Chapter 170
[ 1,103 words ]
Arabella:
I had almost forgotten about Victor and Bradley. Lucien was crouched in front of me now, and I could feel him watching me carefully.
“Arabella, tell me what you’re feeling. Are you all right?” His hand rested on my knee as he tried to get me to look at him. “Should I call a healer? Or I can ask Lilith to come here.”
I sighed, not knowing what to say.
“I know she’s still mad at you,” he continued. “But she’ll come if I ask her.”
The beeping had finally stopped, and my head wasn’t hurting as badly anymore. I just felt tired and confused. So much had happened in the last hour that I didn’t even want to think about anything else right now.
I leaned forward and rested my forehead against Lucien’s shoulder. “I think I’m all right.” His hand came up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing gently over my skin.
“Goddess, I like this. I like it whenever Lucien touches us. Yummy!”
My eyes flew open when the same voice spoke in my head. I immediately pulled away and got to my feet.
“Arabella?” Lucien looked up at me from where he was still crouching.
“Nothing.” I moved away from him, trying very hard to behave. “I think I should go to my room and take a nap. Maybe I’ll feel better after some sleep.”
Lucien slowly got to his feet and studied my face. I suddenly started fixing the sleeve of my dress, avoiding eye contact.
“Arabella. By any chance…” He hesitated a bit. “Have you gotten your wolf?”
My fingers stopped. How the hell did he know?
Before I could decide whether to lie, Lucien stepped closer. “If that’s what happened, don’t say anything. Not here, and not to anyone else.”
He had told me the same thing before, and I still didn’t understand why he was so determined to keep everything about my wolf a secret. Wasn’t getting her back exactly what we had been waiting for?
“Arabella, our first priority is getting your wolf back completely.” His voice had lowered now. “Someone has been poisoning you for Goddess knows how long. We still don’t know who it is, and we don’t know what they’ll do if they realize the poison has stopped working.”
I smiled weakly. “Okay. That makes more sense.”
“Once your wolf is strong enough, she’ll be able to protect you too.” He paused, and something changed in his voice. “I know what it feels like to lose your beast, Bella. If she’s really there, take care of her. Don’t let anyone hurt her again.”
There was something painful in the way he said it, and I knew he was talking about Zorro. “I’m not asking you to hide her forever,” he continued. “Just until we know you’re safe.”
I nodded, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that after spending my whole life believing I might never have a wolf, she was finally here.
***
I was halfway through another egg sandwich when Victor finally answered my call. I was in my private kitchen and was eyeing the bowl of fries sitting beside me on the counter.
“Yes, what’s up?” Victor asked.
I pushed a few fries around with my finger. “Victor, I need a favor. Can you arrange a meeting with your father?”
” My father?” He laughed as if I had said something ridiculous. “He’s also your father, Arabella.”
No, he isn’t. He had never acted like one.
I took another bite of my sandwich instead of replying to that part.
Arguing about Dad wasn’t why I had called. “I really need to meet him, and just for a heads-up, there’s a good chance he won’t agree if you tell him I’m the one asking. Can you do something about that?”
Victor didn’t answer immediately. I could hear some noise from his side of the call before he finally let out a sigh. “Okay. I’ll try.”
“No, Victor. Don’t try.” I put the sandwich back on my plate and wiped my fingers on a napkin. “You have to make it happen, and I need it within the next two or three days. Please.”
“Two or three days? What’s the hurry?”
“I need to talk to him about my mother.”
That was all Victor needed to know for now. I picked up a fry but didn’t eat it as another thought came to me. “Actually, it would be better if you don’t tell him I’m coming at all.”
There was another pause. “Arabella, how am I supposed to arrange a meeting between two people when one of them isn’t supposed to know about it?”
“Okay. Then don’t.” I finally ate the fry and greedily reached for another one. Goddess, why was I still hungry? “Just let me know where he’s going to be. Preferably somewhere public, like a café. I’ll show up as if I happened to be there too.”
Victor started laughing again. “You do realize you sound like you’re planning an ambush, right?”
“Come on, Victor. You know him better than I do. Do you honestly think he’ll happily agree if you tell him I want to question him?”
His laughter died down at that. “Fine. I’ll do it,” he said. “Let me see what I can arrange.”
“Thank you.”
I disconnected the call and put my phone beside my plate. What was I even going to say when I finally got him in front of me?
I knew almost nothing about my mother except the things other people had decided I should know. Growing up, I heard the same story so many times that, at one point, I actually believed it.
That I had killed my mother.
How stupid was that?
If that man had never managed to love his own daughter, I had no idea if he had ever loved my mother. He had already betrayed her while they were together.
Victor was older than me, and Vanessa was my age, which meant Vikki hadn’t suddenly appeared in Dad’s life after my mother died. She had already been there.
After my mom’s death, Dad brought Vikki and her children he’d secretly had with her into our home and gave them his name. Funny how nobody in the pack ever talked about that part.
Now I wanted answers from the man who had shared a life with her.
When I sensed movement at the doorway, I looked up to find Bradley standing there, his face unusually serious. “Arabella, can we talk? Please?”
“Yeah, Arabella. Go ahead.” My wolf chimed in. “We need to hear his side too.”
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