If anything in his body changed.
I would know.
I would come.
That was the new shape of being his mate. Even at peace, part of me was always listening for him.
I had been listening for him for eight years already.
This time, I wasn't alone in the doorway.
Chapter forty-four
Diablos
Being back in King’s office after everything that happened felt surreal. I was the same, yet in a way, I was also different, and it was time for us to talk. We sat on the couch in his office, and I stared at the bookshelf, wondering how to begin.
“Whenever you’re ready, I’m here to listen,” King said softly.
“I haven’t forgotten. I’m not sure I ever will,” the words slipped past the walls around my heart.
“What do you mean, son?”
“What you told Dagon at the hospital. It wasn’t an infatuation. It wouldn’t have been a mistake, and the only reason it might have broken our family was if you chose for it to happen. Why? Because both Dagon and I cherish our family way more thanyou probably realize. Even if things hadn't worked out for us, we would've still done the best for our family.”
I stole a glance at King. He looked defeated, his shoulders low, eyes cast to the floor. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I have no excuse.”
"No. You don't."
The words came out colder than I meant them. Or maybe they came out exactly as cold as I meant them and I was the one not ready to hear myself yet.
"You don't have an excuse. You have a reason, I'm guessing, and we'll get to that. But there is no version of what you did that has an excuse. I want you to keep that with you while we talk. I'm not here to absolve you. I'm here because I'm your son and you're owed a conversation. Not absolution. Are we clear?"
King didn't answer for a long moment.
Then he nodded once. Slowly. The bow he had given me in the gaming room, the angel bowing his head to his children, surfaced again in that nod. He was receiving what I was saying. He wasn't fighting it.
That was the only thing that kept me sitting on this couch instead of walking out.
"I understand your perspective, but I can't grasp why you didn't talk to us first. Why didn't you try to understand our feelings before telling Dagon we'd destroy our family? Dagon would never intentionally hurt any of us. That's not like you, King."
King sighed heavily, rubbing his face. "I allowed my past to influence my present and my sons. You have no idea how much I regret it. Knowing that you're mates… had I known, I would've never stood between you two."
"Your past?" I asked hesitantly.
He sighed again, deep regret in his voice. "Luc's mother. I almost destroyed my family and myself because I believed it was love when it wasn't."
King’s admission came as a shock. He never spoke about Bren and Luc’s mothers. I knew they had different mothers but nothing else. I thought King spoke about them with Bren and Luc, but now I wasn’t so sure about it.
“I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. It was evident he still carried the pain and, if I was guessing right, also shame.
I meant it. The I'm sorry was real. But it sat on top of something harder that I didn't say out loud:your past doesn't get to be the reason you hurt us. Your past is yours to carry. Not ours to pay for.
I didn't have to say it. He could see it on my face.
“It’s okay. Let’s return to our conversation.”
I hesitated before continuing. I wasn’t a heartless monster, but there were still things I needed to say. “Didn’t you realize the impact of your words when Dagon pulled away? He spent less and less time with us. He moved away.”
