Chapter 65: Chapter 65
Kyra’s POV
The morning sun filtered through the curtains as I woke, my wolf senses immediately picking up Kieran’s lingering cedar-and-musk scent on the fresh clothes he’d left.
A sweet smile curved my lips as I read his note. Sylvia, my wolf, purred in approval. "Our mate provides well."
Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined the ruthless Alpha Kieran capable of such thoughtfulness, yet here we were.
After showering, I dressed quickly, my instincts driving me to check on my father. Even though his stroke had stolen his words, I needed him to hear mine. Too many days had passed with this rift between us; as his daughter, I owed him this reconciliation.
The kitchen should have smelled of breakfast, of Kieran’s strong coffee and bacon. Instead, my nose wrinkled at Amanda’s cloying perfume. There she sat—my father’s third mate—draped in sexy red lingerie that would shame even an unmated she-wolf, sipping orange juice like some pampered queen while her Alpha lay ill upstairs.
"Why don’t you join me, stepdaughter?" Amanda’s voice dripped with false sweetness. Her posture was all wrong for a proper Luna—slumped like a human rather than the proud curve of a wolf’s spine.
I didn’t like her. She was younger than my dad and only a few years older than me. She was obviously just after my father’s wealth.
I clenched my fists, my claws threatening to extend. "Where’s Kieran?" I demanded of the maid, ignoring Amanda completely.
"Your mate left at dawn to handle your father’s company... and his debts," Amanda interjected, smirking around her glass.
Debts? My father’s pack had always been prosperous. Something wasn’t right. But I would not give this woman the satisfaction of questioning her. Turning sharply, I let out a warning growl that had the omega maid flattening her ears submissively before I stormed upstairs.
Father’s room smelled of medicine and fading musk. The feeding maid jumped when I entered, her omega scent spiking with nervousness.
"Let me do that," I said, taking the porridge bowl.
Dad’s eyes immediately widened when he saw me. I smiled at him and sat beside the bed.
"You need to eat," I said as the maid left us.
I was shocked when my father’s weak grip became iron-strong around my wrist. The spoon fell on the blanket, but Dad’s grip remained on my hand. He was weak, but he held me so tightly. Fear was evident in his eyes as he looked at me.
Kieran’s words rang in my head. Was he like this because he didn’t want me to see him this way?
I put the bowl of porridge on the bedside table and held my father’s hands. I gently kissed his hands and smiled at him as tears pooled in the corners of my eyes.
"I’m sorry for coming late, Dad. Please forgive me."
Tears rolled down his cheeks as he shook his head. I wiped his tears and pulled him closer. When I felt his warm body against mine, my tears intensified.
"I’m sorry, Dad. Please forgive me for leaving you alone," I sobbed.
I hugged my father tightly as he kept grunting. A few seconds later, I felt him freeze, so I pulled away and looked at his face.
"Dad," I called as I wiped my tears and his cheeks too.
"He’s not alone, Kyra."
The unfamiliar voice had us both freezing. Every hair on my arms stood up as Sylvia snarled a warning. Danger.
My claws threatened to extend as I turned to see Amanda leaning against the doorframe, her crimson-painted lips curled in a smirk that made Sylvia snarl in my mind.
I forced myself to remain calm for my father’s sake. As his daughter and a fellow Alpha’s mate, I owed him this respect—even if his choice in mates made my wolf bristle with disapproval.
"You’re being rude, stepdaughter," Amanda purred, her tone full of fake sweetness. "Your father was never alone. I’ve been by his side constantly. Isn’t that right, darling?"
When I looked at my father, his milky eyes burned with something far darker than illness—pure, undiluted hatred directed at Amanda. My stomach twisted. What had this she-wolf done to him?
"We need privacy," I growled.
Amanda chuckled, the sound like nails on slate to my sensitive ears. "So protective," she cooed, moving with exaggerated care to plant a kiss on my father’s cheek that made him flinch. "Be good for your daughter now, dear."
Be good? Sylvia’s growl vibrated through my bones. That wasn’t concern—it was a threat wrapped in silk.
The moment Amanda left, her cloying scent lingering like poison, my father clutched at me with surprising strength. His fear scent spiked—not for himself, but for me.
"What has she done to you? Tell me, please," I whispered.
He could only answer with pleading eyes and a trembling caress to my cheek. The mighty Alpha of Raven Shadow Pack, reduced to this—it broke something inside me.
I spent my day taking care of my father with Amanda’s constant interruptions, each fake concern and honeyed word making Sylvia snap her teeth in frustration. By nightfall, exhaustion pulled me into a fitful sleep.
I awoke to familiar cedar-and-musk enveloping me, Kieran’s wet and gentle kisses all over my face. Sylvia stretched lazily. "Our mate returns."
"Kieran..." My breath hitched as his teeth grazed my neck, the sensitive flesh sending electric pleasure.
The scent of whiskey clung to him, mixing dangerously with his musk. He shrugged out of his shirt, his toned torso bearing the scars of countless pack battles. His eyes burned with desire as he took his shirt off and began unbuttoning my top.
I swallowed hard as anticipation filled me. He parted my legs and settled between them. I felt his hard bulge against my stomach, making me moan and bite my lip.
He claimed my lips with deep, hungry kisses as his palm started massaging my clothed bosoms.
He knew how to waken my desires. He knew how to arouse me and heighten my need. He had memorized every sensitive spot on my body, and my body already recognized his touch. He could clearly dominate me, and I was always helpless when it came to my own desires.
"Missed you," he growled against me, his hardness pressing insistently against my thigh.
