Page 78 of Kai's Hunger

Around the table, the others expressed their commitment to bringing their brother home, their voices a resolute chorus. They were united in purpose, ready for battle. I’d never seen anything like it.

“Was there more?” Wyatt asked me. “More that could help us?”

“That’s all,” I replied, regret weighing me down that I couldn’t do more. “I’m sorry.”

Wyatt’s features softened. “You’ve provided us with more than you know.”

Surrounded by Kai and his family, I felt the warmth of unity. Something I’d never had before, not even with my own mother and sister.

A charged silence lingered as the information took hold of the room. Yet, beneath the table, Kai’s hand rested on my thigh, threatening to distract me. Hidden from the prying eyes of the others, a different kind of tension simmered. I glanced over and saw the heat in his gaze, the sexy lift to his lips. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Our shared kiss upstairs was burned into my mind. The heat in my veins intensified with every passing second, and I struggled to keep my focus on the matter at hand. How would I handle it when we were alone at the cabin? Kai was more than I’d ever known before. A kernel of fear surfaced at the thought.

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Kai

My inner beast roared, and the sound nearly drowned out all rational thought. Instincts pushed me to claim Lily, to complete the bond that had been forming between us since day one. My senses were flooded with the feel of her soft skin against mine, her nearness, as well as her desire. It’d changed her scent to a deeper, stronger temptation, and I craved her. Every fiber of my being ached to respond to those primal urges, to yield to the raw intensity of our mating.

But I fought against it, my restraint a testament to my love for her. I didn’t want to add another layer of complexity to our already intricate situation. I didn’t want to hurt her or push her beyond her comfort zone, especially now, when we needed to focus on saving Trakker.

My grip on the mug tightened, knuckles turning white as I tried to channel my hunger into something more manageable. Lily’s green gaze filled with awareness. She seemed to sense the internal struggle I was grappling with, and her hand cupped my thigh under the table, a subtle reassurance that she was there with me. It cooled me down a notch.

As the conversation continued around us, I turned to find Lily watching me with longing. Her soft smile about did me in. She gave me tenderness, while a beast raged for release inside me.

I took a deep breath, focusing on the task at hand, pushing aside myYucilonnature that threatened to consume me. I listened to the plans to rescue Trakker, and in the midst of it, Miggs returned. His voice rang out, capturing our attention. “Listen up, everyone. I’ve got a lead on Patterson’s daughter.” He waved a white sheet of paper in the air with a woman’s image printed on it. “Her name is Angel West. She’s taken her mother’s maiden name.”

My focus narrowed on the picture. She appeared to be in her twenties, with an ethereal presence that contrasted sharply with the darkness that her father had embodied. Her long blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders in gentle waves, framing a delicate face.

I frowned. “That’s Angel West?”

Miggs nodded, placing the picture in the center of the table. “Yeah, that’s her.”

My gaze went to Fostine, then our father. “Does she look familiar to you two?”

“No,” both said in unison. Dad leaned forward, his attention lingered on the photograph. “She seems so ... different from the man who raised her.”

Miggs tapped the picture, his expression contemplative. “Yeah, she seems so sweet. And yet her father is a fucking monster.”

I nodded slowly, my thoughts racing. “Could be she’s innocent in all this.”

Wyatt snorted. “Appearances can be deceiving. Her smile is soft, and her eyes have this depth that’s hard to reconcile with the evil shit her father’s involved in, but it could all be fake.”

My lips tightened in a determined line. “Then we find her. Use her to get to him.”

Fostine cleared her throat, and everyone looked her way. “Find her, find Patterson.”

“Seems to be the gist of it,” Wyatt muttered, running his fingers through his thick black hair.

“We have addresses—it’s something,” Miggs said, offering Lily a grateful smile. He continued, urgency lacing his tone. “Based on recent activity, I’ve narrowed it down to a few locations. She has an apartment about an hour from here, and there’s a warehouse in her name as well. She’s an administrative assistant. So, it’s unlikely she’s earning enough to purchase a warehouse the size of this one.”

As the room buzzed with conversation, my mind wrestled with an internal conflict. On one hand, the pull to complete the mating ritual and strengthen my bond with Lily surged through me with furious intensity. On the other, Trakker’s rescue weighed heavily on my conscience.

Lily’s knee nudged my leg. The reminder of our shared strength settled me a fraction. But my sense of responsibility gnawed at me.

Amidst the planning, a commanding voice cut through the air—Wyatt, our oldest brother. As always, the voice of reason amidst the chaos. “Hold on a moment.”

All eyes turned toward our alpha. My heart squeezed tight. Wyatt had been our rock after Fostine and our father had disappeared. Our leader. We all valued his guidance above all else.

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