“Yes,” Kieran said evenly.“Downstairs.Waiting on a chance to speak to you.”
“They shall not pass,” Violet cut in with a smirk, lifting her glass in mock solemnity.“I’m Gandalf.Elevator ward and mega bitch supreme.”
Mason frowned.“What the hell does that mean?”
“She’s got them locked down in the lift,” Jacob translated with a groan.“Between floors.”
Klarissa’s eyes widened.“For how long?”
“A couple of hours,” Violet said, perfectly unapologetic.
Jacob dropped his head into his hands.“That’swhy we had to walk our asses up the stairs?”
“Yep.”Violet grinned.
Klarissa’s voice softened, guilt pricking through her exhaustion.“Let them go.If they want to leave, let them.”
“Oh, they refused to leave,” Violet said, rolling her eyes.“Let me sum up their shouting for you.As entertaining as it was, it goes on for quite a while.Basically, they’re fighting for this city.They’re trying to join the Pride.And more than that?They’re groveling like fuck to get their mate back.
Klarissa’s brows rose.“What?”she asked at the same time as Kieran.
“What are you so shocked about?”she asked him incredulously.
Kieran countered, leaning back in his chair.“They’re actually willing to pledge fealty to Black Ridge.”
Before Klarissa could process, Violet lifted her wrist and tapped her watch.The large TV against the wall flickered on, revealing a recorded segment of feed from the elevator security camera.Rune and Kamon were pacing inside, both of them yelling.
“We’re idiots, Klarissa!”Rune shouted, fists slamming against the steel doors.“But we’re done being idiots.We promise you,suuway, we can be the men you want, the types of mates you deserve.”
“You deserve better mates if we’re honest,waan jai,” Kamon added, “it is us who are not worthy of you.”
Rune growled, head dropping back, eyes closed as if in agony.“Not even close to being worthy, but we will work every fucking day to be better men, better mates.Klarissa, please!”
Kamon stepped up beside him, voice hoarse from yelling.“You’re our mate and we’re not walking away.We’ll take every punishment you throw at us, but we’re not leaving this city, not leaving you.Tell them, Rune—we’re not asking, we’re swearing it.We’ll prove we belong, no matter what it costs.If we don’t, our parents will never fucking forgive us”
Klarissa inhaled.What did that mean?
Violet pressed something on her watch and the screen went dark.““Whoops,” she sing songed, “that was the wrong clip, my bad.Here, this is the one you want, Alpha Kitty.”
Kamon was leaning with his hands on the doors, head hanging, Rune was slumped against the back of the elevator.
Kamon raised his eyes to the camera.“Kieran, you big bastard, I know you will see this.Hear me.Rune and I want in.We want to be part of the Pride.”
Rune nodded.“Think about it, you big bastard.We are tiger shifters—we never pledge fealty to anything other than family.But that is what we will do here too!Black Ridge can be—and, hell, already is—our family.We will pledge fealty to you and Liam.We’ll fight with you tomorrow and any other day you need us, we’ll bleed for the pride, whatever it takes.”
Kamon sighed.“We have already resigned from the ESE.We sent word a couple of hours ago.We will not leave our mate or our Pride.If you don’t take us, then we will sneak our asses into the Pride without you even fucking knowing it.And trust me, you won’t know.Just one day we’ll be sitting around that fucking table discussing Pride business and you’ll not remember a time when we weren’t.”
He was quiet for a moment then.“Come on, Violet, open the fucking door!”Kamon added, pounding hard enough to rattle the frame.
The thuds echoed faintly even through the feed.Violet just smirked, raising her glass again as the screen went black once more.“Thank goodness for good soundproofing.”
The room fell into quiet after Violet’s quip.Josie leaned forward, her hand sliding over Klarissa’s.“I know what it’s like to have to forgive in order to heal.”
Kieran reached for Josie’s shoulder, his expression softened.“She’s right.We almost lost everything once.We made mistakes that cut deep, especially me.It took time and work to earn our way back.”
Liam nodded, his voice low but firm.“Forgiveness isn’t free.But it’s worth the fight when the love is real.”
Josie gave Klarissa’s hand a squeeze.“The hardest part was saying yes to speaking to them.Once I did ...the forgiveness part came easier than I expected.”
