Queen of Death

Chapter 20

Hunter

My heart thunders against my ribs. When I left the Grove I had two things on my to-do list; avenge my bride and get back to her as soon as I could. Then I met Tate and the guys. In the beginning they gave me a wide berth, they didn't ask about my comings and goings and I didn't offer up any explanations.

But as the weeks rolled into months, and months crept into years... hopes of revenge and returning to the Grove died a slow and gradual death.

Yes, I had killed the people responsible for kidnapping Sol. Yes, I joined Ace and helped legitimize our common goal of hunting breeders and ending trafficking. While those are all commendable actions, they never erased that voice in my head that doubted Sol would believe that I had nothing to do with the attack on her life.

Eventually I had managed to loathe the idea of returning to the Grove and I convinced myself that her family would kill me on sight anyway. Sol was safe. She'd be protected there and live happily for all eternity. Centuries would pass and I'd just be a blip in her memories.

A childhood friend who one day disappeared.

I stopped hoping I'd ever get her back. I stopped trying. I never stopped loving her, though.

It took me a little longer to realize that Solana wasn't the only thing I ran from when I left. I ran from her family who always treated me like one of their own, I ran from my best friend and future alpha, and I ran from my own parents.

Needless to say, I'm justifiably apprehensive about showing my face to her family.

"Elena is dangerous. She's a threat to my family and the Grove —"

"Allegedly," Tate interrupts her and earns himself an eyeful of daggers.

"Excuse me?" Solana breathes fire.

"That's how your family will see it, Sunshine. It's currently your word against hers." His words do little to placate her.

"Which is precisely why Hunter needs to be there. Him, Griffin, and Ember. They were there, too."

"Princess," Ace steps up to bat. "What he means is we can't walk him into their territory and expect them to be ready for a civil conversation."

"They're right, Sunflower. It's too much of a shock to the system. We can't just cannonball into the water and expect not to make a splash." I corroborate Tate's and Ace's concerns.

"If we want to dive in without making a splash, as Hunter so aptly described," Tate preens, "we'll need to breach the surface first. Bring someone from your family up to speed. Alone."

Solana paces back and forth a short distance, one hand on her hip the other fisted by her mouth. "It can't be Griffin or Ember. My parents will think they've known all this time that he was alive and kept that a secret too. We need someone who was close but who can appear unbiased, so that rules out his parents."

"What about your brother Rhys?" Eli suggests while he sucks the meat off of a chicken wing.

"No," I lead Solana back to the couch and pull her down into my lap. "It needs to be Cole."

I catch her side-eye to Ace, that little check-in on his reaction and opinion on things. They can have a full length conversation with a single look and I'm not sure if they're even consciously aware of it yet.

He's absolutely lost to her. Has been since the moment they met but it took all of us a minute to realize it. Now, though, it's as clear as crystal. He wears his love for her like a tattoo, like it's imprinted on his soul.