Gamma Kailen Steele
Hunter and I were walking down the stairs, heading to the dining room to have breakfast with his father, the king. I was feeling anxious about seeing the Lycan King. He knew that I wasn’t able to have a child, and I was nervous about hearing how he felt about my relationship with his son.
Before we left my flat, Hunter bandaged up my back and I got dressed in leggings and a flowing, long sleeve blouse. I braided my hair while I waited for Hunter to get ready. I needed to head to class after. I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing.
Now, as we headed into the dining room, my stomach was in knots. Not only did I have to tell the Lycan King about Hunter’s and my relationship, but Hunter informed me before we left that Owen and Finn would be arriving soon. I was not looking forward to seeing either one of them again.
We approached the table; the king seated at the head. He looked up from his paper and gave both of us a smile.
“Son, Gamma Kailen, or should I call you Princess Kailen?” He asked me and I was shocked.
“You know?” I asked him, and then I looked over at Hunter. He was standing beside me with his hand on my lower back.
“My dear, I know where my son has been sleeping for the past year.” He winked at me, and I could feel my face heat up.
“And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.” Hunter leaned in and whispered. And I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow.
“Stop,” I looked over at him and mouthed. He just gave me a grin, and I shook my head.
“Come, sit. We have plenty to discuss.” The King told us.
Hunter pulled out the chair beside the king and motioned for me to sit. Always the gentleman. He sat on the other side of me, resting his hand on my thigh. I tried not to make a sound when I sat down. I didn’t want them both to know how much pain I was in.
“So, Kailen, how long have you been with my son?” The king asked me, taking a sip of his coffee.
“It’s been almost four years now, my king.” And he looked stunned.
“Really?” He asked, and I nodded.
“Now, that explains a lot,” he said.
“How so?” I asked him curiously.
“Well, for one, it explains why Hunter never wanted to go to any more mating balls. He stopped caring about finding his fated mate. And he would never tell me why. Now I know it was because you two were together.” He explained, and I now felt guilty for not telling him the truth.
“I’m sorry, my king. I’m the one that didn’t want to make our relationship public, but I should still have told you.” I told him.
“My dear, you forget that I understand you. I understand why you kept it a secret, but I’m glad that you are finally accepting my son.” He told me and I couldn’t help but smile.
“So you’re okay with us being together? Even after knowing what you know about me?” I asked him. And he nodded.
“Kailen, you have made me so proud. And it would honor me to have you be part of our family.” He told him and I could feel the tears in my eyes.
“But what about an heir? You know the chances are very low.” I stuttered out.
“And there are always options. Do you love Hunter?” He asked me.
“More than anything.” I answered, and Hunter squeezed my thigh.
“Then that’s all that matters. I can see how happy you both are when you are together. And I can see how much good you bring out in my son.”
“Thank you.” I told him with a smile. I rested my hand on Hunters.
“My dear, can I ask you a personal question?” He looked at me, and I could tell that he was serious.
“Dad, I don’t think that is necessary,” Hunter spoke.
“Of course, my king. Anything.” I answered him and Hunter sighed. He must know what the king would like to ask me.
“Your fated mate, what’s going on with that?” He asked me, and I was a little taken aback by the question.
“I’m not quite sure what you are asking. There is nothing going on with Owen and I and there hasn’t been since I rejected him.” I told him. I was a little confused by his question.
“Dad’s concerned that you might go back to Owen, since he is planning on taking back his acceptance of your rejection.” Hunter said, and I looked at him.
“Do you think that?” I asked him, and he let out a sigh.
“You do, don’t you?” I was stunned.
“My king, I want you to know that I’m never taking back my rejection. I’m not the same person I was four years ago. I would never want anything bad to happen to him, but I don’t want to be with him. I want to be with Hunter.” Looking at the king, I told him firmly.
“Kailen, I didn’t mean to imply that I don’t trust you,” Hunter said, and I looked back at him.
“Hunter, I understand. But I’m telling you right now that my rejection will always stand.”
“But what if you didn’t know the whole truth?” He asked me.
“Hunter, what don’t I know?” I asked him. I’m worried now. He didn’t answer right away, and my stomach was in knots again.
“Son, you need to tell her the whole truth.” The King told his son.
“It’s about you and Owen.” He started to say, but I interrupted him.
“Let me guess. Owen is claiming that I rejected him because of a lie. He wants me to take back the rejection, or he’s going to get the council involved. I’m I close?” I asked Hunter, and the king let out a laugh.
“And that is why you are one of my gammas,” he said with pride before drinking more of his coffee.
“I have a feeling that Maya was also involved somehow, but she would have been too young to put the entire plan in motion. If you give me some time to go over everything, I’m sure I can figure it out.” I answered him and he pushed his lips into a line.
“We already know the people involved. And yes, everything you said is true.” Hunter told me.
“Who are the other people?” I asked him curiously. I’ve been working on my case for so long and I never had a reason why I was kidnapped.
“It was the former beta and Jim,” Hunter said, and it all made sense.
“He wanted his daughter to be Luna, and I’m sure he paid Jim for his help.” I told him.
“How do you always know?” He asked me, stunned.
“Because it makes sense. With me out of the way, Maya could get her claws into Owen. And Jim has always hated me.” I answered him.
“We read your file.” Hunter told me and I sighed.
“Then you know how bad it was,” I told him.
“Why did you pay off his house?” He asked me curiously. And I really didn’t know how to answer that question.
“I mostly did it for Cathy. Jim would call me every few months asking for money. And I would always give it to him. I didn’t want Cathy to get hurt. So when he called me a few months ago asking me for money again, I called the former Alpha and asked him to pay off their house and to ask him not to let Jim take any loans out on the house.” I explained. Hunter wrapped an arm around my shoulder and squeezed me into him. He kissed my temple, and I blushed. I wasn’t used to public displays of affection.
“You really are the best.” He mumbled into my temple.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my childhood. There was just a lot of bad, and I didn’t want to relive it.” I told him.
“You don’t have to apologize, I understand.” He told me before his phone went off and he groaned. He excused himself from the table to answer it. I’m sure it was Greyson.
“My king, May I ask you a question?” I asked when Hunter was out of the room.
“My dear, please call me dad.” He told me and I nodded.
“Okay, Dad. That will take some time to get used to,” I told him.
“But anyway, Hunter and I would like to mark each other after I’m more healed up. Do you have any concerns?” I shyly asked him. It was weird asking him to mark his son. Marking almost always included sex, so I felt weird talking to his dad about this.
“Are you asking for my permission to mark my son?” He asked me with a smile.
“I guess, I am. I just want to make sure that you are okay with me being your son’s chosen mate?” I asked him.
“Would my answer change your mind about being with Hunter?” He asked me and I sighed.
“No, it would just make living with my decision more difficult. I would never ask Hunter to abandon his responsibilities to the crown.” I told him.
“Kailen, I’m okay with it, and I have no concerns. You make Hunter want to be a better person.” The king told me. I rose from my seat to give him a hug.
It was kind of weird, since he was my boss and future father-in-law. But he was also a father figure to me. He has helped me more than he should have over the last four years. And I will be forever thankful for his kindness.
Hunter walked back in just as I was pulling away from his father. I looked over at him and smiled. I was truly happy at that moment.
“Is everything okay?” Hunter asked, walking over to the table.
“Perfect, son. What was the call about?” The king asked.
“It was Greyson. They will be here in about ten minutes. They are just crossing the border.” He told him and that was my queue to leave. I did not want to see Owen, and I had a class to teach.
“I guess that means I’ll head to class,” I told Hunter, and he sighed.
“You should really go back to bed. You need your rest to heal.” He told me. I walked towards him and wrapped my arms around his waist.
“I’ll take it easy, I promise. I’ll just sit there and talk, nothing more.” He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, giving me a gentle squeeze.
“Fine, but I’m coming to get you after class. And then you are going straight to bed.” He scolded me.
“Yes, Lycan Prince, sir.” I pulled away and saluted him, and he rolled his eyes, making me laugh.
“Go before I change my mind.” He told me before he grabbed my cheeks. He leaned down and gave me a kiss, which I returned. I could feel the tingles on my lips and face from his touch.
“Going.” I told him when he pulled out of the kiss. I walked back over to my chair and picked up my purse.
“Remember, I’m picking you up.” He called out before I left the dining room.
“And I’ll be waiting.”