My King // Arthur Curry

15

He had never seen his daughter this angry before; Allen didn't know what to say. Anger blazed within her amber-colored eyes as she stared at her dad. "I feel like an idiot for believing you would keep your promise. But I was wrong." Alexis yelled as angry tears fell from her eyes. "How can I trust you when all you do is lie and keep secrets from my brothers and me." Lowering his head in shame, Allen knew that she was right—all of the lies and secrets needed to stop. 'Alexis is so much like you, my love. I miss you a lot.' He thought while softly saying, "You're right. You kids finally deserve the truth."

"No more secrets?"

"No more secrets."

Seeing nothing but honesty in her dad's eyes, she believed him. All of the anger that she felt earlier instantly vanished. Walking up to him, she hugs him. "I had my reasons for hiding things from you and the twins. Some of the things that I've done in the past, I'm not proud of." Allen said, hugging her back. A small smile formed on his mouth when Alexis said, "You're my dad, and the mistakes from your past don't define who you are. They're just reminders about not making the same mistake twice."

Ending the hug, Allen closely looks at his daughter. "When did my little girl become so wise?" He said with pride in his voice. Looking at him, she only said, "Two amazing parents raised me. Plus, I can be wise when I want to be." Getting out of his seat, he walked over to her and patted her head. Playfully messing up her hair, he chuckled when he heard her whine, "Why do you and my brothers always mess up my hair?"

After fixing her hair, Alexis soon heard her father say, "Call your brothers and tell them to get over here. We all need to sit down and talk." She pulled out her iPhone and texted Michael. It didn't take long for her brother to text her back. "Mike said that they will be here in thirty minutes," Alexis told him as she put her iPhone back in her pocket. "Oh, and that reminds me, why didn't you tell me that mating marks had a second meaning." Moving her shirt collar to the side, she shows him her mating mark. 'Arthur better take good care of my little girl, or he's a dead man.' Allen thought darkly.

"I'm sorry, Lexi, it slipped my mind."

"Is it true, am I married to Arthur?"

"Yes. In the eyes of Ice wolves, Werewolves, and Lycans, you're both married. But...the Atlanteans will see it differently."

"What do you mean?"

"How should I put this? Your mother, Samantha, understood how sacred mating marks are, but her people won't be as understanding. Some Atlanteans'll see it as barbaric, and the nobles will falsely claim that it's a way for you to control Arthur."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep. So be prepared for whatever they throw at you, sweetheart."

"Thanks for the information, Dad."

Being raised never to give up, Alexis was ready to overcome any obstacle that stood in her way, and if being with the man she loved meant dealing with a lot of prejudiced assholes, then she would gladly face them with her head held high. "I don't care what I have to face. As long as I get to be with my mate, it will all be worth it." Alexis said softly as she fiddled with her necklace. His children's happiness meant the world to him. He'd do anything for them, even sacrifice his life to save them.

{40 minutes later}

Alexis was sitting in her dad's chair while he sat on top of his desk, checking the rest of his logs. They both sat in complete silence; the only sounds that could be heard were the turning of pages and the occasional pen scribbling. "Sorry we took so long." Bryan said as he walked into the room with Michael and Mera holding hands."Loverboy here saw Red Riding Hood sitting on the porch at home waiting for him, and you know how mates are. Oh, Mera! Damn woman, you hit hard for a girl." Bryan gently rubbed the back of his head. Narrowing her eyes at the oldest twin, the red-haired woman only said, "Suck it up, baby."