Chapter 53: Do I Know You?

(LOCKE)

Corrine has to be at the palace in the morning, so I accompany her and Finn there. My son is still distrustful of me, but I can see the curiosity in his eyes whenever he looks at me. I didn’t sleep last night.

Corrine set up another bedroom for me, but I spent the night in the hallway outside her door. I wanted to be as close to her as possible because, soon enough, I may have to leave her here.

I catch my mate stealing a glance at me as we leave the house. Since I don’t fit in her small car, we decide to make our way to the woods, where we’ll shift and run to the palace. When she shifts into her wolf form, I can’t help but admire her. She was always beautiful, but her wolf has also matured over the years. Its fur is silkier and healthier; its body fuller.

She sniffs me all over, her wolf more open about its feelings than its human counterpart. She licks my nose before turning around and sniffing the young wolf pup who is prancing between her legs. My wolf rumbles happily at the sight of them. It wants to play, and it wants to herd our small family to show off.

I nudge my son, who is more interested in running around in circles. Reluctantly, he follows his mother. But when Corrine breaks into a run, he howls in excitement and gives chase. I observe for a while, noting his strength. Even in my wolf form, I am a critical thinker. Finn is just a few years shy of puberty. In another year, he’s going to start growing even more, especially in his wolf form. It’s going to be explosive growth. He has a lot of pent-up energy. I see him snap at his mother’s tail, and I give him a warning growl.

Corrine shoots me a sharp look over her shoulder, but I ignore her. Eager to test me, Finn tries to bite me. I immediately slam my paw down on him, pinning him to the ground. Corrine moves toward us, but one look from me has her backing off. Finn isn’t scared; he’s wriggling under my paw, still trying to bite my leg. When I growl at him, he looks at his mother for help. Even now, there is defiance in his eyes. He doesn’t want to accept me as alpha of our small pack. It’s not surprising. I haven’t been around, and he has been growing up without me.

In her wolf form, Corrine is more in touch with her instincts. She comes over and licks his head to offer comfort, but she doesn’t try to warn me away.

When Finn realizes his mother is not going to help him, he gets more aggressive in trying to escape. One more growl from me and he realizes there’s no way out. I can sense my mate’s tension. When she doesn’t intervene, I look over to see her watching me.

My attention turns back to Finn, and when he makes one final attempt, I snap my teeth inches from his nose. That makes him stop. He stares up at me, and then his ears finally go flat in submission. Having made my point, I release him. He rubs against me once before trotting off to his mother, who licks him lovingly. But when Corrine meets my gaze, I see a reluctant understanding. She finally knows what I meant when I told her that he needs a more dominant wolf in his life.

As we reach the woods surrounding the palace, we are met by Erik’s soldiers. They patrol the trees to prevent both humans and wolves from entering the palace grounds or accessing the area where the Veil is. We shift back to our human forms, and it doesn’t take us much longer to get to the palace, where an office space has been set up for my mate.

“Can I go play outside?” Finn asks eagerly.

“Sure,” Corrine agrees. “But stick to the grounds, and don’t cross the lake. I want you to stay within earshot. If I call, you’d better answer.”

Finn nods, bouncing around the room that overlooks the lavish palace gardens.

“Derrick will watch him. He’s outside.”

Corrine jerks at my words. “Derrick? But—”

“He won’t let anything happen to our son,” I say gruffly. “Unless he wants to lose his ability to produce his own children at some point.” Finn is already climbing out the window, and I grab him by the back of the shirt without so much as a look. “Are you okay with that?”

My eyes are on Corrine.

This is new. I’ve never asked anybody for permission in my life. But Corrine holds more power over me in her small fist than anyone ever has. She says she was desperate to please me eight years ago, to survive. Now the roles have reversed. I’m at risk of losing my family, and there’s nothing I won’t do to keep her and my son.

Corrine nods, and I point out Derrick to Finn. “See the man standing there, near the gazebo?”

Dangling one foot off the ground due to my grip on the back of his shirt, Finn nods.

“He’ll be watching you.”

“I don’t need a babysitter!” he protests. “I say you do.”

“Mom!”

“He’s your father’s friend.” Corrine turns her attention to the files stacked before her. “Do what he says and behave yourself.”

“I always behave myself,” Finn mutters. “Fine. Can I go now?”

I release him, and he bounds out the window, shifting in mid-air. Once we’re alone, Corrine gazes at me. “I’ll be working here with Cassian for a while. What are you going to do?”

“I have something to discuss with Erik.”

Her lips part as if she wants to say something, but she hesitates. “Okay.

I’ll be here.”

Her voice is soft and hesitant. I wish I could ask her what she wanted to say, but there is a wall between us, and I’m starting to think I may never be able to cross it.

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