Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
AVA
Anger courses through me as I shove clothes into my duffel bag. No. It’s not anger, not really. It’s the constant reminder that everyone I love is hiding something from me. A reminder that I’m not good enough for any of them.
A tall frame darkens the doorway. I don’t know who I dread more, Archer or Dante.
“You gonna say anything or just stand there?” My words drip with venom as I whip around.
My brother holds up his hands in surrender. He takes a beat. “I’m sorry, Avs. I fucked up a hundred times. I’m so sorry.”
“How could you say those things in front of everyone? God, Archer. How humiliating.” I zip my bag aggressively. “Mom and Dad lied. You lied. Then Dante lied about the fated mates thing. I mean—” I scoff. “I don’t even know if that’s true.”
Archer sighs heavily and steps into the room. “Avs, seriously. Dad made me promise not to say anything. He was trying to protect you. We have been trying to protect you. I even understand Dante’s side. Fated mates are rare. And a human one at that?” He shrugs. “Dante wants to keep you safe. Shit, Avs, if it was bad for me, can you imagine how it was for him? After surviving that… that nightmare?”
His words trail off, but I know what he’s referring to. The Moonstone Massacre. The horrific event that changed everything thirty years ago.
“So what, you just decided to perpetuate the cycle of secrets and lies Dad started?” I narrow my eyes at him.
“No, I...” Archer rakes a hand through his hair in frustration. “Damnit Ava, I was trying to do the right thing. I thought if you didn’t know, you’d be safer. I was wrong. Danger found you even so.”
My anger deflates slightly at the genuine remorse in his tone. Archer may be a bonehead sometimes, but I know he loves me.
I perch on the edge of the bed with a sigh. “What about the mates thing? You think that’s true?”
Archer nods solemnly. “Shifters have one true mate. A bond that goes beyond the physical. When you meet them, everything just... clicks.” He shrugs. “Or so they say.”
“And you believe him?”
Archer sits next to me, a small smile on his lips. “He wouldn’t lie about it, especially not in front of the whole club. He basically claimed you as his.” His expression sobers. “I really am sorry, Avs. For everything. I hope you can forgive me one day.”
Tears unexpectedly prick at the corners of my eyes. Damn him for making me all emotional.
Archer folds his arms around me and pulls me in for a hug. He squeezes me so tight I wince.
“Of course I forgive you,” I mumble into his chest. “But no more secrets. Please .”
Archer pulls back to look at me. He studies my face for the longest time. “There’s something else.”
I grind my teeth together. “Oh, no.”
Archer chuckles. “It’s not about you.” He takes another beat. “I want you to know that everyone in the Savage Knights is a shifter, too. We’re a pack. A mismatched pack of weirdos of all different species, but a pack.”
My jaw drops. “Holy shit. Seriously?”
He nods, a proud glint in his eye. “Seriously. You’re my sister, Ava. I’ll always have your back, no matter what you decide to do. So if you still want to leave, I’ll go with you.”
My brows shoot up. He keeps surprising me. “What? You’d come with me?”
“Yeah. To keep you safe. We’ll kick Steve out of the apartment, and I’ll stay with you until this blows over.” Archer drops an arm over my shoulders. “We’re brothers. We stick together now. I won’t stop you if you want to leave.”
Emotion swells in my chest at his declaration. Archer has lied and kept things from me but... he’s still my favorite person. My family.
I glance at my packed bag, suddenly unsure. Should I stay and face this new reality?
Or should I run back to the life I knew before?