Marked Twice by the Alpha King

Blake's POV

*Just checking how you're doing. I sat on her bed. After what happened the other day... worried you might still be upset about those rumors.

"What rumors?" She blinked, looking confused.

About Ava and Jackson's... past."

'Oh, that." Her expression hardened instantly. 'Jackson explained everything to me. Dad, I understand so much more now."

I frowned. "Understand what?"

About Ava Sophia's voice carried this cold tone I'd never heard before. "She shouldn't have hidden those things from me. If she'd been honest from the start, none of this would've happened."

'Sophia..."

"Jackson made it all very clear, Dad." She cut me off, eyes shining with this almost blind trust. "He told me things I never knew before. Now I get why that fight happened."

I watched her carefully, unease growing in my chest. She had this weird certainty about her, like someone had fed her a complete set of explanations.

"What exactly did he tell you?"

'Details don't matter, Dad." She waved it off, but I caught the forced quality of her smile. "What matters is we all understand the truth now. Though... She paused. "Thinking about them being... well, you know, their past still bothers me. But Jackson says we'll work through it."

Her voice tightened when she mentioned their past, but she recovered fast. "He's been so patient with me, Dad. Helping me work through all this."noveldrama

I nodded, but the unease kept growing. Sophia's reaction was too... rehearsed.

She skipped all the details, avoided specific questions, just kept repeating vague stuff about “Jackson explained" and "we understand the truth."

This didn't feel like normal explanation and reconciliation. More like... conditioning.

"That's good then." I stood up, not sure what else to say. "If you need anything, just ask."

But deep down, I knew things were way more complicated than they seemed. What exactly had Jackson told my daughter?

"I will." She picked up her nail polish again. “Dad, you look exhausted. Maybe you should get some rest too?"

That night found me back in the study. William Rivers' files still spread across my desk, but I couldn't focus anymore. My thoughts kept flying to the northern villa, to the woman who should be waiting for word from me.

Tyler reached out through mindlink around nine, sensing my distracted state. "Boss, shouldn't you go see her?*

"Who?" I shot back, playing dumb.

"Ava." Even through our mental connection, I felt his seriousness. "She's been there four days."

'She needs rest," I responded.

'She needs you." Tyler rarely got this direct, but his determination came through loud and clear. "Boss, I've worked with you for years. Never seen you this twisted up over a woman."

I rubbed my forehead. It's complicated, Tyler."

'Complicated my ass." He actually swore through the mindlink, which was even rarer. "You love her, she loves you. What's simpler than that?”