Chapter 192
Chapter 0192
I shiver as he runs his nose across my jaw before kissing the corner of my mouth.
He stands, taking my hand in one of his and shifting his jeans with the other before turning and guiding me down the stairs to the front door. His pack members flock to him again and I notice that he moves so that I’m standing in front of him. He lets them know that we have to be somewhere but that he’ll be back later if they need to meet with him about anything.
He walks me to a giant truck, opening the passenger door and lifting me inside. He leans over and clicks the seatbelt into place before pecking my lips again and winking before closing the door and coming around to climb into the driver’s
side.
The last time I was in a car was when the vampires had me in the trunk. Before that, it was when I was still part of a pack. It’s weird being back in a car again.
As we start to pull away, I look at my surroundings. It’s pretty here, in a different way than it was back in my childhood pack in Minnesota. I much prefer the warmer climate here.
I turn to look at Liam. “Taking care of me is keeping you from your work with the pack, isn’t it?” I ask him.
He looks at me, reaching over and taking my hand, pulling it to him so he can kiss my knuckles before setting it on his thigh. “My pack is the largest in the country. I have 832 pack members with another 27 pregnant females that will be adding to my numbers within the next five months. My work is never done. So, no, you aren’t keeping me from my work, it’s always there, no matter what.”
“When did you become Alpha?” I ask. I don’t know much about Liam and I’d like to get to know him better, especially if Alessia feels that we can trust him.
I watch as his face takes on a tense look. I jump in before he says anything. “It’s none of my business, you don’t have to tell me.”
He looks over at me, pulling my hand to his lips, kissing it again, before putting it back in his lap. “I told you before you can ask me anything. It’s just, not all of my answers are happy ones.”
He looks at me again. “To help you understand, I need to go back to before I took over from my father. When I was six years old, my mother was murdered. We were attacked by another pack that wanted the strength of our numbers and our land. My father defeated their Alpha, but not before my mother was killed.” My
in BONOS
hand goes to my mouth, I understand all too well what it feels like to have your mother murdered. He reaches over and brushes him knuckles over my cheek. before taking my hand again.
“My father was never the same after that. He moved out of the packhouse and he barely managed the pack at all. Dustin’s father, my father’s Beta, basically took over, only getting my father involved if needed. When I was ten years old, he started including me in the decision making for the pack. He and I made all the decisions together for the pack and the company that I own from the time I was 10 to the time I was 16. The day after my 16th birthday, my father died. There was no reason , he wasn’t sick , or not any sicker than he’d been for the previous 10 years. That day, it became official. A week later, I laid my father to rest and the day after that, we had my Alpha ceremony.”
He turns to look at me. I can see the pain in his eyes. I turn my hand in his, intertwining our fingers and rubbing my thumb over his hand. I want him to know he’s not alone. I know what it’s like to feel alone, like you have no one. I want him to know I’m here.
“My Alpha ceremony was a somber affair, not like most of them which are a celebration. And honestly, it didn’t matter. I’d been running this pack long before my father died and it became official.” He shrugs, looking at me before looking back at the road.
“How old are you now?” I ask him.
“Nearly 25.”
“So, you’ve been taking care of your pack and its members for almost 15 years?” He nods.
“Aren’t you tired?” I ask, because really, it’s got to be a huge burden for him to carry, day after day. The lives of over 800 people depend on him and him alone. He has to be everything to everyone.
“Some days more than others. Honestly, before all this,” he gestures with hist hand between us, “it was becoming overwhelming.”
“I make it less overwhelming for you?” I ask confused.
“You give me hope.”