Chapter 505: Episode 503: A Gift for the Matriarch.

Zarek reached out and pulled her right off the velvet sofa.

He sat down on the thick, soft rug and pulled her directly into his lap, wrapping his massive arms entirely around her. Torian dropped to his knees behind Zarek and wrapped his huge arms around both of them.

Ren and Caspian pressed tightly against her sides, their warm hands rubbing her arms and shoulders. Syris and Kaelen closed the circle, sitting right in front of her, resting their hands on her knees.

They pulled her into a massive, unbreakable group hug. They created a literal fortress of muscle, heat, and pure love completely around her.

The kind of suffocation she wanted.

Inside the safety of their arms, Roxy closed her eyes. The terrible, freezing cold that had gripped her in the park slowly began to melt away. She could hear Zarek’s strong, steady heartbeat thumping against her cheek.

She could smell the clean, fresh scent of the forest and the ocean surrounding her. She was safe. The monster was outside, and she was locked inside a castle with her mates.

Feeling completely, totally secure in their arms, the thick walls Roxy had built around her past finally crumbled. She was tired of carrying the heavy secrets all by herself.

"I never told you about my human family," Roxy whispered. Her voice was quiet and muffled against Zarek’s warm shirt, but in the silent room, all six men heard every single word.

The Kings stayed perfectly still, listening closely. They just held her tighter, silently telling her they were there for her.

"When we first came back to Earth, and you brought me up to this incredible penthouse, I was so shocked," Roxy continued, taking a slow, shaky breath. "I was amazed by the fancy cars, the expensive clothes, and the endless money you had made. But I was not shocked because I grew up poor. I was shocked because... I actually came from a very, very rich family."

Syris frowned gently, his green eyes filling with confusion. "You did?"

Roxy nodded her head slowly. "Yes. I grew up in giant houses. We had expensive cars and wore beautiful clothes, just like this. But in my house, money didn’t mean safety. Money was a poison."

She squeezed her eyes shut. The memories were ugly and painful, but she forced herself to say them out loud. It was time she let everything out.

"My parents were not good people," Roxy said, her voice shaking with old sadness. "They didn’t work in an office or own a normal company. My parents were criminals. They were knee-deep in the darkest, worst things you could ever imagine. They were involved in drug trafficking, and... and human trafficking."

A low, dangerous growl rumbled deep in Torian’s chest. The Kings came from a wild, dangerous world, but they had strict rules about protecting the innocent. The idea of trading human lives for money made them feel completely sick to their stomachs.

"They ruined countless lives just to buy bigger houses and shinier things," Roxy whispered, a fresh tear sliding down her cheek. "But eventually, their bad choices caught up with them. The police and the government started closing in. My parents knew they were going to be caught. They needed a way to escape the country, and they needed powerful friends in the criminal underworld to hide them."

Roxy paused, her chest heaving as she tried to swallow the giant lump in her throat. Zarek kissed the top of her dark hair, his big hand rubbing her back in slow, soothing circles.

"To save themselves," Roxy cried softly, the terrible truth finally spilling out. "My own parents sold me. They abandoned me to that monster in the park."

The men in the room completely froze.

"They sold you?" Kaelen asked, his icy blue eyes completely wide with absolute horror. His voice actually cracked.

This much they knew. About the men she had been with.

"Twice," Roxy sobbed, the painful memory ripping through her chest. "They sold me twice to clear their debts and buy their freedom. The second time, they sold me to him. My ex-husband. He was a terrible, cruel man with dangerous connections. My parents traded their own daughter like a piece of property, just to save their own skins. They handed me over to a monster, and then they ran away and left me trapped in a nightmare."

In the Beastworld, animals protected their babies with their entire lives. A mother bear would fight a whole army to keep her cub safe. A father wolf would starve to death before letting his pups go hungry. The idea of human parents looking at their sweet, beautiful daughter and selling her to a monster to save themselves broke the Kings’ hearts into a million tiny pieces.

It was a level of pure, evil cruelty they simply could not understand.

"What happened to them?" Caspian asked, his voice shaking with anger and sadness. The sweet Sea King looked ready to march out the door and hunt her parents down himself.

"They are dead," Roxy whispered, wiping her wet eyes. "They didn’t even get to enjoy their freedom. Once the CIA found out how deep they were in the human trafficking rings, they hunted them down. My parents were assassinated. They were killed by the government after ruining my life entirely, leaving me completely alone with the man who bought me."

The living room fell silent again, except for the soft sound of Roxy crying.

The Kings didn’t know what to say. There were no words in the human language or the Beastworld language that could fix that kind of terrible, deep betrayal. Her own parents had thrown her to the wolves. That was why she had been so afraid of the dark. That was why she had been so easily manipulated when she first fell into the beast world. She had never known what true, unconditional love felt like until she met them.

Torian let out a thick, watery sniff. Big, heavy tears rolled right down the giant tiger’s cheeks. He buried his face in the back of Roxy’s shoulder, holding her so tightly.

"We are so sorry, my sweet bunny," Ren whispered, his silver eyes shining with tears. He reached out and gently wiped the wetness from Roxy’s face.

Zarek shifted his heavy body, pulling her even closer to his heart. The Dragon King looked around the circle at his brothers, and then he looked down at his beautiful, brave wife.

"Listen to me, Roxy," Zarek rumbled, his deep voice filled with absolute, unbreakable devotion. "Those monsters were not your family. Blood does not make a family. Love does. Loyalty does."

"He is right," Syris agreed softly, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to her knee. "We are your real family now. We would burn this entire planet to ashes before we ever let anyone sell you, hurt you, or make you cry."

"You are our Matriarch," Kaelen promised, grabbing her small hand and holding it tight against his chest. "You belong to us, and we belong to you. Forever."

Roxy looked at their handsome, worried faces. They weren’t judging her. They didn’t think she was dirty or broken because of what her parents had done. They just loved her. They loved her so much that it filled the dark, empty holes inside her soul with bright, warm light.

She let out a long, shaky breath and nodded her head. She knew they were telling the truth. She was safe.

Zarek watched the panic finally completely leave her green eyes. He wanted to see her smile. He hated seeing the sadness weighing her down.

Zarek gently untangled his arms from the massive group hug. He stood up from the floor, giving her a sweet smile. "I will be right back. Do not move."

Roxy watched him walk down the long hallway toward his private office. The other five men stayed right where they were, keeping her perfectly warm and safe in the middle of their circle on the rug.

A minute later, Zarek walked back into the living room.

His hands were tucked behind his broad back, hiding something from her view. He walked over and sat back down on the floor right in front of her.

He brought his hands forward. He was holding a beautiful, flat, rectangular gift. It was wrapped in shiny gold paper and tied with a perfect, soft white ribbon. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Zarek reached out and placed the beautiful gift very gently right into her lap. He looked at her, his golden eyes glowing with a soft, warm secret.

"Open it."