“Why… Why did you tell me all this?” she asked, confused.
“Well, I really wanted you to not feel vulnerable now that I know a secret of yours, so I wanted to give you one of mine in return… But mostly, I think it's because I know you would never hold it against me. ” Hunter admitted, smiling at her until her cheeks turned rosy “I know I can trust you, even to tell you something as shameful as my family's past. That's why I don't care who your mother was or what traits from her you inherited, Corinne. I will never see anyone else when I look at you, just as I hope you don't see my father when you look at me, now that you know the things he did.”
"I would never do that." Corinne stated and, as if she finally understood how he felt, she smiled, shyly “Thank you, Hunter. I... I'm sorry for acting that way, thi
“So there is a sorcerer helping these invaders.” Gregory sighed, sitting on the other side of the desk in Hunter's office, right across from where he and Corinne were sitting “That... Complicates things, certainly. I'll have to come back early and warn Alpha Eli about what happened here. We must be prepared in case the next attack is aimed at Valiant.”“Wizard or not, they will still have a huge army of well-trained tigers and wolves.” Hunter stated, making Isabelle and Aiden nod nearby, although they didn't seem as confident as him “Magic may be powerful, but it is not invincible. Our ancestors proved this to us a long time ago when they defeated an entire army of magic users and freed themselves from their slavery. We will do the same. And now, we will be prepared to deal with whatever these bastards still have in store for us.”
“And here are some snacks that Cindy made for you to eat along the way.” Corinne smiled, placing the paper bag inside Gregory's backpack, which had almost arrived at Calibur and now seemed about to burst from being so full “Well... I guess that's all. You are ready to go." she sighed sadly, smiling at friend, who was once again completely covered by his cape and hood “Please, be careful on your path. We don’t know who we are dealing with.”"Don't worry." Gregory smiled, approaching her “I will send your father the question you asked, I promise. But try not to let those kinds of thoughts get to you, Cory.” he pleaded “She fell off the cliff when she was being chased by Eli and other warriors. They found a burned body around that time after she tried to set the forest on fire. It's impossible for this to be her doing. She is dead. She can’t hurt you
“I think that's all I have to say about our security setup when the caravan bringing Alpha Valiant and his family arrives. Should I change something?” Aiden's question sounded like a buzz to Hunter, as if he were on the other side of the world at that moment."No. That’s more than enough perk for those tigers.” Felix grumbled angrily “We shouldn't roll out a red carpet for them just because they're related to Corinne, like that old goat seems to want. If she had accepted having formed a family with me years ago, as she should have, then she wouldn't need to treat her Alpha as if she were her son or something, wanting to spoil him like that.”“Stop whining about it, Felix. We have to be as accepting of wolves as we would be of any other of our allies. Plus, this visit is really important to Corinne. That's why Hunter agr
“Corinne?! What the hell have you been doing there for so long?! Come over here so I can see how that dress looks on you!” Penelope ordered, from the other side of the bathroom door, while the doorknob turned non-stop, as if the swan was about to break in at any moment “Don't you dare take it out first!”“Penelope… That doesn’t look good on me…” Corinne swallowed, eager to convince her “Believe me, we’d better try something else…”“Corinne, if it were your choice, you would have welcomed your family with a faded blouse and dirty jeans from that disgusting stable.” Penelope’s tone made it very clear that she was rolling her eyes “If you really want this occasion to be special, then you have to dress the part. Besides, weren't you the one who said you want to
That last week had been crazy, and, God, Corrine felt like she was on the verge of madness too, holding on only to the anticipation of seeing her family again. Even at that moment, lying in her bed in the middle of the night as she prepared for bed, she could still feel her heart, and other much more embarrassing parts, flutter inside her at the mere memory of that warm moment with Hunter, which seemed to have happened just a few moments ago. seconds ago and not three days.Months ago, when she had gotten here, Corinne had promised herself that she would never give in to a moment of pure desire like that, but now it seemed like a joke. Hunter's kisses and touch would probably haunt her forever now, even when that marriage ended and she had to return to her home, with nothing but memories and a shattered foolish heart.Home…
“Can someone tell that girl to stop acting like a child on Christmas morning? It's starting to annoy me…” Felix complained under his breath, but Hunter was still able to hear him, even though his uncle was several meters away, with the rest of the council, all standing behind him watching the forest trail.“Shut the fuck up.” Hunter threatened, not wanting for even a second Corinne to hear that and think that her enthusiasm was something that needed to be suppressed. The people who were about to arrive might not be worthy of that feeling, but he didn't want her to stop shining like that for even a second, excitedly chatting with Cindy and Penelope while waiting for the first sign of the cars that would bring the Valiants there to appear among the trees.Hunter would love to be able to believe her words about how sweet and unblemis
“And, with that, we've reached the last place I wanted to show you. The barn.” Corinne announced, leading her little sister by the hand “I've spent these last few months thinking about how you'd love to meet Opal, and her puppies, Crystal and Onyx. They're so sweet... But, Opal can be a little temperamental, so try not to get too close until I'm completely sure it's safe, okay?”“Even the horses in this place are brutes like wolves? Good to know." Nicole snorted, clinging to her arm like a vine on a tree “No horse can be better than the ones we have at home! I took really good care of Sugar and Pepper while you were away, you know? But they still miss you very much. They never had the same energy as before.” she pouted and, like every other time her sister had tried to point out how everything about Valiant was better, Corinne just smiled, paying attention to nothi
“I don't like this, my Alpha. If you want to talk to the Alpha of the Wolves, then the least that should happen is for me or any other warrior to be at your side.” Octavia growled, probably for the millionth time since her Alpha had asked to come to the office, but Hunter paid her no attention, continuing to sit behind his desk while Eli, his wife and his son tried to convince her to leave.“There is no subject we will cover that you don’t already know about, Octavia. But for now... I think it would be better if you let me, Juliet and Declan handle it alone. You've already spent the last few months making sure Corinne remained safe, as I asked. Now it’s time for me to act a little like a father.” he sighed sadly “Go and talk a little with your battalion mates who accompanied us here. I know you must miss each other. Or follow Corinne and Nicole on their tour of thi