Chapter 457


    Chapter 457


    Lanie


    “Let her go,” I murmured to my mother when Selena turned on her heel and stalked out of the room.


    My mother shook her head as she cast a worried look after my sister. “She’s been having a rough


    time. I thought it was better, but ever since she heard you wereing back to Constantine…well.


    A rough time, that’s all I can say.”


    Ste had a distant look in her eyes. I couldn’t be sure, but it felt to me like she was following my


    sister with her mind but doing it so subtly that my mother wouldn’t guess. Her gaze snapped to


    mine, and she gave me a small, almost imperceptible nod. Without words, she told me that my


    sister was okay…for now.


    “She was rejected by the mates the High Council tried to assign to her,” my mother said, keeping


    her voice pitched low. It was rough with sadness. “Not even the threat of prison could get them to


    agree to the match. She took it hard…not because she was in love with them, but to be so violently


    rejected…”


    My heart ached for Selena. “That must have been horrible!”


    My mother nodded, her expression full of shadows. “After you all left, Lanie, things were very dark


    here. Orion’s death changed so much, and the High Council was out of control. I think the pack truly


    believed we were going to all have to go rogue. Everything was utterly falling apart.”


    I didn’t know what to say. If I tried to apologize, I knew my mom would try to tell me it wasn’t my


    fault, but that wouldn’t stop me from trying to take the me. Because it was our fault…me, Xander,


    Zane, Mason. We hadn’t been the ones to set anything in motion, but we’d been the ones to make


    sure the High Council couldn’t simply keep on doing what they’d been doing all those years.


    We’d broken the pack.


    Now, we’d have to work hard to put it all back together.


    My mom cleared her throat and said in a brighter voice, “Your dads are beside themselves. They’ll


    be back tomorrow or the next day. They’d have been here sooner, but they were sent so far away,


    and the High Council made it so hard to get back here on purpose.”


    Tears shone in her eyes, but there was hope and happiness in her voice.


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    If I couldn’t wait to see my dads, I could only imagine how much my mom was looking forward to it. I


    let my gaze linger on my three mates bent over their tes as they talked to Monroe and Maxim. It


    felt impossible that I could survive being separated from any one of them for longer than a few


    hours, much less months. Years.


    “Goddess,” I murmured, mostly to myself. “Has it truly been more than a year?”


    For all I could tell, it could’ve been closer to two. Three, four…I shook my head. It couldn’t have


    been that long, but I hadpletely lost all track of time while we were gone.


    “If a mother judges the passing of time by the way her children grow,” my mother said, “I can see


    why you’re not sure.”


    She hugged me again, and then we joined Mindy and ina with freshly filled tes. Isaac had


    moved to the other end of the table with his fathers and the High Guards. It was a clear separation,


    and my heart panged at the sight of my little boy beginning his journey into manhood.


    Mindy saw me looking and paused with a forkful of food halfway to her mouth. She let out a


    snuffling sob and put the fork down. “He’s so big! Lanie, how do you st-st-staaaaaaand it!”


    rmed, I patted her shoulder. Emotions rose, swelling and swirling all around us. Mindy had


    always been excitable, but this seemed kind of extreme, even for her. I chalked it up to all the


    upheaval with our return, and in seconds her wails and tears turned toughter. She swiped at her


    eyes.


    “Sorry,” she said. “It’s just that I missed you so damned much, Lanie. I was so scared I’d never see


    you again. I missed my bestie!”


    We hugged,ughing and crying while Ste shook her head with amusement. ina watched us


    both carefully, her brow knitted. She was clearly studying what was going on but not sure what to


    think about it. I held out my arms hand for her to take.


    “Don’t fret, sweetpea. We’re all just diving way down into our feels this morning,” I assured her while


    Mindy sniffed but beamed a wide grin beside me.


    ina didn’t smile. She squeezed my hand and then let it go. “May I be excused?”


    “Sure. Where are you going?” I didn’t want her running off until we’d had some time to get settled.


    “Daddy’s going to be calling a pack meeting for everyone pretty soon, and we want you there for it.”


    “I’m just going up to my room,” ina said and left the room.


    Ste watched her go. I couldn’t read her expression. I touched her hand until she looked at me.


    “Ste? Everything okay?”


    She nodded and smiled, but her gaze was locked on her sister’s retreating form, and a tiny shiver


    tickled my spine until she looked at me. “Yep. All good.”


    But something felt off.