Chapter 30 Knox #2
“I wanted to deny it immediately,” I said, applying antiseptic that made her flinch. “But she looked right at me when she said it. The threat was clear. If I contradicted her, she’d reveal you and the twins.”
“So everyone thinks you’re having a baby with her.” Lina’s voice was carefully neutral. “Your parents?”
“They don’t know yet. They’re arriving soon, and when they do...” I trailed off, not wanting to think about that confrontation.
“They’ll expect you to marry her,” Lina finished. “The proper Alpha union they’ve always wanted.”
“I won’t do it. I don’t care what they expect.” I paused, honesty forcing me to add, “Though I’m not entirely sure what they’ll do when they find out the truth. Mary is Alderic’s daughter, and he’s got influence with them.”
“But you let the pack believe it. Let them congratulate you on your heir while your actual children hide in Noah’s house like shameful secrets.”
The accusation stung because it was true. “What would you have done? If I’d denied it and Mary had announced that I had twin cubs with a human, that they were living in Noah’s house, what do you think would have happened?”
“I don’t know,” Lina admitted after a moment. “But I should have been part of the decision. We should have figured it out together.”
“You’re right.” I finished bandaging the wounds, then sat back on my heels. “I’m used to making decisions alone. Used to carrying everything myself. But that’s not fair to you.”
“No, it’s not.” She studied me with those dark eyes that saw too much. “Tell me about the investigation. What have you found?”
So I told her about the scent analysis, about Noah’s suspicions, about Alderic’s mysterious nighttime departures. She listened without interrupting, processing the information with that quick mind I’d fallen in love with.
“You think Mary’s father might know who the real father is?”
“Or he might be more involved than we think. Noah’s following him tonight.”
“And if you find proof? Then what?”
“Then I expose her lie to the council. Show them the scent evidence. She’ll have no choice but to admit the truth.”
“Unless she runs,” Lina pointed out. “Or doubles down and claims you’re abandoning your child.”
I hadn’t considered that, too focused on proving my innocence to think about Mary’s counter-moves. “She won’t run. Too much pride.”
“Pride makes people do stupid things,” Lina said pointedly, and I knew she wasn’t just talking about Mary.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, taking her hand carefully. “I should have told you immediately. Should have trusted you to handle it.”
“Trust,” she repeated softly. “That’s what this keeps coming back to, isn’t it? You don’t trust me to be strong enough. To handle the truth. To protect myself.”
“That’s not-”
“It is.” She squeezed my hand, stopping my protest. “Every decision you’ve made has been about protecting me from something. The mate bond, the pack, now Mary. When do I get to protect myself? When do I get to protect you?”
The question stunned me. Protect me? I was the Alpha, the one who did the protecting. But looking at her, fierce even while injured, I realized she was right. I’d never let her be my equal, always trying to shield her from the harsh realities of my world.
“I don’t know how to do that,” I admitted. “How to let someone else share the burden.”
“Learn,” she said simply. “Because I can’t be with someone who treats me like glass. I’ve survived without you for years, raised our children alone, built a life. I’m not fragile.”
“No,” I agreed, bringing her hand to my lips. “You’re the strongest person I know. And I’m an idiot for not seeing it sooner.”
“Yes, you are.” But she was almost smiling now. “So what happens next? With Mary, with the pack, with us?”
“With Mary, we wait for Noah’s information. With the pack, I’ll handle the fallout when the truth comes out. With us...” I hesitated, hope and fear warring in my chest. “What do you want to happen with us?”
She was quiet for a long moment, then held out her hand. “Give me the ring.”
I pulled it from my pocket immediately, heart racing. She took it, turning it over in her fingers, studying the sapphire in the afternoon light.
“I’m not putting it back on yet,” she said, and my hope dimmed. “But I’ll keep it. And you’ll earn it. No more secrets, no more protecting me from truths I have a right to know. We’re partners or we’re nothing.”
“Partners,” I agreed immediately. “Always.”
“We’ll see.” She slipped the ring into her own pocket, then winced as the movement pulled at her wounds. “Now go check on our children. They were terrified.”
Our children. The casual acknowledgment of my place in their lives made my chest tight with emotion.
“Lina-”
“Go,” she said firmly. “We’ll talk more later. Right now, Thea and Rowan need to see that their parents are okay. Both of us.”
Their parents. Both of us. I kissed her forehead, unable to help myself, then stood.
I had some serious groveling to do. And a promise to keep about no more secrets, even if sharing the burden felt like learning to breathe underwater.