Chapter 201: Chapter 201
Kyra’s POV
"I want two shifts of guards outside their rooms at all times," Nathan told his head of security while I stood beside him in the hospital hallway. "Four men minimum per shift. No one gets in without my approval."
The security chief nodded. "Yes, Alpha."
"If Connor Foster shows up at this hospital again, I want to know right away," Nathan added.
I wrapped my arms around myself. The hospital smell was making me sick. The thought that Connor could hurt his own sons scared me. If he could shoot Matt and lock him up, he wouldn’t think twice about killing both Matt and Emily.
"We should add more security at home too," I said quietly. "Connor seems desperate."
Nathan’s jaw tightened as he nodded. "Already done. I doubled the guards around the house."
The drive home was quiet. We were both thinking about too many things. When we got to the Nightfall Pack house, it felt empty and cold. Alpha Richard had taken Snow and Phoebe out of the country to keep them safe, and now the big house felt lonely.
Nathan watched me kick off my shoes slowly. I was exhausted.
"I’ll make dinner," he offered, looking worried about me. "Why don’t you take some time for yourself?"
I smiled at him gratefully. He knew I needed space. "Thank you."
"Anything for you," he said, kissing my forehead before going to the kitchen.
I walked through the quiet house and ended up in the garden. The evening air felt cool on my skin as I sat on a stone bench.
Sylvia stirred inside me.
"You’re going to call him, aren’t you?" she asked.
I nodded and pulled out my phone.
"We need help, Sylvia. And Kieran knows things about Connor that we don’t."
"Just be careful," she warned.
I hovered over Kieran’s contact on my phone, my finger lingering for what felt like an eternity. Finally, I took a deep breath and pressed call.
He answered on the first ring.
"Hello, my dear sister," Kieran’s deep voice came through the phone.
In the background, I could hear shouting and cursing. It sounded like fists hitting people.
"You goddamn demon!" someone yelled.
"Rot in hell! I hope you die a painful death!" screamed another voice.
"Are you busy? I can call back later if this isn’t a good time," I offered, wincing at the sounds of violence.
"Not at all," he said quickly. "Just give me a second."
I heard him move away from the noise. His voice was muffled as he spoke to someone else. "Felix, handle this. Kill these bastards."
My stomach dropped. Felix was Kieran’s loyal beta who had left Raven Shadow Pack with him. Whatever Kieran was doing, it definitely wasn’t legal.
After a few moments, the background noise stopped completely.
"Kyra," his voice came back, clearer now. "What can I do for you? How’s married life?"
I couldn’t help the bitter smile on my face.
He was trying to sound casual, as though we were just ordinary step-siblings having a normal conversation. As if we could simply erase our complicated past and return to childhood simplicity.
"Kieran, I need your help," I said bluntly, cutting through the pretense. "Can you come to Nightfall Pack tomorrow?"
He laughed, but it didn’t sound funny. "Really? Does Alpha Nathan welcome a rogue like me into his territory? I’d hate for our friendly chat to be interrupted by his warriors dragging me to the dungeons for an extended stay."
"Fine, forget it. I’m hanging up," I snapped, feigning annoyance.
"I’m joking," he said quickly. "Do you always have to be so serious?"
I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "Emily’s apartment. Ten in the morning."
"For you? I’ll be there," he said, his voice becoming softer. "Is everything okay, Kyra?"
"No," I admitted. "But I’m hoping you can help change that."
"Consider it done," he said without hesitating.
After ending the call, I sat for a few more minutes. Conversations with Kieran always left me emotionally conflicted, memories and feelings swirling like leaves caught in the wind.
When I finally returned to the house, delicious aromas were drifting from the kitchen. Nathan was cooking with focused concentration, though he glanced up when he heard my footsteps.
"Feeling better?" he asked, his eyes searching my face.
"Yes. I contacted Kieran. He’s coming tomorrow," I replied, watching for his reaction.
Nathan nodded without pressing for details. Just then, my phone rang with an incoming video call.
"Mommy!" Snow’s excited face filled the screen.
"Sweetheart," I smiled. Seeing her happy face made me feel better. "Are you having fun?"
"So much fun! I made new friends too! There’s Oliver, Liam, Nate, Julian..."
"Wait, wait, wait," Nathan interrupted, leaning into the screen with narrowed eyes. "Did I just hear boys’ names, princess?"
Snow giggled, her eyes sparkling. "They’re just my friends, Daddy. They’re really nice to me."
"Absolutely not," Nathan frowned dramatically. "They’re only being nice because they like you. No more boys."
I pinched his side and he gave me a look of mock betrayal.
"Daddy, don’t say that!" Snow protested, her cheeks turning pink.
Nathan’s eyes went wide. "Are you blushing? Kyra, she’s blushing over boys!"
I couldn’t help but laugh at how overprotective he was being, which only made him frown more.
"Kyra, this is your daughter we’re talking about!"
"She’s your daughter too," I reminded him, still laughing.
He groaned and wrapped an arm around my waist. "Why did you have to be so beautiful? And why did she have to look exactly like you?"
I rested my chin on my hands and batted my eyelashes at him. "That’s what happens when you marry a goddess."
He chuckled and gave me a quick kiss before turning back to the screen where Snow was watching us with a big grin.
"Someday, I’m going to marry someone just like Daddy," she announced, clearly trying to get a reaction.
"Marry?" Nathan’s voice went high. "You’re not marrying anyone, ever. You’ll stay our little princess forever because no one will ever be good enough for you. Not a single person on this earth!"
