Chapter 39
JASE
I pull up to the clinic and see my mother’s car out front.
The other council members, minus Grey, are here but they say he’s on his way.
Riley updates me on the Jared Stone situation. He and Cicely are coming to the clinic later on because Mitch Blakely is running a bunch of tests on Jared in both his forms.
“Where’s Blakely?” I ask, sniffing the air.
“He’s up in my mother’s apartment,” Tyson answers. “How are you doing?”
“About how you’d expect,” I tell him.
He drops a hand on my shoulder and looks into my eyes. He’s about to open his mouth when I speak first.
“If you’re about to tell me it’ll all be solved by taking what’s rightfully mine, save it. I can’t handle this the way you did.”
“I wasn’t going to tell you that, Jase. I have regrets about some of my actions with my Ivy.
I was going to tell you you’re doing the right thing.
You know what you need to do. Just like Grey knew, like Mason knew.
Riley was a different story. I’m here if you want to talk.
I’m also here if you wanna spar. I like to spar. ”
“Thanks, bro. Linc’s been helpin’ with that.”
“Why does he get all the fun?” Tyson quips.
I laugh. “Can you get your mother here so we can get this over with?”
“Absolutely.” He pulls his phone out.
I open the door to the clinic, to my parents sitting with Sherry in the waiting room.
Mom jumps to her feet.
I hug her. “Sorry I haven’t called.”
“You’ll make it up to us,” she says, patting my cheek affectionately.
Pops slaps my back. “You doin’ all right?”
“Hangin’ in there,” I tell him.
“Sherry,” I greet.
She’s sitting here, make-up free, wearing a tracksuit. Sherry never leaves the house unless she’s all dolled up.
“What’s goin’ on?” she asks, eyes panning the room.
I sit beside her and take hold of her hand. She yanks it back.
“You know since we believe so strongly in everything happening for a reason, the pack doesn’t typically do abortions when the father is alpha unless there’s a medical reason.”
Her expression hardens.
I continue. “And we checked with the coven who looked into it and this baby you’re carrying needs to be born.”
Her face hardens. “I’m not doing this.”
“You need–”
“I won’t do this!” she shouts.
“It’s fate, Sherry,” my mother says.
“You already knew?” Sher accuses. “The coven has only been coming around since Riley mated. What if this was six months ago?”
“We’d have asked the SCC and they’d have looked into it the way the coven did,” Cat enters the fray.
“This has always been my policy as well as that of my predecessor. We have to be very cautious about these things. The coven says you’re carrying an alpha.
Alphas don’t get terminated. It’s against our laws. ”
“I’m sorry, Sher,” I say. “We’ll figure it out together.”
“This is humiliating enough as it is, Jase. Do all these alphas really need to be here?” she shouts.
“You’re part of the pack. We’re here to support you,” Joel tells her.
She scoffs. “Bullshit. You guys are muscle in case I try to take off and go to a mainstream clinic. Fuck you all if you think you’re going to make me give birth to his kid!”
She’s not entirely wrong. We’re here as a show of solidarity but Joel’s already arranged a security detail for my parents’ house.
“You’re having a son,” Pops tells her. “He’ll be alpha and he could be part of a future council here or maybe he’ll lead his own pack. We’re not sure which yet, but we know he’s got a path ahead of him that’s important.”
“What about my path?” Sherry whispers brokenly. “I can’t be forced to raise Wyatt’s demon spawn! Do you guys have any idea how awful he was?”
“We do,” Grey says gruffly, announcing his presence. “But this child is also part of you, too, Sherry.”
“Oh believe me, I know that. And I’m a joy to be around too, aren’t I? This kid hit the DNA lottery twice, didn’t he?”
Mase adds, “If you’re not able to raise him, there’s adoption.”
She thumps her chest with her fist. “Nobody except maybe that Starling witch at the town hall knows what I went through, how horrible he was. I’ve never met a bigger megalomaniac in my life.
Though your mate might come close to knowing, Grey, she doesn’t know what it was like to be considered his personal property.
What it’s still like. Probably the only thing stopping me from ending it all so that I don’t have to feel like this is the fact he comes to me in my nightmares telling me he’s waiting for me on the other side. ”
“Come here.” I try to hug her.
“No!” She pushes my chest. “All of you failed me.”
“Are you forgetting you were in agreement at the end?” Our father asks.
“So, I deserved what I got. Is that it?”
“Nobody’s saying that!” Mom exclaims.
“Some are saying it and everyone’s thinking it,” she states. “I don’t want to have it. This reminder of him. Reminder of the fact that I’m going to feel like this forever.”
My mother is crying now.
I want to smash something.
Sherry dissolves into tears. Mom rushes to her and puts her arms around her, looking to me and my father to do something.
“There’s got to be a way to fix this, so she doesn’t have to endure so much pain,” Mom pleads.
“I’ll talk to Rikki,” Riley offers. “See if there’s some way the coven can help.”
“How could they help?” my father asks.
“I have a few ideas myself. I just have to float them by my mate to see if there’s a way. I’ll call her.”
Riley steps outside, dialing on his phone. Grey follows.
“We’ll give you guys space. We’re outside if you need us,” Mase says. He, Linc, and Joel leave.
I stay put while Sherry continues crying. So does Tyson.
Ten or so minutes later, my mother leans over. “How’s it going with Bailey?”
Before I can answer, Sherry throws her hands up in the air. “Fucking unbelievable. My life is a mess and you’re worrying about Bailey fucking Blackwood?”
I lean forward showing my sister a menacing side I, fortunately, don’t have to show to anyone too often.
“You watch how you speak her name, how you address her, how you even think about her, Sherry. Your days of bullying Bailey are either over or you’re dead to me. In fact, you best make up for all the shit you put her through. Do you under-fucking-stand me?”
My sister’s face crumbles like I’ve struck her.
My parents wisely keep their mouths shut. Because they know how shitty Sherry has always been to Bailey. For no good reason.
Nobody blamed Bailey for clocking Sherry at Tyson’s wedding, not even our own mother.
Riley comes back, looking at me in a way that I can tell that whatever idea he wanted to run by Erica… it didn’t pan out.
“Can’t get into my ideas until I know if they’re good ones, but we’ll talk some more. Just look after yourself for now, Sherry,” Riley says. “We’ll talk in a few days.”
“They’re looking into things?” Mom asks, hopefully.
Riley gives her a tight smile. “Ran a few ideas past my mate. She and I will talk further. We’ll talk to you guys in a couple days.”
Sherry is a mess as Mom walks her to the car.
Pops asks, “What are you thinking, Riley?”
“I’ve heard of cases where a pregnancy can be supernaturally moved to another female,” he says. “I don’t know the parameters for it to work and don’t know which female would be able to do it, but I wanted to ask my mate if that would be an option.”
“I’ll do it,” Mom calls over immediately from the car, illustrating she’s got pretty strong ears, which I’ve always known.
“Val…” my father mutters.
“I’m healthy. I’m perfectly capable.”
“Give us a minute, Val,” my father says and we walk further away.
He looks at Rye questioningly.
Riley shakes his head and speaks low. “My mate said it wasn’t likely in this case.
She’s gonna talk to her sisters and their great aunt and see if there’s any other ideas.
She did say the coven can supernaturally protect the unborn baby from maternal neglect if there’s that risk.
They’ll map things out to see what can be done. ”
“The unborn child takes priority over my daughter,” Pops observes with sadness.
I squeeze his shoulder.
“I know that’s not what you want to hear, but in this case, if we need to intervene to protect the child, we must.” Rye confirms. “But my mate is also looking into whether we can incentivize her to take care of herself by mapping to see if it’s feasible to offer to sever the mate bond after she gives birth. ”
“Right. That’s a good way to go. Keep us posted,” Pops says and claps my bicep, giving it a squeeze. “You okay, son?”
“I’m all right, Pops.”
“Closing in on the claiming?” he asks.
I blow out a breath before I say, “Bailey’s setting the pace.”
My father’s eyebrows go up. “You getting help with that? Like Brody?”
“No,” I admit.
His expression switches to alarm. “Fuck sakes, Jason. Remember what happened with Riley.”
Rye gives me a look of empathy before stuffing his hand into his pocket and handing me a bottle of gel capsules. The bottle has my name written on the label with the instructions, 1 capsule every eight hours.
I examine it.
“If you need it,” he says. “Rikki made them for you. No crime in getting some help.”
“I’m good. I’ve got this.” I try to pass him the bottle.
He shakes his head. “Hang onto it.”
“Close that deal, son,” my father says.
“She sets the pace,” I repeat.
“Keep them. In case,” Riley suggests. “And be careful. Your connection with us feels a little muffled. I know how it is, bro, and it goes downhill fast from where you’re at right now.”
“You’re heard,” I say and stuff the bottle in my pocket.
Riley slaps my back and walks off.
My father blows out a breath. “We want her at our dinner table soon. Make it happen.”
“Don’t worry,” I mumble. “It’ll be about the fiftieth thing on my priority list after I finally claim her.”
He laughs. “That’s my boy.”
But then he sobers quickly, obviously weighed down by what’s going on with my sister.
“It’ll be all right,” I tell him.