Page 52 of Damaged Princess

"Yeah, princess. He did," I agree.

Fuck, how I wish I didn't have to tell her that. She was pretty incoherent when she confessed her fears that her father tried to have her murdered, and I don't know any alpha who could hear that andnotskirt the line of going feral.

Sure, I didn't take her with me because of the risk of her being hurt, but an even bigger part of me needed to ensure she wasn't around if my monster came out. I'd do a lot of heinous things in defense of the people I love.

I pull her closer to my chest, running my hand over her back.

"And you're sure he's going to die?" Anastasia asks.

"I believe justice will catch up to your father rather swiftly. You gave me all the pieces of the puzzle and, as we've already discussed, I grew up very similarly to you. I reached out to my cousin. You may know the name. Soren Nikolov?"

Ana sucks in a sharp breath, pushing against my chest.

"You're related to Soren? Ivanov's enforcer? They call him 'The Slow Death'. He's a monster."

"I'm aware that's what your father told you, but as you know, he can't be trusted. Why would you believe his word on this?" I ask, pulling her back into my chest.

"He kills indiscriminately," she hisses, slamming her palms into my pecs.

"No more of that, princess," I bark, swatting her ass. She struggles for a few more seconds and finally shakes her head.

Anastasia blinks up at me, chewing away at her lower lip. "My father said Ivanov was to blame for my mother's death."

I hate that she doesn't mention her attack. The events are synonymous, but she tends to shy away from recalling what happened to her.

"He said that my mom was collateral in their war; if Ivanov protected his people she'd still be alive."

"I believe your father had already sold out prior to her murder. However, it was a convenient excuse. To be fair I'm surprised Ivanov didn't have him taken out years ago, right after he defected. I suppose that speaks to some level of friendship or guilt. Or maybe it's pure luck your father survived for as long as he has. But I can assure you, his luck is running out."

"What's in the box, Vik?" Ana asks, linking her fingers with mine. She's so damn tender as she runs her thumb over my pulse.

"It wouldn't be a very good surprise if I told you." I stretch to grab it, placing the heavy thing in Anastasia's lap.

She takes the box and opens it like it's truly a treasure. There's a black and silver ribbon around it and she carefully pulls it then sets it to the side. She rips open the top and frowns at the tissue paper.

"Open it carefully," I recommend.

Anastasia's hands dip inside, pulling out the tissue-paper-wrapped gift. I put the box aside as she opens the paper. Her hands tremble violently as she runs her hand over the top of thedark wooden jewelry box. The edges are wavy and it's heavy as hell despite only being about a foot wide by eighteen inches.

"How?" she whispers. Her eyes are huge as she chews at her lower lip. "Vik, how did you get this?"

I run my fingers over her cheek.

"I'll tell you the details if you truly want to know, but that's another issue where I'd prefer to keep the details sparse."

Anastasia blinks and fat tears trail from her eyes. "My mom gave this to me for my thirteenth birthday." She pops the hinge lid and digs under one of the jewelry cushions. She pulls out a small key and opens the bottom drawer.

My jaw falls.

Anastasia ignores the left side completely and pulls a tiny heart-shaped box out of the back corner.

"My part of my mom's ashes," Ana sobs. "Ohmigod, Vik. Thank you!"

The jewelry box settles on the nest mattress as she twists, wrapping her arms around my neck and crying into my throat. I'm still a little fucking shocked by what's in the other side of the box. No goddamn wonder it was so heavy.

"Shh, you're okay, princess," I murmur as she wraps her legs around my back.

"I never expected…" Ana whimpers. "How? I know my father wouldn't give it willingly."

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