Kingsley.” Lily placed her hand on his as if sensing the change in him. “One day I’d like that, but only when you’re ready.”

Hunter and some of the other members of the pack appeared. The men were already stripped down to their underwear. Kingsley was still finding their ability to flash their bodies with no inhibitions strange. He felt naked and vulnerable in just his shorts, and his body although not as heavily muscular as the wolves was still not bad to look at. There’s nothing like living with a pack of shifters to give a human issues about body image. Still, when a few lowered their underwear, he was happy to see he wasn’t inadequate in some areas. Hunter raised an eyebrow at him when he caught him looking at the pack.

“Where are you going?” the alpha asked as he lowered his own underwear. This time, Hunter didn’t look down. He didn’t need to—he already knew Hunter rivaled him inthatregion.

“For a run of my own.”

Lily handed him her shirt and bra. Kingsley swallowed deeply and kept his eyes forward on a nearby tree full of beautiful green leaves. They would make a good tattoo, he thought, maybe placed strategically over parts of a man and woman. His temper flared again when he realized he was imagining a design he had no hope of drawing. He dropped Lily’s clothes back into her arms and ran off.

“Kingsley!” both Hunter and Lily called in unison after him, but he was already making for the road. Pounding out mile after mile would ease his sorrow.

After an hour of running, Kingsley was starting to flag. He wasn’t as fit as he’d been a couple of months ago, thanks to his inactivity while recovering. He started to walk back to the mansion. It was quiet when he returned, and he guessed the shifters were still out. It was late, close to midnight. His run had left him hungry, so he headed to the kitchen to make himself a sandwich.

When he entered, there was a raven-haired woman standing there with a glass of white wine, munching on a carrot stick. She sniffed the air and screwed up her nose.

“Why do humans smell so much after exercise?” she huffed. “And they call us animals.”

Earlier, Hunter had informed Kingsley and Lily about the return of his ex-wife to the pack, and judging by the attitude of the woman in front of him, Kingsley suspected he was meeting her for the first time.

“Ebony?” he asked.

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