HAVEN
“I never said John was Lennox’s father,” Melissa said, her harsh laugh ringing in my ears.
It took a few seconds for my mind to catch up with my ears and for her words to make sense in my brain. I was still reeling from the revelation that she was Lennox’s mom. That the whole time I knew her and knew him, he was her son.
I thought back over the years, over all our interactions and her interactions with him, and it all made sense. The way she treated him, the way they were always so close. And, of course, how they always wanted us together, always emphasized how we’d make such a cute couple.
But that didn’t answer the question of who his father was.
“So then, who is his father?” King Malachi said, his voice deep and authoritative, the way it had been when he’d questioned Sarina earlier and asked Melissa about why Lennox’s father wanted us to be mates so badly.
The power behind it made my bones vibrate, and every wolf in the room with us tensed every time he used it. But even though I could feel the power, it had no effect on me. I didn’t know if it was because I was human or because I was Selene’s daughter. But either way, Wesley had to remind me to pretend as though it affected me the same as the rest of them.
“He told me his name was Paul Tilley. But I suspect that was a fake name. The blood contract outlined that we were never allowed to ask him his real name, what pack he ran, or where he was from,” Melissa said, her laughter finally gone.
“And who were John and Mary?” the king asked.
“People from his pack. They were heavily commanded, and I’m guessing they signed blood contracts on top of that as well. We couldn’t get any information out of them.”
“But why did he have them raise Lennox instead of taking him back to his pack?” Sebastian asked.
“I don’t think his mate knew about Lennox. He never seemed as if he was an honest type of man. At least, not after he showed his true colors to me. So, he had two people he could trust, two people he could fully command who were from his pack raise Lennox so he could be raised the way he wanted him raised. To be the alpha he knew neither of his twins or any of his other children could be.”
I heard all her words and listened as she continued to explain, but all I could think about was how they had treated me. How they had used me. How they had raised me for one reason and one reason only—to be Lennox’s mate. His prize. Like I was some piece of meat.
I wasn’t even a person to them. To any of them. Lennox had made that clear from the start, made it clear I was just an object to him, something to
claim and possess. But it was even more obvious now that Melissa and her husband—her mate—felt the same way. I was just a means to an end.
My stomach churned, and my eyes watered. Everything I had eaten in the last few hours threatened to make its presence known. My knees shook and almost buckled. But before I could collapse to the floor, those strong, protective arms I had grown to love and crave wrapped themselves around me, holding me against Wesley’s warm and solid chest.
“You’re safe now,” he murmured into my ear. “They can’t hurt you anymore. Never again. You are loved by so many people. People who would do anything for you,” he reminded me.
My head leaned against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as he stroked my hair. He was my safe place, my rock, my home. And he was right. His pack was filled with people who loved me, people who had become my family way before I even knew that’s what they were to me. That’s what they had been twelve years ago, and that’s what they were now.
“Do you need to leave? We don’t have to stay if you’re uncomfortable,” he said.
“No. I want to stay. I need to stay. I will be okay,” I reassured him in a whisper. “I just need you to hold me,” I added as my stomach bubbled up and threatened to spill again. “Just help me be strong. Be my strength.”
“Always, Sugar Plum.” He kissed the top of my head. “I will always be whatever you need me to be.”
I nodded and closed my eyes for a moment, to gather my strength and resolve. To absorb the strength I needed from him.
When I looked back at Melissa, she stared at me, and her eyes flashed with guilt or regret for a split second, but then it was gone. I didn’t know if
it was real or something I imagined. But I didn’t care. Even if it was real, it was too little too late.
They’d made their choice. They’d made it when she told Lennox’s father she would do whatever he asked to prove she was innocent. They could have lived their lives peacefully, and I would have been left alone. Or they could have been kinder to me. They could have figured out some way to go against him.
So I felt nothing when I saw that look in her eyes. She could roll around in her own filth for all I cared. She was nothing to me.
Sebastian glanced over at me, as did the king. “I’m fine, Sebby,” I muttered, and he smiled and winked at me before turning serious again.
“So let me get this all straight before we continue,” Sebastian said. “Lennox was your son, but he was raised by John and Mary. His real father was a douchebag alpha from an unknown pack, and he had you sign blood contracts agreeing to do nefarious and shady shit for him, including raising Haven to be your son’s baby maker.” He glanced at the king. “Did I miss anything?”
I could feel Wesley’s amusement mixed with exasperation, but the king just shrugged. “Yes. I think that’s what she told us.”
I furrowed my brow, though. Something wasn’t adding up for me. There was a gap in their story.
“How did you end up here? In California?” I asked them. “You said you woke up in cells with no idea where you were or how you got there, but Sarina said they found you at our borders.”
A small swell of love and pride hit me through the bond when I said “our borders,” and Wesley’s thumb stroked my upper arm.
“When we woke up in the cells, Lennox’s father was there. He told us we’d failed by letting you leave Salt Lake City and move to California. He said there were too many packs near your new company and that we should pray to Selene that Lennox would still be able to claim you.”
“But how did he know I was in California? How did he know I was near Crescent Lake and the other packs? And how did you end up at our borders?” I repeated, standing up straighter, my questions fueled by the roiling in my stomach that had morphed into an angry fire.
“I don’t know how he knew. We didn’t tell him. John and Mary may have, but you’d been gone for months before he found out, so I don’t think it was them.”
“What about Lennox? I’m sure he’d do whatever Daddy wanted if it meant he’d get to be alpha,” I snorted.
“Lennox hadn’t spoken to him since he was a small child. When we ended up in his dad’s pack, that was the first they’d seen each other in a very long time.”
“You’re still avoiding my question. How did you end up here?” I practically growled, shocking even myself with the level of my anger.
“Lennox’s dad took us from the cells several nights ago. We’ve been camping in the woods, moving around every night, and we caught a whiff of this pack’s scent. We snuck away so we could find the borders again and find help.”
Wes and Sebastian looked at each other. I could feel Wesley’s mind working through her words and see Sebastian doing the same.
“Pierce,” Wesley growled, and King Malachi turned to look at him. “He has twins. And we know he’s not the cleanest of alphas. Ben and Nicole
confirmed he’d cheated on their mom. It wouldn’t shock me to learn he had pups with other she-wolfs.”
“This is the alpha you tried to catch?” I asked.
“Yes, but he got away. We’ve been looking for him but haven’t found him yet,” King Malachi replied. He turned to Melissa. “You don’t know his name or his pack’s name, but if I showed you his picture, would you be able to confirm if it’s him?”
Melissa laughed again, a hopeless, crazed, hollow laugh. Tears from her mirthless laughter, or maybe from her desperation, streamed down her cheeks. Matthew sighed and closed his eyes, his chin dropping to his chest.
“You’ll find out for yourself soon enough, I’m sure,” she spat out through her laughter. “He’s on his way, or possibly already here.”
Wesley’s arms around me tightened like a python, holding me to him protectively, and three growls echoed around the room. Sebby stood in front of Wesley and me, blocking me from Melissa and Matthew’s view as her maniacal laughter continued.
“How? How is he getting onto Crescent Lake packlands?” the king roared, his power pulsing out of him and filling the room.
“His transport stone. He gave me the other half, and I dropped it somewhere on the ground while those stupid rogues brought us to the packhouse.” She cackled. “He was going to wait a day or two, until he knew Wesley and Haven were back from wherever they’d gone when they left.”
“Shit!” Wesley exclaimed, and his panic and fear hit me harder than a trained fighter hitting their opponent.
Sebastian’s facial expression matched the level of worry I felt coming from Wesley as he looked back at us. It was an expression I’d only seen
from him once in the short time I’d known him the night Lennox attacked me.
“No!” he cried as he sprinted to the door and yanked it open with his full strength, disappearing out of the room before any of us could say anything to him.
“What’s going on?” I asked, looking up into Wesley’s worried eyes as he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door with haste.
“Reid just mindlinked us. Pierce is here. And he has Maddie.”
