Page 43 of Awakening the Beast
She shakes her head firmly and I roll my eyes in frustration, standing up “Fine; I’ll just find out myself, then.”
She suddenly grabs my wrist, stopping me with a firm grip. “You need to stay out of this, Wren. Think of Lumi.”
I scoff and yank myself free, narrowing my eyes. “Are you, of all people, telling me to stay out of the Elite world when you’re the woman who runs it?” I shake my head slowly, disbelief plastered over my face. “You have some nerve, Mother.”
She sighs deeply, looking away, clearly defeated. I flick my eyes between her and my dad. “Let’s face the facts, shall we? I’m an Elite, Arlo is an Elite, and you two are Elites as well. We’re also family, not enemies. Start acting like it.”
“Wren, you’re right; we are on the same side. We’re hoping with time, this will all blow over and that you will find it in yourheart to forgive us,” my father’s voice breaks in, drawing my attention.
I lay my palms on the table, leaning forward to address them with seriousness. “The only forgiveness I’ll ever consider is when you both start allowing and accepting the reality of this situation.” I pause for emphasis. “I’m not asking you to protect Arlo—my man doesn’t need it, not now I’m involved—but you could at least work with him or us to sort this mess out. He wants to protect me too, but you’re giving him nothing to work with.”
My frustration boils over as I continue. “I’m sick of him going through this shit because of his family history. He isn’t his father; he’s gentle and kind to me. Maybe not in your world, but in mine, he’s the best thing that has ever happened to me, and he’s a damn good father.”
Feeling the sting of emotion again, I take a deep breath, turning my gaze away to regain my composure. “I’ll speak to you both soon. And hopefully, next time, it won’t be like this.”
As I drive home, my rage festers just beneath the surface, a burning wrath that's both overwhelming and heart-wrenching. Finding out my mother’s role in all of this hits me like a freight train, tearing through my heart.
Despite the pain, a glimmer of hope strangely remains. The conversation today might have been intense, but I hold on to the hope that my parents will finally understand the severity of their actions. I needed them to realize what they’ve done and begin tosee Arlo for who he truly is—not as an enemy, but as the man who has become the center of my world. If they can start to shift their point of view and work with him instead of against him, maybe there’s a chance for a future where they actually look out for him, rather than plotting against him.
Arlo had warned me not to go to them, but I had to. I needed them to know that I was fully aware of what they have done so they would rethink before they make any more dumb decisions.
Now I have to face him, but when I do, I’ll let him know that I had full control over the situation, and that I did it with the well-being of our small family in mind. It was a risk, but hopefully it will show Arlo that I’m steady in my loyalty to him and our future.
As I drive, the sudden ring of my phone startles me. I glance at the dash, my gut tightening with nerves as I see it’s Arlo calling. I answer, turning down the volume on the speakers to keep the noise from waking Lumi.
“Hello?”
"Wren, where the fuck are you?"
I let out a deep sigh, sinking lower into my seat and keeping my eyes on the road.
“I'm driving.”
“Yeah, well, I know that,”he snaps back, frustration clear in his tone.
I raise an eyebrow, curious.“And how do you know that?”
“Because I have men tailing your every fucking move while I'm out of the city,”he growls.
My gaze flickers to the rearview mirror, and sure enough, a black car is maintaining a steady distance behind me.
“Why?”I ask, irritation and curiosity lacing my words.
“You know damn well why. The real question is, where the fuck are you going? Should you even be driving right now?”
I huff, a hint of defiance creeping into my voice as I grin.“What are you? My fucking dad?”
I can almost hear the annoyance in his snarl.“Do you really want to test me? Because I’ll happily turn this car the fuck around.”
“No, Daddy, of course not,”I say, unable to stop myself from teasing him.
His low, irritated groan reverberates through the speakers, making me fight a smile.
“So, tell me, if you can drive, that means I can pound your pussy now, right?”
"Not exactly, Arlo. Shouldn't you be working rather than calling me to talk dirty?"
He chuckles darkly, the sexy sound oozing with amusement and arrogance.“That's not the reason I called you, Wren. But you turned it into something as soon as you decided to call me “Daddy.” You know what that shit does to me.”
