“Darius. What happened to the others?” Kane pulled away and went to Darius, making him turn around and face him.
From the first time Amara had seen these two men, the older Mr. Reinier had been the one in charge, the one who was filled with authority. Now he was a shadow of his former self. And that would not help Kane with what was ahead.
“Darius told me you were split up so that it would be less likely you would all get found. That way, at least one of you would be able to go back and put things right,” Amara said.
Kane spun round. “Put things right? In what way? The man should be charged with murder.”
“There was no proof. He had an alibi, false of course … and he had no motive.”
“Then how do you know it was him?” Kane asked. “I thought you wanted me to go back and take back what he stole. How can I do that if there is no proof to show a court of law?”
“I do want you to go back.” Darius came to life now, angry, menacing. “But this is not something that will be resolved in a courtroom. You will have to fight, Kane. Fight with every ounce of your courage. You have not been raised as a Lion, but that part of you is there inside you. Serrif took control of the pride and your father’s business, forcing your mother to marry him to give him legitimacy. He wanted everything that was your father’s. He bent the truth, telling her he could prove she was conspiring against Remus.”
“Are you sure that the story you told me is true?” Kane asked, and she felt his pain and confusion.
“Yes. I grew up with your father, and I know he chose his mate, his true mate.”
“What does that mean?” Kane asked.
“It means your mother, Leandra, could never do anything to hurt your father.” Darius turned his back again, avoiding their eyes. “But Serrif said he could prove that Remus wasn’t her true mate, and that she was in love with another man.”
“Who?” Kane asked.
“Me.” Darius took a shuddering breath. “Unless she did as Serrif told her, he would incriminate us both. It would leave you and your brothers vulnerable. You were all so young, and she wouldn’t let that happen. And so she sacrificed herself. She married Serrif. While I ran like a coward across the border.”
Kane turned and walked away from Darius. Amara stood still and let the two men sort this out between themselves. She had heard Darius’s side of the story, but she had no knowledge, no proof of whether what he said was true or not. Only when she went back to the Prime would she be able to help Kane find answers. And that was what Darius wanted: for her and Kane to travel back to the place they belonged and for Kane to take back what was rightfully his and avenge his father.
Maybe that was the one reason she was willing to go along with Darius’s version, because it meant she would be able to go home. Not in three years’ time, but now, tonight.
“Is this some kind of a test?” Kane asked angrily. “Are you trying to figure out if I am suitable to be your heir? Is that what this is? A test of loyalty?”
“No, Kane. This is the truth I would have told you a thousand times over the last twenty years. I always wanted you to know, but we can’t risk everyone finding out.”
“Why? Why not just leave here and go back to your precious Prime? If you love it there so much, if you want me to go back and take back my father’s legacy, why not come with me?” Kane asked, his voice rising.
Darius went to him, trying to calm him down. “Because if anyone knows who I am, what I am, I will lose everything.”
“How convenient. So you have a reason to stay, and you have given me a reason to leave. If you don’t think I would make a good heir to your empire, you should just say it,” Kane spat bitterly.
This was not going how Amara had hoped. Surely, since Kane had felt the lion stirring within him, he would have been only too pleased to go and claim his rightful destiny. However, she could sense the fear in him; this was a life-changing decision, from which there would be no turning back if he chose to leave. But what if he chose to stay? Where did that leave her?
Amara had asked Darius to leave her out of this. If Kane chose to go home to the Prime, it had to be for the right reasons. He had no idea she was his mate and it would be better if it stayed that way for now.
Once the bracelet was off his wrist, then they could deal with the rest of his shifter heritage. But now, she was unsure as to what he was going to say, and she wished she could use their bond for leverage. But she had to do the right thing by him, and in that way, although she knew the sense of being bonded with him was muted by the collar on her neck, she knew they were true mates.
Because if they weren’t, she wouldn’t have stopped to even think of the consequences, she would have used everything she had to persuade him to return to the homeland she loved.
9