Chapter 472: My team.
Leilani.
"You."
It was funny how that one syllabic word told me half of what I needed to know. Funny how the shock on the faces of my mates was all that needed to be seen for me to understand that this man right here was indeed related to me one way or the other no matter how hard I stubbornly refused to believe it.
Another reason I was stubborn to accept him as one of mine is the fact that seeing him reminds me of what my biological father would have been. I mean, my father would have looked exactly like this if he had not been betrayed and killed by Darius and everyone else involved in his death.
I was soon snapped out of this thought when Zevran rose to his feet with the speed of lightning but I didn’t miss the sudden fear in his eyes as they raked from the top of Uncle Theon’s head to his feet. He drawled;
"We killed you. Didn’t we?"
I smiled.
"Is this some sort of magic or something?"
"What the Hell is happening here, Leilani?"
As the three of them spoke in heated tones, I simply watched.
Theon Valemont, on the other hand, did not respond to them nor did he try to acknowledge them in any way possible. Heck, he didn’t even look like he had heard them speak at all. And for a moment, all of his attention was focused on me.
His eyes were too intense. Too deep. It felt like he could see through my body into whatever laid underneath and that made me very very uncomfortable.
"Lani!" That was Kael, but I didn’t turn to look at him. Instead, I focused on the man who now sat on Zevran’s previously occupied seat. The man who now crossed his arms over his bulky chest as he asked;
"What? Is that guilty conscience I see eating into you three?" His voice was cold, causing the triplets to back down.
I then turned to them, smiled softly and muttered; "Meet my Uncle, Theon, my biological father’s twin brother."
As soon as I said that, a knowing expression formed on their faces. Uncle Theon still didn’t acknowledge them as he drawled;
"Why are we having this conversation with these boys?"
’Boys’ like they were nothing more than pesky insects under his boots.
’Boys’ like he couldn’t manage another moment being in the same room with them.
His eyes locked on mine and in that moment, I felt a fragment of his strength... and goddess, all I can say is: ’it was magnificent!’ It was overwhelming and made Darius’ intense strength feel like a child’s play in comparison.
His purple eyes felt as though they were staring straight into my soul and for some reason, something about him felt familiar... seemed too familiar.
I drawled; "They are my mates."
At the mention of those words, I saw him physically recoil like he had been struck. He finally cast a glance at them then at me, and then muttered; "I know, and I also heard that they were the executioners four years ago, during the..."
"Uncle!" I snapped, interrupting him. I do not know why I had decided to call him that but as soon as I did, his face darkened. A look so dark and so twisted etched its way into his face, making my heart skip a beat or several beats in my chest.
I swallowed thickly. "I know what you’re about to say. I know that they killed your brother, Ragnar... who is also my father. But you need to know that they were forced to do it. That it was never their intention to hurt a man, especially one who is related to me by blood."
Silence.
It descended upon us like a cloud of smoke, suffocating us all until I was almost gasping for air. I do not know when it happened but I suddenly found myself clutching at the collar of my shirt. But the man whom I had expected to understand, simply cast a dark glance at me and sneered;
"So why have you called me over today? It is not for work, I can say, and just so you know, I will not condone being forced here simply because you want to play ’the act of forgiveness’ with your mates."
I let his words sink before I finally shrugged and then I hissed; "I am not here to play house. I need your help. We need your help."
"With what?" He was cold— too cold, it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. So cold, my body trembled with fear.
I lowered my gaze only for a second and with a tinier voice, I drawled; "I need your help to defeat Darius."
That caught his attention. He sat up straighter.
"Darius has been asking for my hand in marriage but I of all people know that he doesn’t like me. I know that he is under fire from the elders of the pack who are asking him to step down so that I, the biological daughter of Ragnar, will rule..."
"And do you want to rule?" Uncle Theon asked and I immediately shook my head.
"No, I do not." My answer was firm. Resolute. "I want you to rule."
"But I do not want to." He said, making me roll my eyes in annoyance. "If I wanted to, I would’ve gone for it a long time ago but I have refused to." He said coldly, but instead of that deterring me, it spurred me on.
I rasped; "if you do not want it, then you can appoint someone else to do the job. I just do not want it to be Darius."
"Why?"
"Because I know that he has a hand in my father’s death and for that reason, he should not be reaping the benefits of what my father sowed."
A smug smile appeared on Uncle Theon’s face as soon as I said that before it quickly disappeared, replaced instead with a mask of indifference.
He drawled; "You cannot forgive Darius for partaking in your father’s death, am I right?"
"Yes."
"But you can forgive your mates."
Hypocrite!
That was the only thing I could hear when he made that statement. I let the words hang between us for a moment then I shrugged. "It is different. Darius betrayed the man who called him son for years while my mates only did that because they were answering to a higher authority. So if you will not help me, it is understandable... but I will not sit back and watch while Darius takes it all."
He watched me for a moment— one that felt so agonizing— then he sighed. "Sure then. I’ll help. You" He said, but before I could respond or thank him for attending to help, he stood up and left my office, leaving me watching his retreating back with a mixture of admiration and gratitude.
I also could not help but fear that there was something more going on with him. And I would find out. But first, I need to get him on my team.
Just as I thought these things, my door flew open one more time and my head shot up just in time to see his large frame crowding the door.
He turned to my mates and with a sneer, hissed; "Get out, three of you! I need to speak to Leilani alone."