Chapter 339 - 73: Walking On Eggshells

By the time Destiny reached her parents’ apartment, the anger had cooled into a dull ache.

Marcus sat at the edge of the dining table, one arm pinned tightly against his ribs. Behind him, Kalessie dabbed at his neck with a damp cloth.

"Let me see," Destiny said, crossing the room and closing the door behind her.

"I’m fine."

"Marcus." Kalessie’s voice cracked on his name. "Let her look at you."

He didn’t answer, but he didn’t stop her when she crouched beside his chair. Her father’s shirt was torn at the shoulder, evidence of the struggle he had with guards. A red welt flared along his jawline where one of Aurora’s men had struck him, and a bruise was already darkening across his wrist.

"Dad," Destiny said, swallowing the rest of the hurt.

Marcus looked down at her. For a fraction of a second, his scowl broke, his shoulders dropping at the sight of her. Then his jaw set hard again.

"I can’t believe they put their hands on me. She’s not even a part of this pack."

"I know. And I’m sorry. It’s my fault."

"It’s her men’s fault not yours." Marcus said it like the words tasted bad.

Destiny covered his hand with hers.

When Kalessie tried to dab at his bruised wrist, Marcus swatted the cloth away. "I don’t care who she is. Princess, queen, whatever title they give her. Nobody puts their hands on me in front of my daughter."

Kalessie let out a tired sigh. "Marcus."

"What?"

"You’re venting too much."

He looked at his knuckles as if noticing them for the first time. Blood was trickling from a split across his middle finger. Kalessie reached for his hand again, and this time he let her take it.

Destiny sat back on her heels. She knew what her father looked like when he was scared and trying to cover it with rage. But this was different.

He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

"I should’ve been there," Destiny said quietly.

Marcus’s eyes snapped to hers. "No."

"I was just upstairs—"

"You were with your husband." The word came out rough, like it still didn’t sit right in his mouth.

Destiny didn’t say anything to that. There was nothing funny in her right now to say it with.

Marcus stared at the tabletop, then exhaled hard through his nose. Destiny reached out, gently touching the edge of the cut on his hand. "Did they hurt you anywhere else?"

"No."

"Marcus," Kalessie warned softly.

"No," he insisted, pulling his shoulders tight. "They held me down. That’s all." His jaw flexed. "That’s enough."

"I know," Destiny said.

He pulled his hand back, resting it in his lap. "I don’t like this place."

The room went still. Kalessie froze with the damp cloth in hand.

Destiny glanced around the exquisite room taking in the clock on the wall, the compact stove, her mother’s folded shawl over the chair, the shelf lined with books. None of it was theirs, not really. It had all come with the apartment.

"I don’t want you two living on edge here," Destiny said, standing up.

Marcus looked at her. "We have a home back on the farm."

"I know. But you shouldn’t have to wonder if someone can walk down this street and treat you like trespassers."

Kalessie set the cloth on the table, her eyes searching Destiny’s face.

"I chose this," Destiny said. "All of it." Her voice steadied. "I’m not leaving you two standing outside it like something he puts up with."

"Destiny—" Marcus began.

"Let me finish, Dad." She took a breath. "You protected me my whole life. So did Mom. Then it was Dane’s turn." She shook her head. "Not anymore."

Marcus leaned back, watching her closely.

"I’m Luna now," she said softly. "This is my home. And I need it to be yours, too."

Outside, the residential street was quiet, the evening shadows lengthening across the pavement. A few pack members passed by, keeping a respectful distance from the building.

Marcus turned toward the window. "I don’t need anyone bowing to me."

"I don’t want that either."

"I don’t want guards tailing me everywhere I walk."

Destiny hesitated. "That one I might still argue with you on."

"And I don’t want your husband acting like he has to apologize every time somebody rubs me the wrong way."

Destiny’s mouth twitched. "That last one might be tough."

Marcus let out a humph, his tight expression easing just an inch.

The door latch clicked, and Dane walked in. He paused as soon as he saw Marcus at the table, his gaze dropping to the torn coat, the bruised wrist, and the bloodied knuckles.

For a moment, the Alpha said nothing.

"I’m sorry," Dane said finally.

Marcus’s eyes narrowed.

"I should have established the boundaries with Aurora before she ever set foot on this street," Dane added, his voice low.

"You didn’t put your hands on me," Marcus replied.

"No."

Marcus held his gaze for several long seconds. "You know what bothered me most? It wasn’t being held down."

Dane waited, unmoving.

"It was my daughter having to see it," Marcus said, his voice dropping into a rasp. "I spent twenty years keeping her safe." His jaw worked. "I’m not as strong as I used to be. Not an Alpha. Not even in my own pack." He swallowed hard. "But I’m still her father."

"I know," Dane said.

"If someone grabs me again, I’m swinging back."

"I wouldn’t expect anything less," Dane said.

Marcus blinked, caught slightly off guard.

Dane took a step closer to the table. "I came to apologize because you’re Destiny’s father. I’d have something done about Aurora soon but for now it’s best that nobody does anything to provoke her."

Marcus looked at him for a long moment, then looked away toward the wall. "You should get her evicted and sent back to her father."

Dane didn’t argue with that. "I can’t simply do that. But I’ll reach out to my lawyers and see if there’s anything in the arrangement that we can exploit."

Kalessie shook her head, picking up the washcloth again. "It’s so frustrating, honestly."

Destiny and Dane stayed for another thirty minutes just ensuring her parents were properly settled. They then walked together toward the end of the street. The late night air was cold and clear.

"I don’t want her dictating how we live here," Destiny said, breaking the silence.

Dane glanced down at her. "Aurora."

"Yes." She crossed her arms against the chill. "I don’t want people walking on eggshells tomorrow wondering what she’s planning next. I don’t want my parents afraid to leave their front door, and I don’t want the pack whispering every time they pass that estate."

Dane looked across the boulevard toward the dark silhouette of Aurora’s property behind its iron gates. "Neither do I."

"Then we set the terms," Destiny said, stopping to look at him. "Whatever happens with her, this home remains ours."

Dane met her eyes and nodded once. "It will."

He reached out, taking her hand in his, and they turned back toward the apartment in the quiet of the evening.