Regan's Redemption

by Arizona Tape

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One - Castle

  Chapter Two - Heirloom

  Chapter Three - Ball

  Chapter Four - Roses

  Chapter Five - The Fight

  Chapter Six - Wolves that Bind

  Regan’s Redemption

  Arizona Tape

  Copyright © 2017 by Arizona Tape

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication or cover may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to Arizona Tape. Just don't steal stuff. Seriously. It's mean.

  This is a work of fiction, any resemblance to people, places, or events, are purely coincidental.

  Contents

  Chapter One - Castle

  Chapter Two - Heirloom

  Chapter Three - Ball

  Chapter Four - Roses

  Chapter Five - The Fight

  Chapter Six - Wolves that Bind

  Read Next…

  About Arizona Tape

  Stalk Arizona Tape

  Also By Arizona Tape

  Chapter One - Castle

  The walls of the castle certainly didn’t hold very fond memories. I clenched my jaw as I touched the stone wolf’s head in front of the gate and patiently waited for the gatekeeper to inform my parents. I couldn’t imagine that was a pleasant conversation. Or nice surprise.

  I hated my parents almost as much as they hated me. When I refused to do their bidding and turn into my father, they gladly punished me until I was barely breathing. Unable to break my wolf, they threatened everything I held dear to me. So I cast off my title and ran. Not that they actually cared. This way, they didn’t need to hand over the reins to their empire. I was almost sure they liked having a “lost son”. They probably used it as a way to win sympathy and make themselves look tragic. They were tragic, alright. But in a very different way.

  And now I was back, after all these years. Back home. Waiting to meet the two people I swore I’d never see again, ready to dig up the past. And hopefully, get different results than the last time. How I wished I wasn’t here. But it wasn’t just for me, it was for my beautiful mate.

  I glanced at the rest of the group. It was for all of them. If we were going to stop Chesca and end this war, this was just one of the things we needed to do. What I needed to do.

  I turned to Danny, nervously swallowing. I wished I could hide my anxiety better, but I knew she could feel me. She could always feel me. One of the advantages of being mated. I was never alone.

  She slipped her slender hand in mine, gently squeezing to encourage me. “It’ll be okay, love,” she whispered, sending her wolf to me for support. My own beast growled in my chest, immediately curling around her tender form. He was a brute, a maniac, a feral savage. But with Danny? With Danny, he turned into a pussycat. And frankly, so did I.

  “It’ll be fine, mate,” Darren smiled, slapping me on my back. I turned to him, staring at his boyish face. My wolf softly growled at the thought of him touching my woman, but Danny’s wolf quickly nipped at his ankle, reprimanding him. Good. My wolf should stop being a jerk and let Danny be with anyone that made her happy. And without a doubt, Darren made her happy. Not just her. He was a great addition to our group. The past two months had felt much more balanced with him travelling with us. He kept Aspen on his toes, diffusing a lot of the twin’s energy and saving all of us from his hyperness. He shared Ashleigh’s love for plants and it was rather sweet to watch the two of them crouched around a single flower. As the weeks passed by during our travels to my parents, even JP started trusting him. I had started trusting him.

  I nodded at Darren in appreciation. “Thanks.” Why waste more words when all was already said?

  “This sure is a big castle you grew up in,” Aspen added, admiring all the towers and battlements.

  “It was only a summer residence,” I corrected him, glaring in disdain at the familiar sight. I always hated staying here in the winter. It was too big, too posh, and mostly, unnecessary. Why we needed a castle up here in the mountains, I’d never understand.

  “T-They are c-coming,” JP warned us. I quickly pulled my hand out of Danny’s and widened my stance. My father was an enormous man and I wouldn’t let him intimidate me or my friends.

  With a loud crack, the gates of the mansion swung open and a slender figure appeared in the doorway.

  “Regan, my son!”

  Trying to hide my distaste for my mother, I held my stoic stance as she ran out of the castle. Dramatically, she threw herself at me and sobbed in my shirt, embracing me like she’d missed me. As if.

  An older man followed her out of the castle, striding as he always did. Why couldn’t Father just walk instead of striding like he was on his way to somewhere important? I always hated that about him. He loved making people feel small. He used to make me feel small.

  “My son. You have returned,” he voiced, barely giving me a nod of acknowledgement. Some things never changed, after all. I caught Danny’s gaze and I rolled my eyes. She hid a snicker behind her red hair and nudged her head encouragingly.

  “Mother. Father. I’m back,” I spoke, trying to add some kind of enthusiasm in my voice. Not like there was something to be enthused about though. My manipulative mother and abusive father were hardly ideal parents. But I knew the consequences of not playing along. Hell, I had the consequences painted on my back. So I wrapped one arm around my mother and pressed my father a firm handshake.

  “It’s good to be back,” I lied, making the woman who gave birth to me, sob harder against my chest. She had definitely gotten better at fake crying, that was for sure. But I knew it was an act. I had grown up around her, I had seen all her tricks. The big tears, the shaking shoulders, the dramatic flair. It was all fake. Just like my father’s big welcome gesture. In fact, I was almost sure they only accepted my invitation so they’d have an excuse to throw a decadent party. Didn’t they ever get tired of keeping up these false pretences?

  “I have missed you so much, darling,” Mother cried out, dramatically turning around to face the rest of the staff. “My son has returned!”

  A faint cheering and some awkward clapping made it crystal clear things hadn’t changed in the years gone by. They were still wildly unloved by their staff and I was surprised there were still so many of them who stuck around. Must be the war. Living under the abuse of my parents might be worth it for those who had a lot of mouths to feed at home or would otherwise be doomed to stray the country. Like we did.

  A gentle tug in my chest drew me away from my father’s fake speech about how he missed me and I glanced at Danny. She was hidden behind Darren, but had sent out her wolf to play with me. The familiar warmth and sensation I always got when Danny and I shared, filled my chest. Her wolf gently nudged mine, filling me with a power that would both frighten and turn my parents green with envy. It was why they had banned me from being with her in the first place. They knew it would shift my loyalties and they had been right. What they didn’t understand was that I didn’t need my bond with Danny for that. They were awful enough on their own that I would have run away regardless. Threatening Danny had just been the last straw that had made me say: enough is enough.

  Enviously, I watched my wolf dart behind Danny’s tail, chasing her through our chests. He was careless and free, bound to one thing and one thing only. Danny.

  That bastard.

  He didn’t need to play politics, or keep up pretences, or rule over people. He could just be with his
mate whenever wherever he wanted. He could howl and cry whenever he wanted. And his mate... our mate, Danny?

  She always answered.

  “Let’s go inside, my son. You and your... companions must be tired,” Father mused, pulling up his nose as he studied my friends. To him, they probably looked like poor good-for-nothings. Vagabonds. Strays. If only he knew.

  He clapped his hands and the whole household scrambled to their feet. Half of the maids ran back inside, while the other half started fussing over us. I caught a glimpse of a woman that seemed familiar, but with so many new faces, I couldn’t know for sure. I just hoped that some of the staff that I used to know, were still here. I wanted... No, I needed to know what happened to them and if they were alright. I cringed as I thought about the punishment some of them would’ve gotten for letting me run away.

  “Do they always do this?” Ashleigh whispered, looking appalled at the servant washing her feet. I rolled my eyes again. My parents were such snobs.

  “Sadly, yes,” I answered, making her snort in discomfort.

  “I’ll wash my own feet, thank you very much!” Danny next to me quipped in, snatching the rag from the person who was washing her. With ferocity, she started scrubbing her own feet, leaving the servant speechless. Hesitantly, he looked at me and I nodded, letting him know it was okay. Everything Danny did was okay and I would make sure she felt nothing but welcome in this house. In my house.

  “That’s enough,” I gently ordered Camilla, pulling my feet out of the water. This woman had loved me as a mum and practically raised me. Yet, my parents degraded her by making her wash my feet. It was embarrassing. Frankly, I should be the one who was washing her feet, not the other way around.

  Camilla smiled, her eyes twinkling in joy. “I’m happy to see you again, Regan,” she whispered softly, bowing her head respectfully. I reached out for her hand and softly squeezed, making sure not to hurt her. She had grown thin and frail over the years.

  “Likewise.”

  My old nanny gently kissed the back of my hand, hiding the tears blinking in her eyes. I knew me leaving had affected her more than anyone else, but staying just hadn’t been an option. With a shaky courtesy, she left my side to join the rest of the servants in the back of the house. I could only imagine how busy they were, trying to whip up a banquet and get everything prepped for the gala.

  Ridiculous. As always, my parents were pretending everything was fine. As if the war didn’t exist.

  “Lord Regan. You are expected in the great hall,” the valet, Alvar, announced as he respectfully bowed his head for me. Lord Regan. Such a pretentious title. Only snobs like my parents would insist on using our titles in-house.

  “Thank you, Alvar. We’ll join you shortly,” I answered, motioning for the rest of my friends to follow.

  “Errr... They would like to speak to you in private, Lord,” Alvar whispered, awkwardly nudging at Danny. Great. So within the first hour of arriving home, they’d give me a sermon about my choice of mate. Awesome.

  “Right back,” I muttered to my friends, already dreading the conversation.

  “Go knock ‘em dead,” Danny whispered encouragingly, her wolf gently bumping heads with mine.

  “Yes, Lord Regan, go knock ‘em dead,” Darren snorted, earning him a strange glance from all the servants.

  “Y-You’ll be fine,” JP added, as always, far kinder and supportive than the others. I stretched my shoulders and nodded at Alvar, ready to follow him into the pits of hell. You’d think that straying around the country with hardly any food and no proper place to stay was a nightmare, but it was nothing compared to the awful, awful sweetness of home.

  “Mother. Father,” I addressed my parents, managing to hold back a scoff as I found them seated on their thrones. Who did they think they were, really? The way they went about flaunting their riches was like they had something to prove. I hadn’t been to the capital city yet, but I couldn’t imagine Darren’s home to be posher than this. And he was an actual prince. Not just some nobility that had far too much money and time on their hands. They would be better off spending this money to help out the poor around them. There was one thing that became very clear from living amongst them. By the gods, the people could use some help.

  “So good to see you again, my son,” she warmly smiled, ascending from her throne with open arms. She took hold of my head and kissed me on the cheek, like she couldn’t stop herself from showing affection to her lost boy. As if. I knew her and every one of her tricks, she couldn’t fool me. A pang of something vile flashed through her eyes and dismissively, she waved at the rest of the staff. Or servants like she preferred to call them. “Leave us.”

  The moment the doors of the hall fell closed, her mask fell off. “Regan. How quaint of you to join us,” Mother sneered, her voice cold enough to freeze over the ocean. She really was a great actress.

  “What do you want?” I blatantly asked, not in the mood to play her games. Even with JP and Darren to guard Danny, I didn’t feel comfortable being away from her side in this castle. The walls had ears and the ground trapdoors.

  “Straight to the point, just like always,” Mother chuckled, rolling her eyes at me. She fluffed her dress and turned on her heels, ascending the throne again. Of course, being on top made her feel powerful. And I knew all too well how much she enjoyed being in control. It was what made her tick.

  “What do you want, Mother?”

  “Why do you think I want something? Maybe I just wanted to see my son.”

  “We both know that’s not the case. Don’t take me for a fool.”

  “Regan, my darling, I’m so hurt you’d think my intentions were anything but good,” she pouted, shaking her head like she was hurt that I thought so lowly of her. More fake drama again. Couldn’t she just stop and drop the pretences?

  “Mother... I’m weary from my travels. Just tell me,” I sighed, running my hand through my hair. I had no time to play games with her. Most of all, I just wanted to take a proper bath and go to sleep in a proper bed. Preferably with Danny curled up next to me.

  “Show some respect for your mother, son,” Father interjected, pointing at me with his fat finger.

  “Or what?” I challenged back, standing up straighter, despite feeling my hands tremble. I was no longer the same helpless kid I used to be. I didn’t live under their roof anymore and they had no say over me. I didn’t need to be scared. But yet, I could feel the scared, little boy that I used to be, resurface. The boy that used to hide under his bed whenever he heard his parents argue. The one that cried until there were no tears left. The one that learned to sleep on his stomach. The one that cringed at the sound of a belt being unbuckled. But I was no longer that boy. I was a man now. A strong man. A man with something to protect.

  “Or I’ll show you your place, boy!” Father shouted, spit flying from his mouth and his face flushing. Aha, the mask finally fell off. There was his real face. The one that I knew.

  I balled my hands into hard fists, my fingernails digging hard into my skin. “You should be so stupid to try. Father,” I growled back, widening my shoulders and tensing my muscles. I could feel myself quivering inside, but I refused to let my fears take over. I needed to remind myself that I was no longer a boy. Not a boy... Not a boy... Not a boy.

  “Have you forgotten who you’re talking to?” he bellowed, rising up from his throne as he grasped his belt. The metal click from a buckle coming undone froze me in my step as I suddenly felt old scars ache. Not a boy, Regan. Not a boy.

  “Have you?” I growled, the darkness of my wolf surfacing, threatening to spill out of me.

  “Sit down, dear. Play nice with our son. He hasn’t been home in so long,” Mother dismissed Father, placing a hand on his arm to push him back down. Father glared at me, demonstratively fastening his belt again, before letting himself fall on his throne. He huffed and adjusted the ridiculous crown on his head, pretending he had been the one who graciously stopped the fight. He thought being all loud
and angry made him look like a man, but both I and Mother knew who really pulled the strings. And it wasn’t him. She used him like a puppet. A cruel, sadistic puppet who enjoyed punishing his son far too much. But a puppet nonetheless.

  Mother turned to me, completely “I’m not playing games, I just want to welcome you home without all those pesky servants in the way,” Mother mused, ignoring father’s undignified sighs.

  I narrowed my eyes as I studied her face. I knew this wasn’t her endgame, so what did she want from me? “And?”

  She scoffed, like she was utterly insulted I didn’t believe she was actually doing a nice thing. “Tut tut tut, so mean to your frail mother,” she pouted, even though we both knew she was anything but frail. From all the people I had met on my travels, Mother was easily one of the most strong-willed and power crazy people I’d seen. Not in a good way, though.

  “You’ve welcomed me. Can I be excused now?” I sighed, rubbing the sleep out of my heavy eyelids.

  “Of course, my dear. Camilla made up your old bedroom,” Mother smiled sweetly, dismissively waving her hand.

  “Goodnight, Mother. Father.” I bowed sarcastically before turning on my heels, more than ready to rejoin Danny and get some sleep. Still. I knew I’d be sleeping with one eye open. I knew why I was returning home, but what I didn’t know was why my parents agreed to receive us. They must have their own ulterior motive, but they seemed hellbent on keeping that a secret.

  Instead of knocking on the door to signal Alvar to open them for me, I placed both hands on the ornate wood. I put my weight against it and almost effortlessly, I swung the heavy hallway doors open. Alvar jumped back in surprise, turning bright red as I caught him eavesdropping.

  “Alvar,” I smiled, pulling up an eyebrow to show I wasn’t angry.