Page 30 of Challenged Mate
I almost choked on a strand of melted cheese.
I cleared my throat. “What do you mean?”
“Our dad,” she explained. “He was great, but he could be harsh. Especially to Asher. He really pressured him with his training, more so than me and Axel.”
“Why?”
Kayla hesitated.
Before I could wonder why, she shrugged and said, “Asher’s powerful. With magic, I mean. My father didn’t want him to waste his potential. Or so he said. Don’t get me wrong, our dad loved Asher. He loved us all. But… he was tough. With how you talk about your dad, it sounds like he was tough on you too.”
“Not really,” I said quickly, but then I thought about it. I remembered the five a.m. training sessions, seven days a week. “I mean… I was the next alpha for our pack and female. He was just trying to make sure I was prepared for the job.”
“I believe that,” Kayla nodded. “I’m just saying, I know Asher wishes he could have some closure when it comes to our dad. There’s a lot he wanted to ask him, but then he died…”
My chest ached on Asher’s behalf. “I don’t need closure from my dad,” I said softly.
“That’s what Asher thought.” She stared down at her half-eaten sandwich. “But now he’s gone. And he’ll never get the chance.”
I pressed my lips together for a second, then gently said, “I understand if you’d rather not talk about it, but… do you mind if I ask when they passed?”
Kayla looked up, blinking. “I don’t mind. It was ten years ago.”
“How old were you?”
“Twelve. The twins were seventeen.”
Teenagers, but still not adults.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks.” She offered a weak smile. “The wound will never heal, but time has lessened the pain a bit.”
I nodded, not knowing what else to say.
“Since we both know my brother isn’t a sharer, I’m going to assume you don’t know how they died?”
I shook my head.
Her eyes dimmed. She stared at something behind my shoulder, zoning out. “For the most part, our pack lives in peace with covens. Only sorcerers and sorceresses who sever ties with their coven can become members of our community, and the covens seem fine with letting them make that decision for themselves. But there are a few members of the magical race who are bigots. They don’t like the fact magic has been spread to shifters. They only want pure-blooded sorcerers and sorceresses, and they can be radical when spreading that message.”
My stomach churned, believing I knew where she was going with her story.
“Anyway,” Kayla exhaled. “A little more than ten years ago, my parents were throwing a party to welcome the newest ex-coven members to our community. The whole pack was there. We were having a great time. Then, we were attacked.”
Her eyes glistened as she relived the horrible memory. “Thankfully, we have powerful packmembers. The casualties were limited to the people the sorcerers targeted... My mom and dad.”
My heart clenched. “They specifically went after your parents?”
“My mom,” Kayla clarified. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “She was the most powerful sorceress in our pack, and the sorcerers knew killing her would send a message. My father tried to save her… but the attackers were determined.”
I couldn’t imagine witnessing my parents’ murders. What a horrific nightmare.
Kayla continued in a low murmur, “The attackers were caught and executed not long after my parents died, but our pack was shaken up for a while. We lived in fear until our alpha demanded we build ourselves back up.” Fire ignited in her sorrowful eyes. “The reality is, those bigots are afraid of shifters having magic—knowing it makes us powerful. That knowledge fueled us to become the strongest we’ve ever been. Those monsters would be fools to attack us now.”
Hence, my father believed this to be the safest place for me.
“I’m glad to hear that,” I told her.
