South of the Border

He listened quietly to Kai as he studied him. He knew the vagabond wasn't happy in his current situation, but would he have been better off as a captive under Valkyrie or even as a prize for Legion? He was curious to know what Kai thought about those situations. At least here, he was free to do what he wished and all the king asked of him was to help contribute in restoring the stocks. He glanced down at the ground when he called his nephew a coward, and unfortunately...he had to agree. Though he didn't say it out loud, it wasn't the first time his nephew had abandoned him. He thought he could trust him, but would he be able to give his nephew a third chance if he were to ever show his face again?

He doubted it.

"How's it feel buying your nephew's boyfriend for him, anyway, only to have him run away? Do you feel cheated?" His gaze rose to meet Kai's with a grim look on his face. "Yes and no." He cleared his throat and sighed. "At the time I knew Tyranis cared a great deal about you. I have no doubt about that. And I'm sure it wasn't easy for him to decide between you, and the family he chose to have. He struggled with a choice, and I know that whatever choice he made would have brought pain upon him. Love you, and abandon his mate and children...or love them, and abandon you. I don't know what it is like to endure such a decision, but I know that in some form he still loves you, even if he cannot be with you." He doubted Kai cared about anything he was saying, but Acere wholeheartedly believed that Ty did indeed love him enough to let him go.

"I know you didn't ask to be here, and I simply did what I thought was right at the time. So now I am giving you a choice." He kept his gaze on him, voice unwavering as he spoke. "You can help refill our resources and contribute for the time you've been here and until my two warriors return from Hjarrandi's service. Or, if you prefer...you can go back to being their captive and resold."