Chapter: fourteen

As they pulled up to the house, Aylin hopped out of the car, her injured hands protesting the movement.

Voices echoed behind her, but she paid them no mind, rushing into the house. She sprinted up to her room, slamming the door behind her. The sound of heavy footsteps followed her.

She slid down the door, her body collapsing onto the floor. “It’s over, Kaia.”

“No! Mate loves us!”

“Didn’t you hear what was said?! A demon wants me, and I might be part demon! There’s no way a werewolf king would want someone like me! I told you I’m no good!”

A loud knock on the door startled her, cutting off Kaia’s voice in her mind. The intensity of the pounding told her it was Ezekiel, but she couldn’t bring herself to open the door.

Memories of the day’s events flooded her mind. The sight of the demon in the cell, the feeling of her world crumbling around her, it all came rushing back.

“Aylin! Open the door!” Ezekiel’s voice echoed from the hallway.

He pressed his forehead against the door, wondering what she was doing on the other side. He was scared she might do something rash in response to the demon’s revelations, even though he wasn’t sure if they were true.

Right now, Ezekiel knew he needed to tread lightly with Aylin if he wanted to get through to her. “Please, baby, open the door. I’m not mad.”

Sitting against the door, she was still scared of what might happen. Gathering her remaining courage, Aylin managed to open the door.

With her head down, all she could see were her mate’s biker boots. Silence hung in the air for a moment.

“Aylin, baby girl, look at me.” Ezekiel’s voice broke the quiet.

Aylin squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away. She couldn’t bear to look at her mate.

His large fingers gently turned her face back towards him. She looked up, and the softness in Ezekiel’s eyes made her heart flutter.

“Today wasn’t your fault. I’m not mad at you, I promise. Talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

She couldn’t find the words to respond. All she could do was let the tears roll down her cheeks. As she pressed herself against him, his large arms enveloped her small frame.

The warmth between them gave Aylin a glimmer of hope. Still unable to meet her mate’s gaze, she buried her face deeper into his chest.

His fingers ran through her hair, sending a chill down her spine.

“Please look at me, Ay.” The pleading tone in Ezekiel’s voice made her look up at him.

His face was etched with worry, and she couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“We’ll figure this out. Together.”

“That demon was lying. My mother is dead—”

“Calm down, love. No one is arguing that—”

“Then what was the demon talking about?”

“Demons are known to lie to save themselves. We can’t believe anything he said until we have solid proof.”

She nodded, wiping her eyes, her mind filled with uncertainty.

“Let’s get some food in you.”

Ezekiel started to walk, but Aylin stayed put. The thought of facing the others made her head throb. “I’m not hungry,” she whispered.

“Sweetheart, you need to eat. It’s not good to starve yourself—”

“Zeke, please,” she pleaded.

Sighing, Ezekiel tried a different approach. “Remember the promise you made me?”

Aylin thought for a moment, and her cheeks turned pink. Being so close to Ezekiel made her flustered.

“You need to get strong for me.” He wrapped one arm around her back, and his other hand gently stroked her cheek.

He leaned in, his warm breath making Aylin shiver.

“You play dirty.” Her hands clung to Ezekiel’s shirt as if letting go would make him vanish. “Fine, you win this one.”

Hand in hand, they walked into the kitchen. It was empty. Looking around, they saw that the mess that had once filled the house was gone. “What happened? Who cleaned up?”

“Believe it or not, the warriors in my pack are pretty good at cleaning. Plus, they got rid of all the big stuff. Though, Morris should really be the one paying for it.”

Aylin looked at Ezekiel’s lip. The cut was almost healed. She remembered how his face had looked when he’d left the pack house.

If he had those minor injuries, she didn’t want to imagine what Daemon’s face looked like. “You know, you didn’t have to beat him up—”

“He disrespected you—”

“It’s just a house, Zeke.”

Ezekiel stopped in front of the fridge, and Aylin flinched at the sight of his tense hands gripping the handles.

Collecting himself, he reached in and pulled out an onion and a green pepper. Then, he opened the freezer and grabbed some ground turkey.

As he laid everything out on the counter, his face was serious. “That’s not the point. The point is—”

“He trashed the house before I became your mate. You can’t use that as an excuse!”

“He still disrespected you! Any disrespect towards you is a direct disrespect to me!”

She hopped off the stool and stood next to her angry mate, his fists clenched on the counter.

“You’re my queen and my mate. And I think you forget that it’s my job to protect you.”

She slipped under his arm and stood in front of him, taking his face in her hands. His stubble tickled her palms. “I’m your queen, and it’s also my job to protect the king. Don’t think you have to do it all.”

He pressed his forehead against hers and let out a sigh. “Until we figure out this demon situation, we can’t be apart.”

“Should I look over the file Daemon gave us?”

A low growl escaped from her mate.

“Enough already.”

He softened under her touch, nodding against her. “Let’s eat first.”

***

“Master Zagan,” a demon panted, rushing into the room before dropping to his knees in submission. “The girl is with the Dark Moon Pack.”

“How do you know?”

“We were near their border and saw her by their cells.” He hesitated, knowing the next part would infuriate his master. “There’s more.”

“Spit it out!”

“She was with the Rogue King—”

“What?!” Zagan’s anger flared, and he lashed out at the lesser demon. “How did this happen?!”

The demon raised his hands defensively, knowing his next words could seal his fate. “We don’t know, Master. Give us time, and we’ll find out.”

“No, it’s time to send a message. Sweet little Aylin needs to know who she belongs to.”

***

After a hearty meal and cleaning up the kitchen, Aylin and Ezekiel settled on the couch to go through the file Daemon had given them.

Fear gripped her as she held the file—fear of seeing the images from the last file she’d seen. The photos of the destruction brought back terrible memories.

Opening it, the first thing she saw was the demon himself: lean build, shoulder-length black hair, pale skin, and sharp features. His eyes were hidden.

“Can’t see his eyes,” Aylin commented to Ezekiel.

“Zagan’s eyes aren’t like those of lower-level demons, from what I’ve heard.”

Confused, she turned to her mate. “How do you know that?”

Ezekiel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, looking guilty. “Damn it. I didn’t want to tell you this way. I’ve seen him before.”

“What?”

Ezekiel leaned back slightly, trying to figure out the best way to tell his mate the awful truth.

After avoiding the conversation for so long, he was forced to face it. “Do you know why I’m called the Rogue King?”

“Even though I’m part of this pack, they never really explained who you were. It seemed almost taboo.”

Rubbing his eyes in frustration, Ezekiel shook his head. “Fucking Stephan Morris,” he muttered angrily.

“My father, the former alpha of our pack, had a run-in with demons in his time. It was around when the war started, and my mother disappeared.”

Realization dawned on Aylin. “This is personal for you, isn’t it?”

“In a way, yes. But now that you’re involved, it’s much more personal. I can’t let anything happen to you.”

She placed a hand on his thigh; the sadness in his eyes nearly broke her.

Taking a deep breath, he continued. “We’re considered rogues because my father chose to fight the demons when the other alphas didn’t. He was labeled an outcast and exiled.”

“But your father won against the demons—”

“At what cost?! Hundreds died, and my mother…”

She squeezed his hand. The thought of dredging up painful memories was as hard for the king as it was for her.

“My father was a shell of a man after the war. He was so grief-stricken over losing his mate that he took his own life.”

“So, that’s why you saw a mate as a weakness? Because of what happened to your mother?”

The shame on his face answered Aylin’s question. A chill ran through her; everything fell into place. “I was right. You should have rejected me.”

“No!” The king pulled his mate onto his lap. “Now, I understand what my father meant when he talked about my mother.

“I watched their love grow every day, and that’s how I feel about you. You’re here now, and I can’t imagine life without you.”

She kissed his temple, and a tender moment passed between them.

“We still don’t know why Zagan wants me. There’s probably nothing in the file that tells us either.”

She picked up the file from the coffee table, and the contents spilled onto the floor. As she gathered the papers, something caught Aylin’s eye: a file on her mother.

“What the hell?” she whispered. She read the entire page, and shock washed over her.

“What is it, Ay?”

“This says my mother wasn’t originally from this pack. She arrived much like I did at your pack.

“My father was the wolf who found her on pack lands and brought her back here. The former alpha always watched her because he didn’t trust her.

“Shortly after she arrived, demons started attacking. After six months, the attacks stopped. When my father realized who my mother was to him, she was finally accepted into the pack.

“Everything was quiet until I turned fourteen. Then the final attack happened, supposedly killing my parents and many others.”

“Look at this. This page is about you.” Ezekiel handed Aylin the page, and her eyes scanned every word. “What the—”

“Daemon has some explaining to do—”

“And I plan to,” another voice interrupted.

The king jumped up, all his energy focused on not throttling the alpha standing before him.

Aylin stepped in front of her mate, hoping to prevent Ezekiel from lashing out. Looking past the alpha, she saw Quill and Angus standing there, arms crossed.

“Start talking then!” the king roared.

“Zeke, please,” Aylin pleaded.

“No, this pack is run like shit! You reject this woman and think keeping secrets is a good idea?! Well, guess what, now demons are going to attack this pack, probably mine too.

“We have a right to know what the fuck is going to happen to us!”

Daemon was taken aback. “Why would you think they’d attack here?”

“Are you really that naive, kid? They probably already know Aylin is here.” Quill’s voice provided a brief distraction.

“Don’t you dare disrespect me on my own turf!”

“Last night, while we were on patrol, we caught the foul stench of a demon. We followed it, and it led us past your borders, heading north.

“It’s likely they know we’re here. Zeke, we need to get whatever information we can, and we need it now.”

“I can do even better than that. Take him with you.”