Chapter TenEvan #2
I hadn’t heard the front door, but she had the code to get in.
“This is pack business, Lexi. You’re not part of this pack, so go away.” Brennan went back to cooking.
Lexi was a beta and had a pack. I should introduce Grace to them. They were fun–and drove my growly alphas crazy.
“Detective, do you have an update? I didn’t expect you to come by.” Grace looked a little uncomfortable.
“Oh, right? Um, Grace, this is my older sister, Lexi. I’ve talked about her to you before.” Wes downed his coffee.
“Oh?” Grace looked uncomfortable, her scent growing anxious, and I put a hand on her shoulder to help settle her.
I got the feeling last night that she was touch-starved. My cuddles would help, but Wes’ would be better.
“I was wondering if that was you,” Lexi said. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
“Fuck me,” Brennan muttered.
“Later, Handsome.” I wrapped my arms around him as he cooked. My other alpha needed some reassurance, too. He did not like change.
“I… I’ll be right back. I think–” Grace ran out of the room, making a puke-face.
“Wes, we need to talk.” Lexi looked at me, then at Wes. They looked so much alike, though Wes was taller and broader. But Lexi was tall for a beta.
Wes sighed. “You can talk in front of them. I want to be open about this.”
“Fine. The doctors at the center did some tests, which went through government labs, per protocol. The results have some legal ramifications.” Lexi helped herself to some coffee and then leaned against the counter, red nails tapping on the ceramic cup.
“She’s some sort of illegal designation, isn’t she?” Brennan made a face.
“The Center doesn’t even give that test.” Lexi frowned. “Weird that your mind even goes there.”
Illegal designations were just that, illegal– and their fate wasn’t kind, even though it wasn’t their fault they were born that way. Many of them tried to pretend to be something common. Usually, those tests were given at special government facilities with court orders.
“What does Grace remember about your relationship?” Lexi added.
“You knew they were together, and you let my omega take her home?” Brennan growled at her.
“I’ve never met Grace. However, I had suspicions.
That knothead wouldn’t come to the station to see if it was her.
I took her to the Center because the growly alphas at Eastside think she’s an omega who hasn’t awakened yet or is on some heavy-duty suppressants and blockers and dunks herself in scent-neutralizer every day,” Lexi retorted.
That was a perfectly reasonable thought.
Laws aside, many unbonded omegas erred on the side of extreme caution, especially if they were independent and career-minded.
That’s how I got through the last part of my military contract.
Just because laws existed didn’t mean there weren’t knotheads out there.
“I don’t know exactly what she remembers. There are huge gaps in her memory still.” Wes drooped as sadness and regret pierced our bond.
I left Brennan and went to Wes.
“Will someone explain what is going on?” Brennan demanded.
“Basic version? Grace and I were together when we were young. Her mom didn’t like it–and sent her to a terrible place to make her forget me.
I tried to find her and wasn’t successful.
Eventually, I gave up, thinking she was dead.
I haven’t seen or heard from her since I was at university.
” Defeat crossed his face and I squeezed his hand.
“Oh, fuck. Who does that? Wait, I knew you then–and in high school. You had a serious girlfriend?” Brennan put eggs on plates.
Brennan and Wes had known each other since high school, because of their sisters, though Brennan was older. I was older than Brennan and Jett, but not as old as Spencer.
“It was sort of long distance, and I didn’t talk about her much since it was a little weird and people would tease me that she was imaginary. Including you.” His gaze shifted to his sister. “They did a bond test?”
“Yep.” Lexi grabbed a plate and helped herself to a fork from the drawer. “It came back positive.”
Brennan exploded with anger, spicy pine filling the kitchen. “What the fuck, Wes? You have a mate and never disclosed it when we formed this pack? Or after Caroline? Do you know what sort of legal ramifications this has? I mean, I get it, she was missing, but you didn’t tell us.”
A pack was a legal entity, and not everyone in a pack had to be bonded to someone–or each other. It was a contract that gave us the legal rights of spouses and made us a family.
“How could you do this to us–to Evan?” Brennan yelled.
If a bond was found, Wes would be responsible for her, given he was the one to administer the bite. Since Wes was part of a pack, the pack could be liable for her care. Usually, there were protocols and legalities when bringing a person into an existing pack.
Brennan really liked protocols.
I got between my alphas. “Will you stop? I’m fine with this.”
“Why?” Brennan asked. “One of your alphas bonded with someone without your permission.”
They’d put a clause in the pack charter after Caroline that gave me veto power.
“He bonded with her before he ever met me, which makes this something very different. Grace isn’t going to steal Wes.
She’s not going to ruin the pack. She’s a mathematician who smells like peach pie with a hint of vanilla ice cream.
I wonder if she bakes.” Maybe she knew what a stand mixer was.
I could ask Lexi, but she’d make fun of me.
I purred, using my omega ability to calm my alphas and diffuse the situation before someone threw a punch.
“She does, well, she used to,” Wes whispered. “I don’t feel the bond. Ugh, I still have this fucking headache.”
“You don’t feel it? Good. It could be considered an abandoned bond given she disappeared and how long it’s been since you last saw her. I’ll call the pack lawyer.” Brennan relaxed slightly.
“That might not negate anything in this situation. Does she feel it?” Lexi asked.
Wes shrugged.
“Seeing them interact, I can tell something’s there,” I told her.
“Evan, I will file the paperwork if you want me to.” Wes looked away, remorse flowing off him.
AA mate bond could be broken, but it required drugs to dissolve them–and a legal reason to use them.
Since the process could be misused, it was lengthy.
But it was important that a method for un-bonding existed, since occasionally the ability to create bonds was abused.
Alphas could bond with designations beyond omegas.
Omegas also could also create bonds, they just didn’t leave a physical mark.
“Let’s not go there until you two figure your shit out and we can have a conversation like grownups. We have to consider her needs and wants, too,” I replied, grabbing a plate. To mitigate the power imbalance, Grace’s desires would carry more legal weight.
I wasn’t sure she’d survive breaking a bond with her soulmate in her current state. Not everyone did. Not to mention the long-term effects it would have on both of them.
Why were my guys being stupid?
“If you bonded her, why isn’t she in a database? It’s like she doesn’t exist,” Brennan added, taking a plate to the table. “Jett, food,” he yelled.
“Well, there was that power outage that brought the northeast grid down yesterday, which could have affected the database.” Lexi held my gaze. “Maybe they’ll find her once everything has been reset.”
Copy that. Lexi knew that sometimes the Center created new identities for omegas in danger. Good thing I started the process. I’d text Riley and see where we were.
“It’s complicated.” Wes sighed, ignoring his plate. “I bonded with her because I was thinking of her safety. Things with her mom were bad, and I wanted to find her. Obviously, it didn’t work.” His head hung. “We’d even talked about marriage. Sorry, Evan.”
“Why do you keep apologizing? I didn’t even know you then. You can marry her. Shit, I’ll marry her if you don’t.” I grinned, only partially teasing. “She’d make a beautiful bride. She’s a rose garden girl, too, isn’t she? With harp music—no, a string quartet. Ooh, and a chocolate fountain.”
I could see it. Because of my work at the Center, I’d helped plan many weddings and bonding parties.
Plenty of alphas married their omegas in addition to mating.
Jett and Brennan were both bonded and married, because Jett was a beta and their mate bond didn’t have the same legal weight as me and Bren–or me and Wes.
It was at their wedding when the four of us realized that we might make a good pack.
“Not this one, please?” Lexi put down her plate and withdrew a small book from her bag and opened it. “I got this from Dad’s last night.”
There was a pencil sketch of Grace, surrounded by flowers, wearing the most horrific wedding dress ever.
Wes snatched it from her. “Invasion of privacy much?”
“Stuff at Dad’s is fair game. Also, I have more.” She handed Brennan and me each one. “It’s interesting to see how he’s improved over the years.”
These sketches in the book I had weren’t as good. But I could still tell it was Grace. A little Grace with ponytails and freckles on a swing.
“I remember those charcoal sketches you did for that art show–they were her.” Brennan handed the book to Lexi. “Fuck.”
“He looked for her, and so did I,” Lexi said softly.
A bolt of concern shot through my bond with Wes. I looked over, and he stood there, frozen, with a stricken look on his face.
“Something’s not right.” Wes set the sketchbook down and yelled, “Grace!”
“What else could go wrong?” Brennan muttered as Wes took off for the living room.
“Guys,” Jett yelled at about the same time. “Get in here.”
Still holding the sketchbook, I ran into the living room, Lexi following.
Jett was on his phone. “I’d like to report a medical emergency.”
Wes knelt on the floor, panic coursing through our bond, fear flooding the room, as Grace lay on the living room carpet, convulsing, the room reeking of rotten peaches.