Scarlet Rogue (Book One)

Chapter Thirty-Two: Apple Pie

Kaelynn

Giggles and screeches echo through my ears as children, lots of them, more than I thought the pack had, run around searching for gold. At least their version gold. Delicious, sweet, brown balls of delight. Baskets filled with this gold yet the greed for more continues. An innocent greed, the playful sort which leads to competitive spirit and eccentric visionaries. Neither good nor bad in itself but perhaps they lend a hand in dictating whether how a person ends up, at least I think so.

Competitive spirit, that's what Father encouraged from my archery competitions to aiming high in education. I won most of my competitions, but then I wouldn't be the daughter of an Alpha King if I didn't, and I became a doctor, didn't I? To say I'm competitive might be an understatement, at the back of my mind I'd always wondered if that's why I killed him. The competitive nature in me wanting to get rid of the only person who had the potential to be stronger than me.

Seems crazy in a sense but the thirst for power comes again and again in history. Zeus tried to kill his father, his only setback was an immortal can't be killed so he instead chopped his father up and threw him in a pit. Maybe comparing myself to Zeus is a stretch but me killing Father isn't.

"You want to join in, don't you?" Kurt takes a seat next to me.

"Chocolate isn't my thing."

"Apple pie, right?"

I turn to my left, squinting my eyes and cocking my head sideways at Kurt's comment.

"Caleb told me."

"You speak to him?"

"Everyone does except Ayden. He's a good guy, Ayden would think so too if he got his jealousy in control."

Ayden's jealousy is so misplaced it's amusing. Has Ayden never seen himself in the mirror? He is the depiction of a Greek God; his perfectly bronzed-skin, his strong features, flowing hair yet his expressions that soften him almost immediately. I love Caleb but he really could never compare to him.

"So, is that Ayden's scent?"

Kurt is nosier than he needs to be but then he always is. I'm not answering that, just need to distract him.

"What did Ayden do about your outburst yesterday?"

"Nothing, would you believe?"

I raise my eyebrow at Kurt, not believing Ayden would let him get away with speaking out of turn when he was commanded not to.

"He has some making up to do, can you believe he thought we ran away to be together whilst we were in the torture chambers?"

At that moment, all thoughts leave my head as I burst into laughter. Hysterical laughter that would end in tears of glee. A laugh I haven't let out since I left the palace.

"It's not that funny."

Kurt barely keeps a straight face himself as he says this. Before long, the tears are streaming down my face as pure joy runs through my veins. Joy that feels wrong yet so right, my usual guilt for feeling happy gone but separate guilt in its place for not feeling guilty.

"Oh my God, Kaelynn. What's happened?" Avery runs to me wrapping her arms around me to comfort me on seeing tears.

"I'm fine, really."

"She crying from laughing too hard," Kurt pipes in.

Avery let's go of me, inspecting me to check Kurt's story.

A smile grazes her face shortly after and she asks, "What's so funny then?"

Kurt and I face each other only to burst into laughter, not being able to give her an answer.

"Guys tell me! The suspense isn't good for the baby."

I try to straighten my face to begin telling Avery but the laughter spills out once again.

"What is so hilarious here?" The deep-voice of my mate chimes in.

My face turning straight immediately, as does Kurt's.

"I...that thing...Hannah...I should... bye," Kurt manages to mumble something and run off.

Shooting Kurt daggers which he ignores, I am left to fend for myself. I look to Avery, wide-eyed, hoping for an escape but ever clueless, she waits for an answer just like Ayden. Ayden looks to me, arms folded, fingers tapping impatiently on his biceps. Biceps I'd love to be tapping myself, I might add. For now, I make a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess hoping she can save me.

Within seconds, a group of kids run up to Ayden wanting to play with the Alpha. Ayden's features change to the softest I've seen, a grin bigger than his face, eyes wider than a Tarsiers. They drag him to the field to hunt eggs with him and one could say I was saved by the eggs.

"I had no idea kids had that effect on Ayden," I say to Avery.

"Oh, he loves kids. I wonder how many he'll be wanting you to have."

Avery and her comments, I should be used to them but they catch me off-guard every time. I retaliate by shaking my head and rolling my eyes at her, not that it has much effect.

"You know Mark and Brandos were pretty young when his mom disappeared. Zed was so out of it that Ayden practically raised the two of them."

Her confession has me glaring at Ayden. This God of a man, so strong, so in control, so good, the polar-opposite to me. He stood by his family, his pack and did whatever it took to make things right. My admiration for him increasingly every second I spend with him and rightly so, there is much to admire and nobody could say any different.

"How is Imelda?" I ask Avery.

"She's coping, much better than yesterday. Zed takes good care of her and Hannah spends a lot of time annoying her, just as she annoys everyone."

Her jab at Hannah doesn't go unnoticed, although why she doesn't like Hannah escapes me. With their similar personalities, you'd think they'd get on like a house on fire. Either way, as long as Imelda is okay. That's all that matters.