Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

I 'd assumed that the alpha would be with the faction, because in my head, he was the bad guy and so were the faction, which meant that they belonged together, but now that I was thinking clearly, now that I had more information, of course it didn't make sense for an original graynite, for the alpha , to be with a group that was using artificial means to create his kind.

No, the alpha was here.

Standing in front of me

The alpha was my father…

"It's a lot to process," Ivor said gently. "But I promise to explain everything soon. You have nothing to fear from me or my people. I understand the reputation I've been given, but I can assure you it's mostly fabricated." The corner of his mouth tipped up. "I'm tough and ruthless, but I am not evil."

No…No, he wasn't. I sensed no insidious intent. No deceit. "I believe you."

The tightness around his eyes eased, and it hit me how much he wanted me to like him. To accept him.

"Good," he continued. "Ignus will take you to your elites. I'll join you in an hour."

He was giving me space, and after everything I'd just learned, I was grateful for a little time to process. "Thank you."

He smiled, but his gray eyes were dark with sorrow. "I'm sorry for any pain my truths have caused you today. But I can't lie about how happy I am to have you here with me, even if it is only for a little time."

This was my father. A graynite. The fucking alpha. I was a graynite and the fucking alpha's daughter. Wait, what did that mean for me? "Will I change? Will I shift into one of you?"

He shook his head. "Only time will tell. It's different for each halfblood graynite. And for you, my daughter, I can't say."

I was already different, with Derek as my shield and the strange needing that my fae blood evoked. I didn't want any more surprises.

He must have picked up on my disquiet because he said, "Whatever happens, I will be here to guide you."

But that wasn't enough. I needed to understand… "What are you? Really? What is a graynite?"

His smile was thin and mirthless. "I'll tell you everything you need to know in an hour."

I blew out an agitated breath and nodded. I'd waited years to discover the truth of my heritage, what was one more hour?

Ignus was surprisingly quiet as he led me through the network of corridors back to Serath's room, and I was grateful for his silence. I needed time to fully digest Ivor's revelations. Over the past few months, everything I'd known about myself had been challenged, turned on its head, then been completely obliterated. Embracing change was never easy, and what Ivor had told me…Well, it changed everything. My view of myself, my allegiance, my path.

"Here we are." Ignus's crisp, cultured accent pulled me from my thoughts outside Serath's room. "I'll wait while you let him know where you're going."

Going? I wasn't leaving Serath out of this. "He needs to be with us for this conversation."

"We should monitor him for another twenty-four hours to ensure that nothing?—"

"This is bullshit. He's fine. He's himself. Let him out." He'd been held captive by the faction, and now he was being held captive here. I was done with this.

"Your mate is no longer an elite. He is no longer a regular gargoyle. He's a graynite now. The first of his kind to still retain his soul."

That brought me up short. "Graynites don't have souls?"

He canted his head and tutted softly. "I see Ivor still has much to explain. Needless to say, we've never seen a graynite like Serath before."

Which was why they'd slapped a cuff on him to stop him shifting. Fear of the unknown could produce toxic reactions. "Just because you've never seen a graynite like him doesn't mean that he's a threat. Ubron is gone, and I need my mate by my side. Drop the boundary in the room and let him out."

Ignus looked down his nose at me for several beats, lips pressed together so that the corners of his mouth dimpled. "Very well." He sounded resigned. "I'll approve an early release." He pressed his hand to the wall outside the door, and a hidden panel slid open onto which he keyed in a code. "The boundary is deactivated."

Serath stopped his pacing as soon as I entered the room, relief coloring his features. His long dark hair looked mussed, as if he'd been raking his fingers through it.

"Hey…" I crossed the yellow boundary keeping him caged and stepped into his arms, into a hug that drained all the tension from my body. He kissed the top of my head, his sigh filtering over my scalp, his scent filling my nostrils and soothing my beast. I pressed my cheek to the soft cotton of his shirt, allowing his body heat to seep into me.

"I woke and you were gone," he said. "I wasn't sure what to think. But I knew you weren't hurt."

He'd sensed me through the bond we'd solidified a few hours ago. "Ivor wanted to see me."

His eyebrows flicked up. "You met the alpha?"

"You knew the alpha was here?"

"You didn't?"

We stared at each other for several beats, and then I exhaled on a laugh. "I suppose we should have talked a little more last night."

His arm around my waist tightened. "No. I'm perfectly happy with how we spent our time."

My stomach flipped with the memory of last night. His hands skimming over my body, kneading and grasping, his mouth on mine, hungry and demanding, and the moment of consummation when he was finally inside me, filling me and?—

His chest vibrated in a warning purr. "Cameron…"

"Yes, Cameron. Please…" Ignus said from the doorway. "I can smell the pheromones from here."

Serath's warning purr morphed into a growl aimed at Ignus.

"Whoa, calm down, big guy. I'm just saying that if I can smell them, everyone can, and we're in a building filled with graynites that don't get much action, you get me?"

Serath hugged me tighter, his chest rising and falling as he wrangled in his emotions. "We understand." He leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Save those thoughts for later, when we're alone and I can act on them."

My cheeks heated, and I nodded.

"O-kay…" Ignus said, his tone letting us know he'd heard every word. "We should get going."

Serath sighed and reluctantly released me. "I'm not sure I like this waiting around."

"Good, because you don't have to. Ignus has deactivated the boundary. You're coming with us."

His eyes flared. "I can leave the room?" He sounded stunned, and that coupled with the wary look in his eyes had anger flaring in my belly.

I reached up and caressed his jaw. "You can do whatever the fuck you want, Serath. No one will stop you."

His bright eyes seemed to glow, pupils dilating to eat away at the pale blue of his irises.

I laced my fingers with his and drew him toward the yellow boundary. He hesitated before stepping over it, and that made the knot of anger in my belly tighter. The faction had scarred him in ways I couldn't possibly understand, but I'd do whatever it took to help him heal.

We followed Ignus down the corridor and up a flight of stairs.

"What is he like?" Serath asked. "The alpha? What did he say to you?"

Words tangled on my tongue as a tumult of emotions washed over me. "He's…kind." I took a breath, realizing that I'd neglected to tell him the most pertinent fact. "And he's my father."