Free Web NovelChapter 180: Return to Thunderstrike
Darach, Blaise, and I left for Thunderstrike immediately, following Milo’s strict instructions out of there. Apparently, Hornstead was a maze on its own; it was really dumb luck that we stumbled upon Elder Olive, who used to be from Hornstead. Otherwise, we would have driven around Hornstead in circles with no way to enter.
Fae blood was fearsome indeed. The fact that they could raise animals on their land without these animals bolting for the heels was proof enough that this pack was not normal.
"Guess it was a good thing I crashed my car then," Darach mused, trying to be positive about things. He was very reluctant to leave Hornstead since he had spent the past few days eagerly helping them tend to the land. He couldn’t herd the animals, but he had a good eye for plants and produce.
"Well, I for one have no plans on repeating such a feat," Blaise said cheerily, and true enough, he drove very safely back to Thunderstrike’s compound. As I caught sight of the tall stone towers of Thunderstrike, my heart sank.
They were decorated with white ribbons, most likely due to the upcoming wedding. My stomach turned at the thought. Next to me, Darach looked pained. freewebnøvel.coɱ
When we got out of the truck, we came face to face with Alpha Thorton― and Damon. My heart started to beat faster when I caught sight of him. He hadn’t changed much, but perhaps there was some truth to the phrase that absence made the heart grow fonder. There was a weariness in his eyes that wasn’t there before, and it made my heart ache.
His icy blue pupils warmed when he caught sight of me and Blaise, yet he could not take a step to even hug us, because Dahlia hung onto his arm like a human octopus that refused to be pried away from him. My eyes were drawn to the possessive curl of her fingers around his bicep, and suddenly I felt the irrational urge to shove her aside.
I squashed it down quickly, avoiding Damon’s curious, hopeful gaze. Blaise chuckled.
"Alpha Thorton, thank you for greeting us personally. So sorry that we made you worry," Blaise said with a winning smile. "I hope we’re still in time for the wedding."
"Of course you are," Alpha Thorton said with a genial smile. But then he stepped forward and slugged Darach straight in the face, causing him to fall over in a pained wheeze.
"Darach!" I cried out in worry, and Blaise and I hurried to help him up. There was a mighty bruise on one side of his face, and his glasses were askew, the frames twisted out of alignment from the force of the blow.
Darach spat out a mouthful of blood. I hissed; from personal experience, he must be in a world of hurt.
"Are you alright?"
"Never better," Darach groaned. "Father, I see you’ve upgraded your blows again."
"I have to in order to deal with a useless son like you," Alpha Thorton growled out, flexing his fingers as though he longed to wrap them around Darach’s neck. "I thought ignoring you would be a good enough punishment, but you can’t even do something as simple as escorting your future brother-in-law and his mate correctly. You’re not even worth a human chauffeur."
Alpha Thorton moved as if to strike him again. I hurriedly put myself in front of him, hoping to spare Darach from another blow. I couldn’t believe Alpha Thorton had so little care for his son. Appealing to his fatherly nature would not work, but I knew just the right words to use.
"Alpha Thorton, if you hit him again, he might not recover in time for the wedding," I said, pretending to sound worried about the ceremony that I knew was ruined to begin with. "He’ll look bad in the wedding photos!" I lamented as if I found it a horrendous tragedy.
I gave Dahlia a pleading look. "You understand right? Bruises and broken bones make for a terrible image. People will want to meet the brother of the bride too. If you wish to beat him, do it after."
"Daddy, she’s right," Dahlia said, letting out a tiny huff as she gave me a considering look. "Let Darach go for now, since these two are fine anyway. He needs to help me arrange the flowers for the venue."
"Hmph," Alpha Thorton scoffed, but he did move back. "That’s all he’s good for clearly. Plucking flowers and frolicking in gardens. Can’t even be a good foster. I’ve wasted my efforts raising you."
He gave Darach a disdainful glance. "Be thankful that your new in-laws are more tolerant of your weakness than I am." freewebnøvel.coɱ
"Believe me, I am," Darach said, his tone dry enough to almost sound sincere. "I can’t wait for them to join our family."
"That I agree," Dahlia beamed. "Let’s go back and talk about the wedding!"
Damon shot Blaise and me a pained look, but it was gone so quickly I almost thought I imagined it. We went inside and sat through a meal, where Blaise easily spun a quick story about our accident and our time in the quiet little settlement, such as how we simply decided to enjoy our time together while Blaise tried to borrow transport from us. In his story, we were nothing more than stupidly honeymooning tourists.
"Do you know who the truck belongs to?" Alpha Thorton asked.
I made sure my face showed nothing but slight confusion. Just a tilt of the lip, a furrow of a brow, and a finger tapping at my chin as I pondered it over.
Blaise and I exchanged a glance and shrugged. "I’m not too sure. Blaise, did you catch that man’s name?"
"I don’t know, but he was an old man. They said he owned a farm before? People were calling him Oliver," Blaise mused. "Honestly Alpha Thorton, I’m simply happy that that old truck worked well enough to bring us back to you in time! I heard the wedding is in a few days. Is there anything Harper and I can do?"
