Chapter 61
“Neice?” Alec scoffed. “We’ve been dealing with you for weeks now. You didn’t think we needed to
know this kind of information?”
“At the time? No, you didn’t.” Julian shrugged, ignoring the identical looks of rage on the twins faces.
“What about you?” Kade snapped, his eyes narrowing on Garrett. “You didn’t think your daughter had a
right to know?”
“Let’s not me my half-brother.” Julian smirked at Garrett, who scowled in response. “We’ve been
estranged for quite some time. The poor man can hardly stand to be in the same room as me.
Regardless, we’ve had amon goal for quite some time.”
Garretts scowl turned outright deadly. He bared his teeth at Julian and spoke in a low voice, “She
doesn’t need to know right now. She already has enough on her te without you adding to it.”
Before I developed my gift, I would’ve assumed Garrett was being his typical selfish conniving self.
While I didn’t appreciate the lies, I could feel the emotions behind Garretts words. He was genuinely
concerned for me. There was still no way in h**l I’d trust the man, but feeling his emotions showed me
a side of him I hadn’t know existed.
“She’s epted what she is. The sooner she knows, the faster she can prepare.” Julian snapped at
Garrett, who then rolled his eyes.
It seemed the topic of conversation wasn’t anything new for the two of them. Judging by the impatience
in Julian’s tone, they had talked about this countless times. I knew Julian had won when Garrett
clenched his jaw shut, the muscle in his cheek ticking angrily.
“I’m not sure how familiar you are with our customs, but there’s a few things we need to go over. As
you know, you will be taking over Garrett’s pack. Your mates will take the position of Alpha, while you
take over as Luna. The two packs will merge into onerger pack.” Julian grunted, and I could feel his
distaste.
Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.
For whatever reason, he didn’t want Garrett’s pack to merge with Alec and Kades. Judging from the
simr emotion radiating from Garrett, he felt the same. I couldn’t entirely me them. Garrett’s pack
would essentially be ran by Alec and Kade, and there was no love lost between the three of them.
Julian cleared his throat and continued, “Our customs are ancient, and they are always followed. As I
am unable to have children, custom states my pack will go to my closest descendent. Not only will you
be responsible for Garrett’s pack, but you will also inherit my own.”
The room copsed into silence, and all eyes settled on my face. Alec and Kade stared at me with
equal looks of surprise, their plush lips parted as they gazed in my direction. Their emotions were what
kept me centered. They were the buffer between me and Veronica’s crippling anger. Their awe and
affection steadied me, gave me room to think about what Julian had said.
The rage that spewed from Veronica was like a thick, hot nket. Her face turned the same cherry red
as her lips. Her red manicured nails reminded me of blood, and I found myself inching away as her
slender fingers curled into a fist.
“Not only will the b*****d child inherit your pack, but two others.” Veronica hissed, practically spewing
acid with every syble that left her lips. She turned her venomous attention to Garrett, who winced
under her gaze. “Because of your stupidity, your daughter will inherit nothing. She will be nothing. Our
only hope for her is that her mate is an Alpha with a pack of his own. I hope you’re happy with what
you’ve done, Garrett.”
Kady seemed to shrink down in her seat. While I felt her disappointment, there was no animosity
towards me. Her embarrassment was the strongest emotion, and I knew it was directed at her irate
Mother.
“Enough.” Kade snapped, his rough voice echoed throughout the dining room.
His eyes were lit with an onyx me as he stared at Veronica with a clenched jaw. I could see the slight
tremble in his form, and winced under the onught of his anger. Veronica’s anger was like a sharp
whip,shing out at anyone nearby. Kade’s anger was like ice, pinpointed solely on Veronica. Her
anger was that of petty jealousy, Kade’s was that of cold-blooded m****r.
“This might be your home, but this is our pack.” Kade snarled, mming his fists down on the table.
The silverware and tes jumped, settling back on the table with a rattle. “Speak negatively of our
mate again, and you will not leave this pack alive.”
Veronica’s head whipped around to Kade, her face paling as she took in his rigid stance. Her eyes
darted over to Alec, who watched her with the same emotionless stare.
“Don’t bother looking around for help, you’ll find none.” Alec snapped.
I could feel both of their anger, simr yetpletely different. Kade was like an ice storm, while Alec
reminded me of a crackling fire. Both intense and crippling, butpletely at odds with one another.
Behind the anger, I could feel the fierce protectiveness they felt for me. The emotion was like an
adrenaline rush. From the moment they arrived at Sage’s house, I knew the two of them wanted and
epted me. They had never forced me toe home, or forced me to ept what I was. They
always gave me a choice, no matter how it might hurt them. Up until now, I hadn’t truly known what I
meant to the twins. I had grown on them, just as they had grown on me. We’d never beplete
without one another, I realized. Not after this. The realization changed something inside of me. That
small, whispering voice of doubt faded. They’d never leave me; they’d never fail me. They’d always put
me first, and I’d do the same for them. I wanted this, I wanted to tie myself to them in every way
possible.
Rather than saying something she’d regret, she bowed her head and left the room. Her anger followed
her like a thick cloud, though the ufortable sensation still remained in the dining room. Kady stood
from the table, giving her Dad a weak smile before turning her eyes on me. ‘Sorry’, she mouthed. I
gave her a gentle nod and watched as she left the room, trailing after her distraught Mother.
I still wasn’t sure how I felt about Kady. I knew it was impossible for someone to suddenly change
overnight. Judging from the emotions I picked up, it seemed like beneath it all Kady wasn’t a horrible
person. I honestly couldn’t me her for turning out the way she did. If I had a Mom like that, who
knows how I would’ve turned out.
“I believe we should continue this conversation another time.” Julian shifted in his seat, casting a wry
nce towards Garrett. “Give Veronica time to deal with this. She might nevere around, but she’ll
learn to live with what is.”
“I am not looking to you for advice.” Garrett snapped, but his face was gued with exhaustion.
I could feel the guilt and pain that echoed within him, and tried not to let it wound me. It hurt him to hurt
his mate. I knew the feeling and knew I’d react simrly if I had ever hurt Alec and Kade the way he
hurt Veronica. Garrett and I might never have a normal rtionship, but he was making an effort. He
had abandoned me, and I’d never forget it but no person was purely good or evil. Regardless,
forgiveness was a long way away.
Garrett stood from the table, ttening out his suit jacket before clearing his throat, “Thank you for
coming tonight. It was…nice having you here, Aurora. We’ll speak again soon.”
The three of us left shortly after, the food sitting heavily in my stomach. I had a feeling I was missing
something important, that Alec and Kade had connected the dots where I hadn’t. The car ride home
was coated in thick silence. Just as we pulled into the driveway, I couldn’t handle it anymore.
“Are they serious?” I exhaled, “I’m–we’re going to be in charge of two other packs?”
“If you’re sure about this–sure about us, the packs will merge into our own. We’ll absorb the territory
and people.” Alec frowned, ncing at his brother.
They both radiated shock, but also nervousness. It was the harsh anxiety that set my teeth on edge.
“Why are you both so worried?” I asked, my eyes darting between the two of them.
“Once you turn eighteen, the packs will officially be transferred over to you.” Kade grimaced, “There’s a
sort of hierarchy with the packs in the United States. Our seniority is ranked by howrge our pack is,
and how much territory we own. Larger packs be targets. If Alec and I were to be k****d by
another Alpha, they have every right to im our pack.”
“What’s your point?” I asked, wincing against the sickening feeling in my stomach.
“Once our pack merges with Garrett and Julians, we’ll be thergest pack in the country.” Alec replied,
his eyes burning with worry. “It’ll be like painting a target on our backs. Keeping your wolf a secret will
now be harder than ever.”