Ruler (Wolves of Royal Paynes #2) - Kiki Burrelli Page 0,60

I think about everything I missed out on, moments she needed me and I wasn't there—" She paused, dropping her face to wipe her nose with a tissue. "I'm just so sorry. And glad you agreed to meet me. I don't have a lot at the room, but I purchased some snacks and tea. I thought we could eat and just talk, maybe about veterinary school, or the weather, or whatever you want, if that's okay with you."

The woman sounded so heartbroken. I'd known Storri's answer before he spoke. My prince couldn't leave a person to suffer, not even one who had wronged him. "We're ready. Me and Hallie." He turned around to look for her, but Hallie already stood beside him.

Her lips spread over her face in an easy smile. "I'm ready." She said nothing to Selene, and I wondered if it was because she sensed something or if she simply didn't like this any more than the rest of us.

My pack, though incomplete since Storri's arrival, was coming to accept him as we'd all accepted Jazz. They'd kept their distance, didn't scent him like they would've normally, but that had been for Storri's sake. Scenting was meant as an affirmation as much as it was a soothing habit.

Storri hugged me, stretching to his tiptoes for a goodbye peck that I transformed into a kiss just this side of decent. "Come back to me," I whispered.

I'd be lying if there wasn't a fraction of me that worried Storri would leave with his aunt and decide he missed his normal, human life. It didn't matter that my concern was selfish and unlikely; I couldn't push it out completely.

Before I was ready—because I would never be ready—Storri and Hallie said their goodbyes and were riding in Selene's car down the driveway.

"Turn on the comms," I growled.

"Already on," Diesel responded, turning up the speakers to the laptop balanced on the step.

Inside the car, they were still exchanging pleasantries. Without the others and I glaring Selene down, she spoke more easily and had many questions about his time with us, as well as the hotel. I watched the glowing green dots that signified Storri and Hallie's location. They were almost to the highway. Once they were, Diesel and I would drive one of the totaled cars Knox had purchased after we'd crashed the Hummer, knowing I would be able to get it ready for the road again. We had three vehicles now, not including the Hummer, that were road-ready.

Knox clapped my shoulder. "I know this feels like you're pulling yourself inside out, but you're doing the right thing by Storri. Remember that. You allow him to grow and heal even when it makes you uneasy to do so. There's nothing more alpha than that."

"They've turned onto the highway," Jazz said, staring at the laptop screen.

I snagged the keys from my pocket, but before I could walk around to the side of the hotel to our makeshift garage, another set of tires barreled down the driveway. "Is that Storri?" I barked, returning quickly to the laptop.

"No. They're still on the road," Diesel confirmed as Knox herded Jazz inside the hotel.

"You don't come out until I tell you to," he ordered before slamming the door shut.

The three of us turned to face the oncoming vehicle. Dog perked his ear forward. That he hadn't barked or growled told me whoever was coming might not be an enemy, but they drove like a bat out of hell.

"It's the twins," Diesel said the moment the Hummer came into view.

That wasn't good news.

Huntley cut the engine, and the two got out. "A meeting party?"

"Something like that," Knox replied. "What happened?"

Jagger stalked closer, a file in one hand. "Strange shit, man. Strange enough we had to come back early. There wasn't any point in watching the building longer."

"What did you see?" Jazz asked from behind the door.

Knox rolled his eyes and turned the knob with a growl, releasing his barely obedient mate.

Jagger opened the file. With the way they'd been driving, it was clear they needed to share what they knew immediately and didn't want to wait for the pleasantries attached to returning home. "The place is huge. Like, Intel campus huge, but we saw almost no one going in or out of any of the buildings." He slapped a series of photos on the steps, depicting a large building, several stories tall with wide rectangular, tinted windows. The picture was in black and white, and though it was clearly