“Master Geir was indeed the man who took me to the pantera. He looked after my training until I was old enough to be out on my own.” And that had felt good to his seeking soul. Geir had taken Mitch under his wing and treated him like a younger brother. He was still one of his most favorite people in the world.
“You were young to leave your kin,” Frederick observed.
“The Thorburns weren’t my blood, though I can never thank them enough for adopting me. I took their name out of respect, but I was born Mitchell Gustavson. The Thorburns told me my parents died in a car accident.”
The king looked at him sharply. “If your parents were Emile and Maria Gustavson, they didn’t die in any accident.” Frederick turned to face Mitch, his gaze troubled. “They died protecting me and my family. They were both Royal Guards and two of my dearest friends. Sweet Mother of All.” Frederick’s gaze turned heavenward as his face showed the pain he felt at the memory.
He took a moment, during which Mitch’s mind spun. He hadn’t known. Nobody had ever told him the truth about his parents, though they all must’ve known. But why?
“Mitch.” The king looked back at him and put one hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” The king hugged him then, a back-pounding hug of both comfort and sorrow shared.
Mitch didn’t know what to say. He wanted to know the exact circumstances of his parents’ death, and yet…he was almost afraid to ask.
When the king let him go, Gina was beside Mitch, her gaze filled with understanding and compassion. She reached for his hand and he took it like a lifeline. She was so good to him. He needed her touch to ground him, regardless of what her father might think. Mitch knew his place.
Mitch had just learned more about his true parents than he’d ever known. They’d been Royal Guards. Nobody had seen fit to inform him of that fact before, and Mitch had to wonder why.
“What’s the big secret?” he asked aloud. “Why didn’t anyone tell me about them before?”
The king sighed heavily. “Probably because of the way they died. You see, it was the last straw. The final battle that decided me on exile. Gisli came at us himself, along with a group of his loyal followers. We only had the Gustavsons and Petries with us. Both couples died to give us time to escape. Your mother shielded Gina, who was only a cub at the time, until Candis was clear of the fighting. She suffered grievous wounds getting Gina to her mother and collapsed at my wife’s feet while your father was ripped open by Gisli, himself. The Petries held off the rest of the attackers until we could escape. Sadly, they too died in the attack. We met up with the Millers and a few others and hit the road. We left that very day. I didn’t want any more of my friends and protectors to die in my service. I knew you existed, but I was assured you would be placed with a good family.”#p#分页标题#e#
Mitch had to clear his throat before he could speak. “I was.” He cleared his throat once more and tried again. “The Thorburns were very good to me, but they had a hard time dealing with a child with Alpha tendencies and the desire to fight. They didn’t really understand me, yet they indulged me. They found me teachers and put me into the training I craved. And Geir did the rest. I was well looked after and protected—perhaps too much—from the truth of what happened to my blood kin.”
To say Mitch was stunned by these revelations would be understating it. A lot. But he was coming to some harsh realizations as well. Suddenly, things were coming into focus. Magnificent things of great scale and design. Destiny. Fate. The will of the Lady. Call it what you will, he realized events had led him to this place, this time, this woman and this king. He knew what he had to do.
“My existence as Mitch Thorburn is at an end,” he declared. “That name is known by our enemies, and as far as I’m concerned, he died of the poison the day they burned Harris’s dojo in the city. But Mitch Gustavson lives, and it’s time to avenge my parents’ deaths and put right something that went wrong a long time ago.”
Silence greeted his softly voiced statement. He hadn’t expected cheering, but he didn’t know what to make of the silence until Gina squeezed his hand and drew his gaze down to meet hers.
“Whatever name you go by, you’re a man of rare honor, Mitch.” She reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek in front of all and sundry. It felt like a benediction. A touch of magic meant to begin healing the hurt places inside his soul.
He didn’t really know what had prompted his decision or his bold words, but he knew the Thorburns would understand. They’d always been there for him, even as he’d grown into his Alpha role—something neither one of his adoptive parents were. They weren’t afraid of him, but he’d become the leader of their tiny familial Pride by virtue of his cat’s dominance. It was an odd arrangement, but Mitch would never take advantage of it and they knew he wouldn’t. Still, it did cause some tension.