Free Wicked Werewolf Secret (The Werewolf Society) by Lisa Renee Jones

 
    She forced a deep inhalation and let it out before continuing into the kitchen, then stopped dead in her tracks at the doorway. To her shock and awe, there sat the King himself at the table, next to Kole. His hair was a pale blue, his eyes a deep glowing amber as they fell on Sarah. He was the very essence of power, a male who looked no more than thirty-five, but was thousands of years old.  
    She knelt down and bowed. “King.”
    He shocked her by standing and coming to her, lifting her to her feet. “I am not your King,” he said. “I am your father.” He went to his knee in front of her. “Forgive me, daughter, for I have wronged you.”  
    A million thoughts charged through her mind, and her heart felt like it was going to explode from her chest. Anger, pain, confusion collided inside her. Her gaze went to Kole’s, the connection, the only thing that calmed her and slowed her heart and somehow she managed to speak,   “I don’t understand,” was all she could say. ”I just...don’t understand how this is possible.”
    “How would you?” the King asked. “I have left you in the dark for far too long. Your mother and I had tried to have children, and bore one son, who was killed in battle. When we were finally blessed with another pregnancy, you were born. You became the only girl in our bloodline for centuries, and as such, you were destined, or rather cursed, to be a She-wolf, a rare warrior amongst our kind. It is a destiny of blood and battle, of hunting and being hunted. Your mother was very ill from the birth and we knew she wasn’t going to live. She...” His voice cracked. “Made me promise to hide you, to declare you dead, to protect you. She wanted you to have a kinder life. We both wanted to spare you the blood of battle. We should have known that you would always find your way to the battlefield. It is as much your destiny as your mate.”
    Still stunned, Sarah could barely comprehend what he was saying. “You ordered my arrest.”
    “I needed to get you back here where I could tell you the truth, to help you develop the skills that will protect you in war.”  
    This wasn’t happening. It couldn't be true. But it was. He spoke the truth. She felt it, saw it in his strange but incredibly beautiful eyes.  
    Sarah started to shake and her knees were suddenly weak. Kole was somehow there, holding her up and carrying her to the living room. She sat on the couch and cried, unable to stop the tears, feeling the loss of her family all over again. For someone who was a warrior, she was doing a lot of crying. And then she sat with the King and they talked for hours. Kole was by her side the entire time, mostly silent, a rock who made her stronger.
    “My parents-”
    “Were the Duncans,” he said. “I know. They earned that place in your life. I can only hope that one day you will allow me to be a second father.”
    “Did they know?” she asked, remembering a few jokes about how different she looked from her blonde sister and mother. Remembering how awkward those jokes made her family. They’d known and she rephrased her question. “Did they know I was yours?”  
    “Yes.”  
    Questions flew from Sarah, one after another. Hours passed until the King finally pushed to his feet. “I must go, but Sarah, my child, I hope that you will allow me to claim you as heir to the throne.” His gaze shifted to Kole. “And mate to the leader of the Royal Guard Pack.” He bowed his head and then he was just gone.  
    Kole whistled. “I didn’t know he could do that, but then, it seems everyone is popping in and out of rooms these days. We should inquire about the magic potion for that. There must be one since everyone is doing it but us. We need to find some for us. It would sure make the late night pizza runs easier.”  
    Suddenly Sarah was smiling, all the uncomfortable emotions fading away, or at least taking a fifteen minute intermission. Something about Kole and how he responded to