Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Do you think it ’ s wise? Griffin asked, feeling my determination through our bond.
I was glad he was challenging me. Sometimes, people needed to be questioned to ensure they were thinking things through. I think if we don ’ t go, and there’s something in there that’s valuable, we ’ ll risk more by not finding out. Besides, I don ’ t feel anything menacing coming off him like I do Luna, Dick, and even Julius. I hated that my brother had such a darkness shrouding him, but it had to be a product of the environment he was raised in.
I met my uncle’s gaze. “Are you sure no one’s watching us?” I didn’t want to get into the same situation as last time when we’d stayed in the house and couldn’t get to the cars before we were attacked. “Our enemies have bird shifters on their team, and I overlooked them before.”
“We checked for everything once we found all the bodies.” My uncle shivered. “We’re safe, and there are no recent scents.”
“No odd noises that can’t be explained?” Killian asked.
The last time, we hadn’t smelled the bird because it had stayed high in the trees, but it had knocked a branch onto the ground. I’d overlooked the odd noise then, and I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
The man who’d spoken earlier raised his head. “We’re good.”
This time, we have Rosemary , I linked to Griffin.
“All right, let me park.” Griffin put the car in reverse and backed up.
We pulled into the driveway, and the four of us were out of the car within seconds.
After shutting the door, I turned to find my uncle staring at Julius and me like he’d seen a ghost.
He shook his head as the corners of his mouth tipped downward. “You two look like the spitting images of your mom and dad. It’s uncanny.”
I’d been told that a lot. My pack always teased my parents, saying there was no mistaking that I was their child. Those comments used to irritate me, but not anymore. I cherished them. “Thank you.”
A few of the silver wolves looked at me a little longer than felt appropriate, and Griffin placed an arm around my waist. “I’m Griffin Bodle, Sterlyn’s fated mate.”
My uncle’s eyes twinkled. “A good mate always stakes his claim when it comes to other men.” He laughed good-naturedly and took Griffin’s hand. “My name is Bart Knight. It’s nice to meet you.”
That was when it hit me. I’d had no clue what my uncle’s name was. At least Griffin got it out of him before I had to ask.
“And I’m Killian Green.” Killian didn’t budge, just stared each of the wolves down like he expected them to attack at any minute. “The alpha of Shadow Ridge, so if anything strange goes down, my pack will be here in minutes.”
“Noted,” Bart replied as he shook Killian’s hand. “Which means you are Cyrus.” Bart turned his attention to my brother, using his birth name. “I don’t know how you two found each other, but thank God you made it out alive.”
I cringed, waiting for the explosion, but nothing happened other than Julius stiffening before nodding his head.
“Yeah, that’s me.” Julius tilted his head and sighed. His demeanor reminded me of Dad so much that it hurt.
“Well, these are my men.” Bart waved his hand at the fourteen people standing behind him. They were all over six feet tall and about as burly as Griffin and Killian, except for the one other guy who’d spoken earlier. My uncle gestured to him. “This is my beta, Darrell Hart.” He did seem to have more confidence than the other thirteen.
“It’s nice to meet you all, and I’m sorry to say that we don’t have a ton of time to stay here,” I replied. “We have to get back to Shadow Ridge before people get worried.”
Even though we weren’t trying to hide that Griffin was the Shadow City alpha, I wasn’t going to offer that piece of information unless we had to. If Bart had split from our pack because of rumblings of Shadow City opening its doors, that could mean that he wouldn’t be as forthcoming with Griffin in our presence—or potentially, even me—since we were mates. I wanted to see what information they had before risking them not sharing it with me.
Surprisingly, Julius hadn’t ratted us out. My guess was that he was afraid we’d force him to leave before he got to see everything and that I would inform Bart and the others of exactly what his dear, sweet nephew had done. We both had leverage over each other, which worked for the time being. I hoped that one day, we could move past all that.
“All right, let’s get moving.” Griffin took my hand and led me to the door. “We do need to hurry.” His expression remained indifferent, keeping his unease hidden from everyone but me, but it flowed through our bond.
I swung the sturdy red chestnut door open, trying to push away the suffocating sense of nostalgia.
The living room remained untouched from the last time we were here. The beige cloth couch still sat centered against the tan wall, with Dad’s brown leather recliner in the corner. Mom’s favorite orange-red throw was folded on the couch from when Sierra had slept there.
Sadness tried pushing through once again, but I couldn’t appear weak, especially in front of these other silver wolfmen. I needed to be a confident alpha so they wouldn’t second-guess my abilities more than they already did because I was female.
Dread filled me as I stepped on the dark walnut floor, and Mom’s lavender scent caused my eyes to burn. God, how I missed her.
When I reached the center of the room, I blinked a few times to hold back tears before spinning toward the men marching in behind me. “So, here we are.” Luckily, my voice sounded strong and didn’t break.
Griffin winced as he sensed all the emotions raging inside me. He moved to stand next to me and reached for my hand, but I stepped back, which made him miss. Hurt etched on his face at my rejection.
I ’ m sorry. I hated that I’d made him feel that way and embarrassed him in front of the others, but I didn’t have a choice. If you comfort me, I won’t be able to hold back my sadness. I feel safe with you, but I can ’ t let my guard down in front of these strangers. Silver wolves or not.
As long as that ’ s the reason. He rubbed his hand on his pants leg.
As arrogant and vulgar as he’d acted the first day I’d met him in the coffee shop, I’d never have expected him to be insecure, ever. But there were hints like these that proved he still needed to realize the strength he had inside him. I was determined to get him to see the man he was. I promise. Don ’ t make me punish you for doubting me , I teased, trying to make him smile.
As Bart’s fourteen men began to enter the house, Bart commanded, “Stop. Spread out around the house and keep watch. Alert us of anything out of the ordinary.”
Darrell’s forehead pinched, showing he clearly didn’t like being sent outside. Those two must have shared almost everything together, so not being privy to whatever Bart wanted to show me must not have sat well with him.
“Now.” Bart’s voice was laced with alpha will.
“Yes, Alpha.” Darrell grimaced and turned, the last one to leave.
The door shut loudly behind them, and Bart nodded toward it. “Why don’t you three go out there and help keep watch while Sterlyn and I have a few minutes to talk.”
“Not happening,” Griffin growled, shaking his head. “I’m her mate. I’m not leaving her side.”
“And same.” Killian marched over, flanking my other side. “Where they go, I go.”
“Interesting.” Bart tapped a finger against his lip as he faced Julius. “Why is Killian protecting her and not you?”
Silver wolves were intuitive, so the fact that Bart already caught on to my strained relationship with my brother didn’t surprise me. I’d have been more worried if he hadn’t.
“ He’s her brother,” Julius spat and scowled. “Not me.”
Great. We were going to let our family drama hang out with a man we hadn’t even known for ten minutes. Things were already going so smoothly. “They can stay.” I wanted to add but not him about Julius, but that would only make him feel more alienated. Whatever there was to find, Julius should theoretically have the same right to know as Bart and I.
“Okay, then.” Bart shrugged. “You’re the top alpha,” he said without bitterness, catching me off guard.
I’d almost been afraid that he might challenge me for that title, but maybe there wouldn’t be a problem after all.
Bart gestured to the hallway. “Let’s visit the basement room.”
“The basement room?” I had no clue what he was talking about. Maybe he wasn’t who I thought he was.
He stepped back, looking startled. “Your father never showed you?”
I took a deep breath. I didn’t like being left in the dark, especially since it sounded like I should know about it. “There’s no basement room. This is a one-story house with a crawlspace.” Either I was stupid, or he was. I had a feeling it was me, and that didn’t sit well.
He lifted a hand for a moment and tilted it side to side as if he was trying to figure out what to say. “There’s a secret room where our ancestry is hidden. Only the alpha heirs know about it. No one beyond them.”
“If that’s the case, then how do you know about it?” Maybe he would challenge me after all.
“Until you were born, I was the second in line to lead.” He licked his lips and gazed at the wall above my head as if he was lost in memories. “I needed to learn everything about being alpha in case your father died. When you were born, you took my place. Now you’re the true alpha with Cyrus as the spare. You two need to learn about our history. It’s how things have always been done so no one is left without the knowledge.”
Whether I liked the situation or not, Bart knowing about the secret room was a very good thing. That information could’ve been lost forever if both he and Dad hadn’t been told. “Then why didn’t he tell me?” Hurt laced my words. Dad had left me without all the facts.
“The transition should’ve happened by now, but knowing my brother, he wanted to protect you as long as possible.” Bart rolled his shoulders, displaying his discomfort. “The more someone knows, the more at risk they are from people who are desperate to know all about us.”
I laughed humorlessly. “At one point, I might have agreed with you, but not now. I was spared only because someone wants to use me as a breeder, so my limited knowledge hasn’t saved me.”
Bart’s jaw twitched. “Some things never change. There’s always someone out there trying to corrupt the world. It makes me sick.”
“Maybe the silver wolves going into hiding wasn’t the right call.” I’d been thinking that for a while. We were meant to be just and fair. By running off to hide, had we allowed the supernatural world to become more corrupt? “We should’ve stayed and helped to fix the problems.”
“You say that now, but you don’t understand the whole story.” Bart rubbed his hands together. “You’re about to learn everything.”
That was something I could get behind. “So where is this hidden room?” I’d grown up in this house and knew every nook and cranny. There was no way I’d missed it.
“Let me show you.” Bart gestured to the hallway. “Do you mind if I lead?”
I waved him forward. “Go for it.”
“But no funny business.” Griffin straightened his shoulders. “There are four of us against you.”
“Math is one of my strong suits.” Bart chuckled and stalked down the hallway. “But thanks for clarifying.”
“You stay here with us.” Killian sneered at Julius.
Between Griffin and Killian, my brother sure couldn’t feel the love. However, my uncle calling him by his birth name didn’t seem to bother him. He was dying to fit in but wasn’t sure how to go about it. Maybe if we let him come along, he wouldn’t feel so alone. I couldn’t fathom growing up without a pack; he’d had a rougher childhood than any of us could relate to. “No, let him come,” I said.
“What?” Julius’s lips parted as his breath hitched. “Is this some kind of cruel joke to get back at me?”
“You can’t be serious.” Killian ran his fingers through his hair. “He hasn’t done anything to prove himself.”
“Because we haven’t given him the chance to. And Bart’s right–he should know this, too.” In order to prevent Julius from feeling any more uncomfortable than he already was, I took off after Bart.
There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go down those stairs with your resurrected brother who’s tried to kidnap you multiple times and an uncle who just recently appeared. Griffin sounded broken as he ran after me and took my hand. Please don’t ask that of me.
Even though I hated considering breaking tradition, how could I tell my mate no after that? If anything, he and I were stronger together. Fine, but just you.
And Killian. Regret wafted from my mate toward me. Because you can’t take on two silver wolves on your own, and let’s be real, I’m not even a match for just one. It’ll be best if we don’t split up.
He was right. I had to think with logic, and beyond that, I trusted Killian and Griffin more than the two men in front of me. They’d proven they had my best interests at heart, and after all that we’d gone through, that had to mean something. I paused and waited for Bart to look back at me. “I respect that under normal circumstances, only Cyrus and I would go with you. But not many silver wolves are left, and Killian and Griffin are my family, too. I want them to be part of this as well.”
Bart frowned but nodded his head before he took off again.
Griffin and Killian followed me, with Julius’s hesitant footsteps several feet behind.
I glanced over my shoulder and watched my brother pause and look at every picture that he passed. Most of them were photos of me through varying stages of childhood, but then he spotted two family pictures of Mom, Dad, and me. I sensed his pain through our bond as he saw everything that he’d missed out on. And for some reason, that was what it took for me to understand even a fragment of his pain. How would it feel to look at pictures you should’ve been a part of but weren’t? To see the life you could’ve had but that someone had stolen from you? If this didn’t get him on our side, I wasn’t sure what would.
I didn’t want Bart to be alone for too long, so I quickened my pace and entered the very last doorway in the hall.
Bart had left the door open, and my parents’ made bed immediately came into view. The navy-blue comforter was wrinkle-free, contrasting with the white bed frame and the sky-blue walls.
Bart stood in front of the white chest of drawers where I’d found the hidden false bottom in dad’s underwear drawer, which had contained the picture album, journal, and letters from Griffin’s dad to mine.
The other three men entered behind me as Bart smiled and said, “This is when your entire life changes.” He reached down to where the drawer had been and slipped his hand inside at the top. A loud click sounded, and the chest of drawers jerked.
Bart grabbed the right side of the heavy furniture piece and pulled it toward us. A large, gaping hole appeared with steps leading down to what must be the hidden room.
What was it with Dad and his fucking underwear?