Page 15 of The Awakened Wolf

“Well, that makes sense since he is a Beta Heir.” She chewed her lip for a split second before whispering, “Oh, shit.”

I stared at her, aghast. Kiana was willing to voice many horrifying things, but cursing aloud was not one of them. “What?”

“Manhattan has no Alpha Heir.”

“What are you talking—” I stopped, seeing the hunger in my sister’s eyes. Sebastian was a Beta, not an Alpha. Max had no other legitimate heirs since Kenzo wasn’t blood. By shifter law, anyone who defeated Max could win control of the Manhattan pack. “No, Kiana. You can’t even think it. Not at a time like this?”

Without acknowledging a word I’d said, Kiana pointed to the closet. “You will stay in my old apartment downstairs. Feel free to take anything from my closet. Since you’re not leaving for a week, I’m going to have Cerys bring fresh toiletries for you.”

“What? Why can’t I just stay in my old place with father?”

“Don’t be silly. Father can’t know you’re here. Not smelling like this anyway. He’s too frail for that kind of shock. I’ll introduce him to your mate once you have one.”

“What do you mean too frail? I know he’ll be disappointed, but it’s not like he’s going to drop dead. Heart attacks are for humans.”

Kiana pursed her lips. “Just come downstairs with me and we’ll discuss it later.”

I trailed her, even more questions now spinning through my totally exhausted mind. But when the elevator doors opened on the hallway of the floor we used to share, I was the one who almost dropped dead.

Staring me in the face was the massive painting Damien had given Kiana for our sixteenth birthday. I’d passed it daily for years without thinking anything of it, besides my distaste for the subject matter. Now that same subject matter had me riveted. The swirling thunderclouds, the field of humans and shifters, all fighting, sometimes human versus shifter, sometimes shifter versus shifter, and the tall man standing on the steps of a castle, water pouring over his ruined face.

What the actual—

Chapter Six

I burst through the front door of my father’s apartment, formerly my own, at the closest thing I had left to a sprint. I’d say it was more of an aspirational lope at this point, but I’d had the element of surprise over Kiana, so she was still a few steps behind. My mind was moving much faster, bouncing over thoughts of my mother, the Children of Leto, and the prophecies. Had Father known about our mother’s past, and was it Damien who’d prevented him from telling me and Kiana? What else might he know now that Damian was dead?

It turned out that multitasking wasn’t my strong suit. I must’ve slowed down because my sister plowed into me from behind, tackling me to the floor in front of my old bedroom door. All breath—and space—left my body when my action figure of a sister landed on top of me

“Let me go!” I squealed like a pup, slapping her hands away and twisting my legs upward, seeking leverage.

A whoosh of air blew loose hairs into my face as the door beside us flew open.

“What in Halo’s name?” Father roared. “Restrain yourselv—”

This was cut off by a coughing fit so severe, it doubled him over. Kiana jumped up, kneeing me between the legs on the way and ran to his side, looping his left arm over her shoulder.

“I’m so sorry we disturbed you, Father. It’s below our station and won’t happen again, I assure you.” Her murmurs continued, quiet and reassuring, as she walked him over to the Herculean recliner in the center of the sparsely furnished living room—his lifelong throne just as deposed as the rest of him. If I hadn’t been in writhing recovery from the knee shot, I’d have been staring with my mouth open. I had never seen Kiana so solicitous of anyone, not even Father.

He settled with a sigh, and I scrambled to join Kiana on my old couch.

“I know it’s not an excuse, Father,” she was saying, “but Elyse was already challenging me by coming up here to roust you five minutes after swearing to follow my every command without question.”

“Wanting to see Father and make sure he’s okay is not challenging you, Kiana. It’s my right as his daughter. And given that he would be fine if you hadn’t challenged him in the first place, I find it a little sickening to see you play concerned nursemaid now.”

“You see…” Kiana said, patting his hand, before locking eyes with me again. “Father and I always say how much we love you, Elyse, even with your soft heart. It’s an oddly human characteristic, but it’s sweet. To a point. And that point ends with leadership. You’re too soft to be an Alpha. You would have let Father keep leading forever, until he was weak and at risk of being challenged by a male outside the family. And you’d have said it was because you loved him, yet that end would have been crueler to him than doing your duty and challenging him before he declined.”

I shook my head. “But he was healthy and strong before you attacked him. He had decades left—”

“No, I didn’t,” Father spoke softly, but his vibrating bass still cut through our petty pecking.

“What?” I turned to him, mind whirling. None of my memories of him prior to the battle on the bridge whispered of weakness.

He grimaced. “It’s true. Kiana, though formidable, could not have defeated me if I weren’t already fading. Nor could I have survived your most recent battle, I don’t think. Even if I hadn’t lost my wolf.”

“Lost your…” I sat back in my chair, eyes sliding between him and my sister, whose unchanging expression spoke volumes. “That’s not possible,” I whispered, though my hammering heart seemed less convinced.

“He’s being dramatic,” Kiana said, her voice heading uphill in a manner quite uncharacteristic. “He’s not strong enough to shift is all.”

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