New Year with the Cartel (Nightshade Wolves #8)

Chapter 15

Gustall

Fendwyr slammed the door of his office behind us, the sound making me flinch. I knew what was going to happen, and was afraid.

His rage was palpable, filling the room with dominant pheromones that made my omega instincts want to submit, to beg forgiveness. But I couldn't. Not about this. I would never forgive myself if it happened.

"How long?" He demanded, his voice deceptively calm. "How long have you known?"

"Six weeks," I admitted, forcing myself to meet his gaze. "I found out just after you told me about your dream and I remembered it was something that actually happened."

"Six weeks." He laughed, but there was no humor in it. I didn't think there was going to be, being honest with myself. "Six weeks of lies. Of watching you put yourself—and our child—in danger. And you talk about trust?"

"I trust you," I insisted, though his behavior was making me question everything. "I just—"

"You just what?" He moved closer, backing me against his desk. I couldn't impose myself, especially when he was this angry. "Just decided I didn't deserve to know about my own child? Just let me send you into dangerous tasks? Just—"

"Just needed time to figure out how to tell you!" I shouted back, surprising us both. I didn't think I had it in me, but maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised, considering how hard he was pushing me. "Look at you now! Look at how you're reacting! This is exactly why I waited! I can’t get any more stressed than I already am."

His eyes narrowed. "Because I care about your safety? About our child's safety?"

"Because you try to control everything! Because you—" I stopped, realizing I was shaking. "Because I knew nothing would change. You won't leave the cartel. You won't choose us over this life."

We hadn't talked much about that, but I knew what he thought. His mind was unchangeable; he wanted to remain the cartel boss he was, no matter what.

"Us?" His hand gripped my chin. "There is no 'us' separate from me, little omega. You're mine. This child is mine. And I protect what's mine. I always do. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Protect?" I pulled away. "Or possess?" There needed to be a proper distinction.

Something dark flashed in his eyes, but before he could respond, a knock interrupted us. "Boss? Rodriguez's men have been spotted..."

I sighed in relief. I thought there wasn't going to be an end to our heated argument.

"We're not done," Fendwyr growled before leaving, the door slamming again behind him.

No, I thought. We weren't done at all. I still had so much more to say, and he would hear it all.

Three days later, I sat in a small café twelve blocks from Fendwyr's territory, my heart pounding. He thought I was resting at home, monitored by his men—men I'd managed to slip away from using tricks I'd learned from watching other omegas in the compound.

"He hasn't changed at all, has he?"

I looked up at the man who'd just sat down across from me. Elias. Former omega of the Nightshade Wolves. It had taken days of careful questioning and secret messages to arrange this meeting. I thought he would never agree to it.

"Tell me," I said, not introducing myself or preparing for what was really important. I could tell he was happy with that. He also didn't want to spend any more time here than he had to.

He ran a hand through his graying hair, his expression heavy with regret. "How ridiculously possessive he can be. The way he says he's protecting you when really he's just keeping you trapped. Sound familiar?"

I nodded, one hand moving to my stomach. It sounded too familiar, I thought. It sent shivers down my entire body.

"I was pregnant too," he revealed, making my heart stop. Wait, what? I knew he was going to reveal something big, but I didn't think it was going to be of that magnitude. "That's when it got worse. He wouldn’t let me leave the compound. Monitored everything I ate and everyone I talked to. Said it was all for the baby’s safety, but of course, it was more than just that."

"What happened?" I asked right away. I needed to know everything, even more than before.

"I lost it. The stress..." Elias's voice cracked, and he paused to collect himself. "He was furious. Not at me, he said, but at whoever or whatever had 'taken' his child. Three people died before he accepted it was just nature. Yeah… he can be like that sometimes, and it's terrifying."

My phone buzzed—a text from Fendwyr asking where I was. I knew he would ask soon.

I quickly replied that I was napping, knowing his men would cover for me rather than admit they'd lost track of me. When it came down to it, they didn't want to disappoint him, and that was scarier than lying.

"But he's my fated mate," I whispered, more to myself than to Elias. "Shouldn't that mean something? Make him different?"

Elias leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "Being fated mates doesn’t change who he is. It just means you're destined to deal with his darkness." He sighed. "I once thought that I was his destined one too, but then it turned out I wasn't. I'm so happy for that."

Another text from Fendwyr. He was coming home early. Shit. I had to leave before it was too late.

"I have to go," I stood up in a heartbeat, perhaps too quickly as dizziness hit me. "Thank you for—"

"Be careful," Elias warned, keeping the same tone with me, full of warning. "When I left, he hunted me for weeks. Only stopped because another omega caught his attention. If you run... make sure you run far enough."

I rushed back through careful routes I'd mapped out, making it home just minutes before Fendwyr arrived. As he pulled me into his arms, scenting me possessively, I fought to keep my heart rate steady. I didn't want him to get suspicious. If he found out what I was doing… I didn't even want to think what would happen.

"You smell different," he murmured. "Anxious, like there's something troubling you more than usual."

"Just tired," I lied yet again. The lies just kept piling up with him. "Our baby..."

He hummed, his hand sliding to my stomach. "Rest then. I'll have dinner brought up. You need to eat better."

◆◆◆

The package arrived three days after I met with Elias. I hadn't ordered anything, so I was curious, to say the least.

No return address, just my name written in elegant script. I knew I shouldn't open it—anything unexpected could be a threat—but something about it called to me. If I got rid of it, I'd still be thinking about it.

Inside, I found a USB drive and a handwritten note: "Thought you might want to know who you're really carrying a child for. Don't worry, it's nothing personal. It's actually very informative -R"

Rodriguez. Though it was just the initial, I knew it was him. He was still out there somewhere and now, apparently, also playing mind games with me.

My hands trembled as I stared at the drive. I should tell Fendwyr, should hand it over unopened. That's what a loyal mate would do. But Elias's words echoed in my mind, and I couldn't shake them away. Suffice it to say that I didn't trust my alpha anymore.

I waited until Fendwyr left for a meeting, then locked myself in our bedroom with my laptop. The drive contained folders, dozens of them, each labeled with an omega's name. Elias's was there, along with others I'd never heard of.

I thought I had been thorough in my search and had found all of Fendwyr's former loves, but it seemed that I hadn't.

There were also medical records, police reports, and surveillance photos. My stomach churned as I scrolled through them. There was Elias, obviously pregnant, being escorted everywhere by Fendwyr's men. The photo definitely reminded me of my current predicament.

Then, there was another omega, trying to leave the compound, being 'convinced' to stay. The revelation was beyond absurd.

Hospital records documenting stress-induced complications. I'd kind of expected that, but seeing it with my own eyes still surprised me.

"No," I whispered, one hand moving to my stomach. "This is terrible. Just how dangerous is Fendwyr?"

And then, there was more. Video footage showed Fendwyr's reaction after Elias's miscarriage—the cold, methodical way he'd hunted down anyone he thought might be responsible. The bodies he'd left during his pursuit. Just like Elias had said.

My phone buzzed: Fendwyr, checking in. "Everything okay?"

I stared at his message, tears blurring my vision. How many times had he sent similar messages to other omegas? How many times had he claimed it was for their protection while slowly suffocating them? Too many times, I immediately thought to myself.

"Fine," I typed back, the lie bitter on my tongue, as it always was. Lying was easy, but it didn't mean I liked doing it. "Just resting."

The next video showed Elias's escape attempt. The resources Fendwyr had mobilized to find him. The desperate measures Elias had taken to stay hidden. Only the appearance of another omega—the next folder in the sequence—had finally drawn Fendwyr's attention away.

A pattern emerged: find, claim, control, lose, repeat. Until me. Until fated mates and visions and a baby that bound us together more permanently than any of the others.

And in light of all that, I couldn't help but wonder if we were wrong. What if we weren't actually meant to be together forever? What if there wasn't truly such a thing as fated mates and it was all just made up? What if-

My laptop pinged with an incoming message from an encrypted source: "Now you know. The question is, what are you going to do? -R"

I closed the laptop, feeling sick. Rodriguez was my enemy, yes, but these weren't lies. The evidence was too detailed, too consistent with what Elias had told me. Too aligned with Fendwyr's recent behavior.

Photos and videos could be manipulated, but my research had indeed unearthed incontestable evidence, and Elias wasn't some kind of android. Technology was advanced, but not to that point. Not yet, anyway.

Another text from Fendwyr: "Coming home early. Miss you."

I looked at the message, then at the USB drive still plugged into my laptop. I had to make a decision. Had to choose between the fated mate I wanted to believe in and the truth staring me in the face.

Our baby kicked, as if sensing my distress. That was when I knew—this wasn't just about me anymore. Perhaps I'd always known that, but now the realization was much brighter in my mind.