Page 5 of Lord of the Lone Wolf
The tears came then, sliding down Maseo’s cheeks in silent streams. No one had ever spoken to him with such understanding and compassion. It was almost too much to bear.
Kitsuki’s expression softened as he watched Maseo struggle with his emotions. “I regret I was so lost in my personal pain back then that I did not do more to intervene with Kio on your behalf.”
“You must think I’m pathetic for staying with him for so long,” Maseo said through his tears, hating how weak he sounded.
“Your desire not to be alone in a world that has treated you so cruelly is understandable.” Kitsuki reached out to wipe the tears from the half-wolf shifter’s face. The touch was so tender, so careful, that it only made him cry harder. “There is no shame in longing to be loved, Maseo. You deserve to be adored by someone who wishes to cherish you.”
It was an impossible dream when Maseo was damaged goods, a worthless bastard with more emotional scars than anyone could ever want to deal with. Who could ever love him?
“I don’t think that person exists,” he whispered.
“I am confident they do.” Kitsuki’s voice carried such conviction that Maseo almost wanted to believe him. “At least Kio can no longer hurt you.”
Maseo looked up in confusion, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. “What do you mean?”
A hard edge entered Kitsuki’s voice, cold as winter wind. “He is locked away in my dungeon, where he will spend the rest of his long years rotting. I refuse to allow him to hurt you or Auslin anymore.”
Gratitude flooded through Maseo so suddenly that it left him dizzy. For months, he had been looking over his shoulder, waiting for Kio to appear and drag him back into their toxic cycle of manipulation and abuse. To know he could never hurt either of them again was a tremendous relief.
“Does Auslin know?” Maseo asked.
“He is aware. It is only because of Auslin’s kindness that I have spared my worthless half brother’s life. If my dragon had his way, Kio would have been dead many moons ago.”
The admission should have shocked Maseo, but it filled him with a dark satisfaction. Kio had caused so much pain and had taken such pleasure in breaking both him and Auslin. The thought of him trapped and powerless was gratifying.
“Thank you for telling me,” Maseo said. “That’s one less thing I have to fear.”
“We will deal with your father in time.” Kitsuki’s dragon came to the surface once more, silver fire dancing in his eyes. “We refuse to allow him to go unchecked. We will ensure he can never hurt you again.”
Hope bloomed in Maseo’s chest for the first time in longer than he could remember. “How?”
“You are ours to protect.” The words sent a shiver through Maseo that had nothing to do with the cool night air. “We will do whatever it takes to save you from him.”
Ours to protect.Maseo knew it wasn’t a romantic declaration, but the possessive undertone in Kitsuki’s voice made his heart race. To belong to someone, even in such a limited way, was more than he had ever dared hope for. “I don’t deserve it, but thank you.”
Kitsuki’s dragon reached out and tilted Maseo’s chin up, forcing their gazes to meet. The silver eyes that looked at him so warmly that Maseo forgot how to breathe.
“Please stop putting yourself down,” Kitsuki’s dragon requested. “It pains us to hear you speak so poorly of yourself.”
“I’m sorry,” Maseo breathed, lost in the otherworldly beauty of the monarch’s silver eyes.
“Believe good things will happen to you. You deserve it after suffering through so much.”
Maseo wanted to argue all the reasons he was unworthy of happiness or love. But something in Kitsuki’s expression stopped him. For once in his life, he chose hope instead of despair.
“I’ll do my best,” he promised, and meant it.
Chapter 3
Kitsuki
“That is all we can ask,” Kitsuki’s dragon said in a calm voice. But inside, he was almost feral from his burning need to tear Nasume limb from limb for assaulting Maseo.
Realizing how close they had come to losing Maseo rattled Kitsuki. If they had arrived even an hour later, Maseo would be dead. The thought made his dragon howl in anguish, the sound echoing through his soul like a funeral dirge.
His instincts screamed at him to gather Maseo close, to wrap him in protective magic and never let him venture beyond arm’s reach again. The compulsion was so strong that Kitsuki traced the curve of Maseo’s cheek with a tenderness that should have alarmed him.
Closer.The dragon’s voice was a seductive whisper in his mind.Pull him closer. Keep him safe. Never let him go.
