CHAPTER 84
LIANA’S POV
+25 BONUS
I woke up thirsty. The clock on the nightstand said it was just a little past nine, and Killian still wasn’t back. He had told me he would be home tonight, had promised me he would come back to me, and yet the bed was still cold beside me. I’d already bathed, eaten, and even slept a bit, but now I was awake again, and he still hadn’t returned. I tried not to overthink it, but I couldn’t help it. I missed him. I needed him.
I needed him to wrap me in his arms and hold me while I slept. I needed him to whisper things to me in the dark and remind me how much he loved me. I needed him to remind me that I was safe. That I was wanted. And maybe I wanted him to fill me up with his cock in the middle of the night too. After everything I’d been through lately, after everything that had almost broken me, I knew better now than to take the people I loved for granted. I wasn’t going to waste time playing games or pretending to be fine when I wasn’t. I was going to show Killian how much I loved him every single day for the rest of my life. Because he deserved it. Because I loved him. Because no one, not even me, could ever love me the way he did.
I got up to get a glass of water, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I padded quietly down the stairs. But then I heard voices. Soft, low voices. Familiar. I stopped at the bottom step, hiding in the shadow just before the hallway
and I listened.
I heard my dad’s voice first. He was talking to Killian. And when he asked, “Do you love her?” I stopped breathing. My heart actually froze. I waited for Killian’s response, and he didn’t even hesitate.
“Yes, I love her.”
I felt something swell in my chest. I felt… warm. Seen. Loved. And when my dad started talking about Mom and about me and about all the things he’d kept buried for years, I knew I couldn’t stay hidden anymore. When he said I must hate him, that was when I stepped into the room and told him the truth. I didn’t hate him. I never had. I was angry, yes, confused, absolutely, but hate? No. I just wanted answers. I wanted to know who I was, where I came from. I wanted to understand the parts of me that had always felt… different.
He looked so relieved when I said those words. His eyes watered and he hugged me tight, holding me like he thought I might disappear again. He told me he would show me everything about my mom, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like a daughter again.
When he returned from his room, he brought with him a small box. Inside were pictures, letters, tiny keepsakes from a life I’d never gotten the chance to know. There was one photo of Mom when she was pregnant with me, smiling, looking strong and beautiful. I couldn’t stop the tears as I looked through everything. Her letters to him were so full of love. She was bold in her words, fierce in her affection. And the way my dad looked at those letters while reading them out loud, it told me everything.
“She was brave,” he said softly, tracing her handwriting with his fingers. “The bravest person I ever met. I wasn’t even the one who started the whole thing. She came to me. Told me she liked me. Me. I was just a regular guy, quiet, didn’t talk much. Wooing women was never my thing, but your mom… she didn’t wait around. She made the first move. And I was shocked. Shocked, but happy.”
He laughed a little, shaking his head. “We were classmates in college. Everyone respected her. Even professors would bow when she walked past. At the time, I thought it was just because she was popular or came from a powerful family. I had no idea she was Alpha. None. And I definitely didn’t understand what that meant. But I liked her. She was fierce, smart, confident… and protective. And when she told me I was her fated mate, I didn’t even know what that meant. I thought she was messing with me.”
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84
+25 BONUS
I smiled through my tears as I listened.
“She told me she was untouched,” he said quietly, his voice lowering a bit. “Said she’d saved herself for me. And it was true. As popular as she was, she had never let anyone touch her. She waited. And when we graduated, I didn’t waste time. I proposed, and we got married right away. But peace didn’t come with the marriage. Not at all.”
I already knew what he meant. My voice was small, but steady. “She was murdered.”
He nodded, his eyes darkening. “Beheaded. They ambushed her. It wasn’t random. They were sending a message. And I knew from that moment, I had to protect you. I had to hide you from all of it.”
“I know who did it,” I said. My voice cracked, but I held it together. “They told me themselves. The men who kidnapped me they killed her. My mom… they were proud of it.” I clenched my fists, my jaw tight. “And I swear, I want to deal with them. I want to watch them burn.”
“Liana,” Dad said, reaching for my hand. “Please. Don’t do anything rash. I don’t want to lose you the same way I lost her.”
I nodded slowly, swallowing the anger for his sake. “Thanks, Dad,” I said instead. “Thank you for showing me all this. It means everything to me.”
I leaned forward and hugged him again, pressing a kiss to his cheek before pulling away.
“I’m gonna go rest now,” I said.
Killian stood as well, and gave my father a small nod. “Thank you,” he said simply.
But my dad stopped us both before we could leave. His eyes were glassy again, but this time it wasn’t just grief. It was something softer.
“I may not understand your world, Killian,” he said, “and I may never be fully comfortable with it, but… I’ve seen the way you love my daughter. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. And if there’s anyone who deserves her, it’s you.”
My breath hitched.
He stepped forward and reached for Killian’s hand, shaking it firmly. “You have my blessing. Take care of her.”
I didn’t even realize I was crying until Killian pulled me into his arms.
This… this was all I’d ever wanted. Just one moment like this. One moment where my father saw us, and gave us his blessing.
I held Killian tighter, my heart bursting.
Nothing could top this feeling.
