20-HOME

“Dad, I thought you were going to call before you came,” I said. My voice grew softer as I spoke, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Arthur stood in the doorway. His broad shoulders filled the space, just his presence made it feel like home.

“I was,” he said, his voice familiar in a way that reached straight into my chest, “I just missed you. Thought I’d make it a surprise.”

“It’s the best surprise,” I said, already moving toward him.

I didn’t hesitate. I wrapped my arms around him. Everything else faded for a moment as he held me tight, ruffling my hair like he did when I was a kid.

“You staying tonight?” I asked as I pulled back, searching his face.

“I should get back to your mother,” he said, though there was hesitation there.

“Just one drink then,” I said, already moving behind the bar, grabbing his favorite beer and sliding it across.

“Just one,” he agreed.

We both knew he would have more than one, but I played the game.

He took a long drink, watching me over the rim of the bottle.

“You look tired,” he said quietly.

I shifted slightly, my shoulder pulling where Bianca had sunk her teeth in the night before, the ache flaring just enough to make me aware of it again.

His gaze dipped, catching the movement, and I knew he’d noticed.

“What happened there?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I said quickly, looking away. “Just caught it on something.”

I could feel his eyes on me, then he let out a quiet breath and took another drink instead.

“I’ve had better mornings,” I replied, keeping things casual.

“I heard the Wild Rose made a comeback,” he added casually. “Word travels.”

I let out a breath.

“She did.”

He studied me for a moment longer, like he could see more than I wanted him to.

“And Blackridge?” I asked quickly, shifting the focus. “Anything new in Stonehaven?”

Arthur didn’t answer straight away.

“Dad?”

“Christopher asked to see you.”

I looked at him then, quickly masking the hurt that flared as I wiped the bar down harder than necessary.

“I don’t think I’m ready to see him,” I said. “Not after what happened.”

Arthur stepped forward, placing his hand over mine, stilling the movement.

“He used to be your best friend,” he said quietly. “I think you’ll want to hear what he has to say.”

“Are you protecting him now?” I shot back, the hurt slipping through before I could stop it.

Arthur smiled at me, soft and familiar.

“There’s my girl,” he said. “You’ve always been too stubborn, too bold for your own good. You know I wouldn’t stand for anyone but you. I think he deserves to be heard. That’s all I’ll say. If you don’t want to see him, I won’t push it.”

I let out a breath, shaking my head slightly.

“I’m surprised he didn’t run off with Brittany,” I muttered. “Didn’t you say they were the pack’s golden couple?”

“They were,” he said, finishing up his beer.

“Another one?” I asked, already reaching for another bottle.

“It would be rude not to,” he said with a wink. “I thought today was your day in the shop?”

“Yeah, well, Viv has… something on with her kids. I’m covering.”

Arthur watched me for a moment.

“You been involved with Blackhand?”

“Word sure does travel fast. Have you been talking with Luke?”

“You know I don’t tell you what to do, honey,” he said, his tone shifting slightly, “but just be careful. They’re dangerous, especially when you cross them.”

“Yeah,” I muttered. “I think Luke will be dealing with them from now on.”

“I might go check on the shop out back,” he said. “See if there’s anything I can tinker with.”

“Dad,” I said before he could move. “The Inquisitors came after me. Nearly got me.”

His eyes went dark.

“When?”

“Last night.”

His jaw tensed.

“That woman doesn’t stop.”

“The Queen,” I said quietly.

“Yeah,” he muttered. “I don’t know why she thinks wiping out whole bloodlines is something worth doing.”

“I’m glad I was injured before I had to serve the likes of her,” he added, his voice darker now.

“You served the King before he went missing,” I said. “Do you think she killed him?”

He looked at me then, properly.

“I believe she did,” he said, low and certain. “She’s a pretender. I shouldn’t say it out loud, though. That kind of talk brings trouble.”

He exhaled slowly.

“I’m just an old soldier now, not what I once was. Marcel, the King… he was a true Alpha. A good man and a friend.”

I studied him for a moment.

“You barely age, Dad,” I said, trying to lighten it. “You got the good wolf genes.”

He huffed a quiet laugh.

“The outside might not show it,” he said, tapping his knee lightly, “but the inside tells a different story. This still plays up where they got me with silver. I can tell when it’s going to rain before it hits.”

“You were an elite fighter,” I said. “I never understood how they got you.”

He shook his head slowly.

“I saved a kid,” he said. “Couldn’t have been older than four or five. I had him in one arm when they got me. Thought I was going to meet my maker that day. It might have been fine if it hadn’t been for the silver. I healed… just not the same.”

I stayed quiet, listening.

“I could’ve stayed in the Guard,” he continued, “but not at that elite level. I chose to come home instead. To my mate Jenny,  home to my pack. I opened the shop, settled down to have a family.”

“You just got me,” I said softly.

He looked at me, something warm settling in his expression.

“You were more than enough,” he said. “A blessing in our lives.”

Something in my chest tightened.

“Why don’t you or Jenny have magic?” I asked quietly, “And I do?”

Arthur’s face dropped slightly.

“That’s something you need to talk to your mother about,” he said, shaking his head. “I love you, Rose, but I made her a promise, and you know I don’t break my promises.”

“Yeah,” I muttered. “Well, I haven’t seen her since… I left the pack.”

“She loves you, believe that,” he said resolutely.

I didn’t answer as the door opened and a couple of out-of-towners stepped in, breaking the moment.

“I’ve got a guy working in the mechanics today,” I said, turning back to the bar. “Maybe you can go check on him.”

“Yeah,” he said with a small smile. “I think I’ll do that.”

I passed him another beer as I moved to serve the customers, slipping back into routine, letting the noise fill the space where the conversation had been.

More people came in, and the midday rush began.

Dave and Brian should be due soon.

I looked up, and everything inside me dropped out.

I hadn’t seen him walk in. Hadn’t heard the door. One moment, the bar was noise and movement; the next, it felt like everything had narrowed to a single point.

The ghost from my past,  I hadn’t wanted to see, now stood at the bar.

Christopher.

Memories crashed in all at once, fast and brutal, dragging me straight back to Stonehaven, to Xavier, to the wild roses, to the night everything had been torn apart.

My chest locked, breath catching as the years I had buried came rushing back, sharp and unforgiving.

I wasn’t here anymore.

I was back there, in the past.