Chapter 9

Hakeem visibly stiffened, and while I was overjoyed that I managed to coax an actual reaction from him, I needed to keep my game face on. He and Oliver weren’t the only ones surprised, though. The entire table was gawking at me. Nox included, though his look of surprise had a harsh edge to it that I did not miss.

Harriet’s thin lips vanished behind her sneer. “That is unacceptable. He is a servant, a warden of the Lycan Camps. Phineas Striker will have my head if he finds out I let this happen.”

Oliver regarded Harriet with a bored stare. It brought me an absurd amount of pleasure that someone else found her as insufferable as I did, even if it was the likes of Oliver.

“Phineas Striker can come directly to me if he has an issue with this. As one of the three leading Alpha’s in this country, I might not have the power to single-handedly change things in the Lycan Camps, but I do have the power to promote one of my previous citizens from servant to trainee.” Oliver drawled. He turned his attention to Hakeem, managing to surprise me by asking, “Is this what you want?”

Hakeem nodded impassively. “Yes, this is what I want.”

“Very well, then. Lilac, you have yourself a deal.” Oliver stood from his seat, pushing the chair back under the table. He didn’t wait thirty seconds before dishing out orders, but I expected as much. He never was one to waste time.

“Your first duty lies in your education. It is imperative you finish schooling. Even though my son will make the decisions for this pack himself, we cannot have someone uneducated representing our people. You will get your GED and upon completion, will start attending classes at our local University.”

He explained whilst adjusting his cufflinks. “You may take one of the spare rooms on our property— “

“Ah, no thanks on that.” I interrupted him. “I’m not staying in your house.”

That sounded like hell on earth considering Jeremy lived there as well. No way did I want to run into him while going pee at three in the morning. Hard pass.

“Lilac, you are my son’s mate and future Luna. How are you going to fulfill your duties if you do not live under the same roof as him?” Oliver asked.

“When we’re ready to bite and fuck, we can meet up like all teenagers do. See? Easy peasy.” I shrugged, spreading my hands out at my sides. “I’ll find my own place to live. Oh, and I’m getting a job.

If Nox here is going to make all the decisions for this pack by himself, I’ll need something to keep me busy. I’d rather go back to the Camp then risk dying of boredom in this place.”

“Very well.” Oliver replied stiffly. He clearly wasn’t happy about it, but at least he wasn’t fighting me.

“I’m going to need some of your men to aid the other servants in setting up for the circuit considering you’ve relieved two of my fastest from their duties…sir” Harriet grumbled sourly.

To my left, Jeremy leaned in to where Nox sat and said loud enough for me to hear, “Shayla’s on her way here.”

Fuck if I’d give Jeremy the reaction he was craving, even if my wolf did bristle at the mention of that name. Shayla Whitlock, daughter of the man I murdered, had always harbored a crush on Nox. Even when we were kids, and he gave no one the time of day apart from me, she’d follow him around like a lost puppy.

I had tried to be her friend once, but that came to an end when she snarled at me to back the hell off of Nox. No way would I abandon my best-friend, especially after the death of his mother.

She probably didn’t even wait until I boarded the plane to try and take my place.

“I’ll make sure you have the hands you need, Harriet. If that’s all, then I’d say this meeting has reached its conclusion. You’re all free to go.” Oliver announced.

Wasting no time, I stood and made my way to the door, relieved when I glanced back and saw Hakeem was following.

“Lilac, might I have a moment?” Oliver of all people called out, stopping me before I could race out the door.

I turned slowly, a skeptical look on my face. “What is it?”

“If you were interested in paying your father a visit, I can give you his address.”

This couldn’t be real. In no reality would Oliver ever do me any favors. Either he was out of his mind, or I’d been knocked out and thrown into some other world. Besides, there was something that didn’t quite add up.

“Is he not at my old house?” I asked him.

He and my mother had bought their house, a vintage brick building with a tower that had made me feel like a princess growing up, one year before I was born. My mother had poured her soul into that place, repairing the porch, and renovating the inside with her own two hands.

My father would’ve never given that place up.

In between the harsh lines on Oliver’s face, there was a glimmer of what I could only describe as guilt.

There was something grating about the emotion. Perhaps it was because he felt bad for how his decision effected my father, but not for how it affected me.

“Following your sentencing, your father moved out of Primrose. He built his own cabin in the forest. He comes into town once a month or so for supplies, but he doesn’t visit or speak with anyone.” Oliver explained. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and fished out something black. With one swift movement, he slid them across the table. I slapped my hand down, opening it to see a set of keys. “If you insist on getting a job and living on your own, you’ll need a vehicle. The car is parked in the lot.

Use it to visit your father.”

What I should have done was thank Oliver, get my father’s address, and be on my merry way. As usual, my brain and tongue disconnected, and the words I should’ve held back began to flow freely.

Oliver jotted down my father’s address on a piece of paper. I didn’t speak until it rested in my hands.

“Can you blame him for what he’s been doing?”

“No, I cannot blame him, but I did what needed to be done.” Oliver growled, his expression melting into one of agitation. “Even so, I acted with considerable mercy.”

Mercy? He called sending a fourteen-year-old girl to the Lycan warriors camp’s a mercy?

Snickering under my breath, I backed away to the door. Nox’s eyes were heavy on my face, as was Jeremy’s glare, but I ignored them both. Each of them would get what they had coming, but right now, I had a bone to pick with Nox’s father.

“More than once I wondered what you’d tell yourself to sleep at night. If that’s it, then I hope you have fucking insomnia.”

With nothing left to say, I opened the door and stepped into the hall. Hakeem followed close behind, and as we passed Shayla Whitlock her eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

As for me, I didn’t spare her a single glance.

I kept my game face on until Hakeem and I reached the parking lot, following the chirp of the vehicle Oliver left in my possession. After one glance at the silver Benz, I spun on Hakeem and blurted out the first thing to pop into my head.

“Come with me to visit my father.” It had come out as a command, but I suppose I intended it that way.

My father was the one person on this earth that stood any chance at resurrecting the old Lilac, and I needed every scrap of strength I could manage to keep that from happening.

Fighting the urge to wince, I stood my ground and silently prayed he wouldn’t ask me to elaborate.

Of course, the asshole did exactly what I didn’t want him to do.

“You haven’t seen your father in four years. Why would you want me to come with you?”

Hakeem had the same look on his face that Delphine often got. The kind that felt too personal, like they were attempting to peer past the layers of armor to what hid underneath. I ground my teeth together, the ache in my jaw making it easier to think of an excuse.

Man, I sure knew how to pick my allies, didn’t I?

When I realized the obvious, that the perfect excuse was right in front of my damn face, I nearly exploded in laughter.

“I don’t know how to drive.” I smirked, tossing the keys into the air, and walking my happy ass to the passenger side.

It was true, though. I didn’t know how to drive. Being sent away at fourteen crushed any dreams I had at getting my learners permit early. I could only hope I weaseled my way around Hakeem’s pesky ability to tell when someone was lying.

Technically, it wasn’t a lie.

As I anticipated, Hakeem caught the keys with ease and started the engine by pressing a button on the remote. It took some serious effort not to gawk. When the hell did cars get that feature?

I slid into the seat, my stomach doing backflips. I’d put off seeing my father for this very reason. Not a single part of me dreaded seeing Nox again, but my father—that was a whole different can of worms.

Hakeem took the paper with my father’s address from my hand and tapped away on the screen built into the car. Afterwards, he turned a little dial on the console and the car glided out of its parking space like it was on ice. As eager as I was to zone out and lose myself to the hum of the engine, my observant companion had other ideas.

“After what you did for me back there, this is the least I can do. However, there is something I’d like to ask of you.”

I smirked at his carefully chosen words, pondering if his ability made him like that or if it had been his parent’s strict hands that molded him into the man he now was.

“Can’t be too grateful, right?” I teased, my impeccable sense of humor slicing up the tension.

“I’d be eternally grateful if you came with me when I visited my family. They won’t believe that I’m no longer a servant, but a trainee. Not even for a second. Having their future Luna at my side will force them to listen.” He explained in that velvety smooth voice of his. “As well, it would bring me great pleasure to see the looks on their faces when you relayed the news.”

I let out a little gasp and placed a hand against my chest. “Hakeem, I never would’ve taken you for the cruel type.” Snickering to myself, I added, “…I like it. I’m in.”

“Turns out there’s a lot we don’t know about one another.” He replied.

His tone was neutral and to most wouldn’t have warranted any additional attention, but I wasn’t like most. I’d spent four years on high alert and that wouldn’t change overnight. Despite his calm baritone, my gut was telling me he had a reason for stringing those particular words together.

Two could play at that game Hakeem.

“Mm, I like the mystery. Don’t you?”

Hakeem considered my words for a moment before replying, his long fingers drumming up an idle beat against the steering wheel.

“I do, but for one reason. Mysteries are like lies and secrets. They’re meant to be uncovered. I’ve always been curious. Too curious for my own good, my sister would say.” He turned his head away from the road, locking his dark, soulful eyes on my face. “You make me very curious, Lilac.”

This wasn’t flirting. At least, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t. I didn’t get the sense that Hakeem was trying to sneak his way into my pants—or worse, my heart. No, what Hakeem wanted was even darker than those two things combined. He wanted in my head.

Well, that’s too damn bad.

“Don’t you know I’m an open book, Hakeem? Go ahead, ask me anything.”

I couldn’t help but tease him. Playing this game where he tried to nitpick my thoughts was much more entertaining than drowning in the anxiety of finally reuniting with my father.

“Just ten minutes ago, you had the Alpha on the verge of passing out. What was it you said again? If I’m not mistaken, it was something along the lines of: ‘You know what I can do. He’ll be dead before you get a single word out.’ I’m not mistaken, am I?” Hakeem said.

“Is that really the question you’re asking?” I hummed.

“What can you do, Lilac? That is the question I’m asking.”

And there it was, the million-dollar question.

“I’m afraid it’s the only question I can’t answer.” I replied smoothly, not a lump or bump in my calm façade.

Hakeem went radio silent so long that I thought he finally dropped the subject entirely. This was one of those unfortunate instances where I was wrong.

“It’s that bad?” He asked.

Staring out the window, my lips moved to form a reply.

“You have no idea.”