Their Secret Obsession by Pippa Moon

Lottie POV

"Chase... What about your mother and father?" I asked, knowing I would not like the answer he was about to give; I tried to keep the pain from my voice.

"My mother is dead. Once she had served her purpose, my father no longer needed her," he expressed, with a shrug that I knew was forced, but he continued on, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. I guess I had to respect that, even if I disagreed with it. "And my father, like yours, wasn't exactly the sappy type. More blood and sweat than hugs and laughter." "What do you mean by purpose?" I asked, unable to hide my shock because he couldn't possibly mean what I thought he did.

"What? Are the Royals not quite what you thought, Your Highness?" He scoffed, my jaw locking tight at the pet name he had seemingly bestowed upon me. Did he think I was like the barbarians he was describing to me? Is that why he chose the name? "What about yours, your mother? She is dead, right? Do you know much about her side of the family?" He asked, taking me by surprise. I never spoke of my mother, especially not with people I barely knew, which meant my father had been spewing his venom when it came to her.

"Char... Tread carefully," Sage warned, her senses prickling at the mention of our mother.

"It's okay; I trust him," I admitted, and the truth was I did. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about him felt safe, like the warm embrace of family.

"My father never spoke about her, at least not until recently, and what he has to say isn't exactly worthy of repeating."

"I see." Chase nodded, and I felt he really did, given the way his eyes lowered from mine sympathetically. "Would you welcome her family if they appeared on your doorstep?" He asked, his eyes tightening at the corners as I considered his question. I had always wished for family, with a bond like Lilly had with hers, but it wasn't exactly a secret my dad was a drunken fool or that my mother had died, and where had my family been then? If I had managed this long without them, I hardly needed them now.

answer when pain shot through my mate's bond, crippling me as both Knox and Kane simultaneously suffered pain beyond

the other end as panic ate at my insides. Yet

wanting to waste

he tried to feel through the

my eyes opening wide as he tumbled into the immense stoic figure of Alpha Leigh, his eyes scanning Chase and then me with a tinge of outrage and confusion. "Care

now!" Chase mumbled, a frown pulling at my lips at the complete lack of concern shown by

Alpha Leigh only to walk straight into Sebastian. His eyes shifted between Chase

mate in such a tizzy?" Sebastian sighed, rolling his eyes as his hand landed on my shoulder, sparks tingling under the skin where his hand lay. Looking at his hand and then at him, I shrugged his digits off

wanna do that now or later?" Chase asked in his usual juvenile manner that any other time would be cute!

to hear. "Will you slow the fuck down, woman?" He added as he reached the stairs, taking

don't have time to explain, Alpha. Kane and Knox are hurt. So either wait... or hurry up and follow me." I sighed, knowing I was making a mistake in involving Alpha Leigh

my ear as he linked his arm through mine and walked down