Toxic Rose Thorns - Chapter 72: Chapter 72

The roaring sting I've felt since waking up after Knight bit me is nothing but a low hum as I sit in the warm bath while Knightly plays his guitar with his back against the tub next to me. My body aches in places but not in a bad way. At least not anymore.
I've never been tied up before and he secured me to my headboard for most of the ride. I can feel my face burning hot still. I'm pretty sure he nibbled and licked every part of my body. Even after scrubbing, exfoliating, and soaking in my favorite bath scents, I can smell him all over. There were times when I wanted to fucking kick him because I am a very ticklish person. But I came even before he got to my no-nos.
The alarm on my phone goes off. A reminder to pick the twins up from school in an hour. I pull the plug from the drain and stand, taking one of the towels off the rack beside me. I wrap it around me and go for my closet. Knight doesn't stop playing nor does he seem to notice that I've moved. He's been quiet from the beginning, just listening to the sounds I made. I was very nervous but fuck that was insane.
When I get dressed, I step out of the closet to find Knight dressed and waiting for me on my bed. He even made it.
"Want to come with me-"
"I would love to," he cuts me off. "But we have to pick up the twins,"
"Fuck off," I flip him off and I am rewarded with devious smirk. He stands up waving my keys in front of me. When I reach for them, he pulls them away.
"I am going to let you drive this one time. It'll be up to you if this happens again. This is based on your performance," he lowers them again and I snatch them this time.
"I can't perform with my hands tied to the headboard now, can I?" I spin away when he reaches for me. His eyes flash red as we head down together.
I stop at the door to see that Perry really installed a whole security system in my house while I was just a few yards away—without either of us knowing. I lean in to find there's no particular scent—not even in the kitchen—but I remember her scent perfectly. It's earthy, like blooming flowers on a rainy day. Violetta's was very fancy, not just her perfume that lingers but also the undertones. They're dark like the kind of flowers grown in a greenhouse.
"Is something bothering you?" Knight asks when I start up my car for the first time in a long time. I adjust the seat and the mirrors.
"Perry broke into our house like it was nothing. I can smell Violetta's Gucci perfume but not their scent. Not like I did when they were here. Perry's isn't there at all. As if she were never here," the double gates buzz and open up for me.
"That was on purpose," he nods. "Just because Perry can get into the house doesn't mean anyone else can. That's her thing. She gets into shit no one else can. It's something taught to betas. To be sneaky, observant, and above all discreet.
"Perry was raised to be a beta in the city. She didn't know what she was because her dad was a royal guard and he pissed off a lot people in the name of the king. He forced her to be a beta so she wouldn't draw attention to herself.
"She is so good at it that she can mask her scent and she can hide her presence. She could be in the trunk right now and we wouldn't know. And because she was so isolated, she got really into computers. Not just the craftsmanship but the programming. She's the Johann Sebastian Bach of coding. Don't tell her I said that. She's cocky enough,"
"You're secret's safe with me. Unless she's in the back," I laugh. He grins and glances back. "What's the difference between a pack wolf and a rogue wolf? Which do you believe is better?"
"Better as in stronger or better as in more civilized?"
"Both, I guess," I get on to the road that leads straight to the school.
"Pack wolves are raised to be part of a community. A lot of us are born knowing what we are. I was born alpha rank, so I would naturally be expected to be alpha. Violetta is a born Luna. Daughter of a luna, second-born of a very powerful alpha. If she ever finds a mate, it's likely he's going to be an alpha,"
"Wow," I say pulling into the line of cars waiting to get into the parking lot.
That's crazy to me. But how cool is it to be born knowing what you're going to be one day? I guess I'm lucky I got to choose for myself.
"This is our purpose in life. Modern tech and society have made it easier for us to protect one another. Especially since there are so many of us. Because of that, we blended into mortal customs easily, but our instincts are still coded into our DNA.
"So, while all this extra success and shit is encouraged, their position in the pack comes first. They're trained as one. To function as a team and to obey the laws of the city or pack territory. They're powerful because they trust and live for one another.
"A rogue is different. They're like us. We trust in what we know to survive. We look for everything we need and take what we want because we prefer to be on our own. We learn to adapt to our surroundings with ease. Our wolves are twice as alert and stronger than theirs.
"Each rank has a specific set of skills, but rogues. Rogues have the skills to go up against any rank. A beta and even an omega rogue can take on a low-rank team of alphas and still get away from them. It would take an alpha like Freddy to catch an omega or a beta. And if an alpha like Freddy went after an alpha like me, he'd better be prepared to kill and die.
"We take care of one another, but the majority of rogues are always on the move. Some buy homes and territory on the outskirts of pack cities. As long as we don't fuck with the pack wolves we lead pretty normal lives,"
"But not us?" I ask, stopping in front of the gate.
"It all comes down to the bloodlines in this world, Angel. Our vessels are what is considered perfection. Bred to be chosen by the most powerful spirits. There are packs that keep track of them. There are shamans that can predict the return of some legendary spirits. Like my grandfather's on my father's side. Like your grandfather on your mom's side. And yours.
"Often preparations are made for their return. Then there are evil fucking wolf spirits. Like my father's and mine who wasn't even granted a name. These spirits are hunted because they brought in dark times and vessels can be easily swayed by power,"
The two of us get out of the car when the twins are escorted out of the gate. Their teacher is giving them their belongings as she praises them for helping out in class today. She briefly looks up at us and quickly averts her gaze back down to the ground.
"Did I do something to offend her?" I ask.
"Mommy," Ayrie giggles and skips toward us.
"Dad, I made you something," Aizen says excitedly.
"You made me something?" Knight takes a knee as the twins get to us.
I lift Ayrie when she wraps her arms around me. Her legs wrap around my body and she kisses my cheek before looking back at the boys. Aizen takes a black braided bracelet decorated with red letter beads that spell out DAD.
"Ayrie picked out the letters," he says looking up at us. "Do you like it?"
"I love it," he smiles at him, and slips it on. "This is never ever coming off, little man," he glances up at Ayrie so she knows he's talking to both of them. "I am honored to wear something you made with your hands," he kisses his little hands. "Thank you,"