Page 56 of King of Inferno

“You can ask me anything you like, Taylor. I have nothing to hide from you.”

“Do you know the name Api Kecil?” I ask cautiously.

He stiffens and anger fills his face. I don’t sense it’s anger with me, but it’s clear this name rings a bell and not a good one. I wonder if she was wrong and he did have romantic feelings for her.

“Where have you heard that name?” he says in a low rumble.

“I’ve been dreaming about her for months. At first, it was only her name. Now, it’s different.”

“Different how?”

“I’ve seen her. We’ve talked in the dream.”

He purses his lips and runs a hand through his hair. A wide range of emotions cross his face. Now I wish I hadn’t asked.

“Api Kecil was one of the she-wolves back when Alpha Bruce was the alpha over the entire Sapphire Moon pack. Well before the triplets’ father was born. Her parents were killed in a battle with some rogues while protecting the luna.

“Alpha Bruce took her in and raised her as he and Luna Amelia didn’t have pups of their own at the time. Their first pup was born not too long after, but they loved Api Kecil like their own. There was always something special about Api Kecil.

“Not just her kind heart, but you could sense her wolf would be strong from an early age. When she did receive her wolf at eighteen, Alpha Bruce called for me. Api Kecil had a rare wolf. The packs call them fire wolves and they appear once every thousand years.”

“Wow, really? The girls told me about the gifted wolves.”

“Yes, the Sapphire Moon pack is named after their first luna. She was a Sapphire wolf. Also very rare. Sapphire wolves, however, only appear when the moon goddess decides it’s time.

“Usually when the pack needs protecting and healing. Alpha Bruce was concerned for Api Kecil. She didn’t know how to control her wolf or her powers at first. I was able to help her,” he says.

“Then what happened?”

“I spent three years with the pack, training her to control her wolf and guiding her to learn to use her gifts. Then an alpha from another pack came to form an alliance with Alpha Bruce and I knew right away he was Api Kecil’s mate.

“She left with him to live with his pack, and I returned to my brothers here. She was happy, and a year later, she had her first pup. However, there was a she-wolf in the pack who had been the alpha’s chosen mate before he found Api Kecil.

“He didn’t think he would find her. He was twenty-five and had all but given up. His chosen mate hated Api Kecil.

“Not long after Api Kecil gave birth to her son, while the alpha went away on business, that treacherous bitch drugged his luna and led her to her death. Her wolf was too weak from the poison to protect her.”

“Oh my God. That’s horrible.”

He swallows hard and his eyes become distant. I see so much guilt in his eyes. I can’t help but wonder what the guilt is for.

“I should have felt something was wrong. I should have saved her. I could have saved her if I had gotten her to Reilly in time. I … I just didn’t feel it happening. Our connection was somehow broken.

“She’s the only one I’ve ever given that special link to. It’s not like the one between the community. When she moved so far away, I deepened our bond so she would always be able to reach me, no matter what,” he says.

“You loved her,” I say.

He swings his gaze to me. I’m not asking him. It’s clear in his voice and his words.

“Not as you think. It was never like that for me. Do I know she wanted more before she found her mate? Yes, but I had only grown fond of her like a little sister I needed to protect.”

“What happened to her mate and her son?”

“He received a second-chance mate. Their son happens to be Tala’s grandfather. Her father is from one of the Sapphire packs. That’s how she ended up there.”

“That makes sense, she does remind me some of Api Kecil.”

“Tell me, what are these dreams about?”

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