Page 31 of Awakening the Beast
He rubs his palm over his mouth, clearly agitated, his voice muffled as he finally responds. “Since the moment I met him, I thought he was an Elite.”
I scoff, facing away from him, the hurt cutting deeper with each second. He squeezes my hand, but it feels like a weak attempt to bridge an extending gap between us.
“I looked into him,” Arlo continues, his tone more urgent, “but of course, I couldn’t fucking find anything, and that’s when it clicked. When we went there for dinner, he confirmed it.”
I pull my hand from his grasp, the betrayal stinging like salt in an open wound. I avoid his eyes, but he reaches out, forcing me to face him by gently holding my chin.
“I wanted to tell you, beautiful,” he says, his words gentle, almost begging. “I swear I did, but you have to understand—you weren’t an Elite then, and I thought it was best you didn’t know. It wouldn’t have made any difference for you not knowing.”
I shrug, still feeling the weight of his decision pressing down on me. “So why now? What’s changed?”
He lets out a heavy sigh, his expression shifting to something firmer. “Absolutely everything. You’re an Elite now; you’re not just my partner in life but also in business. And since shit has just become a whole lot more serious, I feel you needed to fucking know. Also, I didn’t want to lie about it anymore.”
I give a small nod, waiting for him to continue because I know there’s more. “Your father doesn’t want me involved with finding out who ordered the hit on you.”
When he drops his hand onto my lap, I purse my lips together and look away.
“You want me to speak to him?” I ask, but I see from the corner of my eye that he shakes his head, dipping it low.
“Fuck no.”
I now look at him swiftly, “And why not?”
His eyes lift to mine, and his teeth grind down. “He told me I’m not allowed to tell you, and you need to pretend that you don’t fucking know.”
I feel the anger clawing its way up my throat, and I can’t help the sharpness in my tone. “So what do you want me to do? Just fucking act like my father isn’t the top Elite crime lord in the US and didn’t screw us over? You just want me to let him keep us in the dark about what the hell is going on?”
He takes my hands again, gripping them tightly, his eyes now easing. “What I want is for you to get better, enjoy your time as a new mom, then when you’re ready, do this with me. I know he’s your father, but this is me telling you—fuck him for now. We don’t need him. We don’t need Ghost’s approval to do this shittogether. He knows you’re an Elite now, and if he thinks we’re not going to find out what the fuck is going on, he’s got another thing coming.”
I take in his words, understanding them, but my mind is spinning with thoughts of my father. If anyone can influence him, it’s me, and I can’t allow him to ever do something like that to Arlo again. If he even considers it, he’ll face the consequences—father or not.
I nod, keeping my thoughts to myself, and reach out to place my hand on Arlo’s handsome face. “How the hell did this happen? How did two people from the Elite world find love, and one of them had no idea it even existed her entire life?”
He takes my hand from his face, bringing it to his lips and kissing it affectionately before speaking against my skin.
“I have no fucking idea. Fate, maybe.”
A soft smile tugs at my lips, my heart warming at his words.
“Maybe.” I whisper softly.
Dressed in my tight black suit, it's my first day back as an Elite after almost two weeks at home, spending time with my family and today's meeting is important. Though I’m eager to dive back in and reclaim control over my city, a part of me aches at the thought of leaving Wren and the kids. It feels too fucking soon, but Wren demanded I jump back in—to figure out what the fuck is going on so we can finally move forward with our future.
I’ve noticed Wren slowly returning to her old self. She’s had a few nightmares that I noticed since I’ve been back, but she brushes them off, and I know time will heal those wounds. But the silence about her father? That’s either a blessing or a fucking curse. I have no idea what’s going on in her head, and it gnaws at me.
As I jog down the stairs, adjusting my Rolex on my wrist, I spot Wren by the door, a bright smile on her pretty face. The sight of her makes everything else fade into the background.
When I reach the bottom step, I stride toward her before slipping my arm around her waist and pulling her close to me. My hand finds the side of her neck, my thumb resting on her jaw as I lean down, pressing my lips firmly against hers.
I can tell she’s feeling better when she presses her body close to mine. When she breaks the kiss, she lingers close, her breath warm against my lips as her big brown eyes search mine.
“I love you. Be careful out there,” she whispers, and I can sense the fear in her voice, the worry that still grips her every time I step out into the world. Now that she knows just how harsh this life can be, I understand that it’s going to take time for her to move past what’s happened, and I can’t fucking blame her.
I capture her lips again, this time with more pressure, my hand sliding down to her ass, giving it a firm squeeze as if to reassure her.
“Always, baby, always,” I murmur against her mouth.
She smiles, and I reluctantly release her, turning to the door. As I step outside, the morning air hits me, and I stride down the path, my head down, fishing for my car keys in my pocket. When I finally look up, I halt in my tracks.
