Chapter Thirty-Nine
Maya
My biological mother's name was Lillian Chen.
She was twenty-four years old and had been in captivity for a year when she became pregnant with me.
She was twenty-seven years old when she died after being tortured and strangled by a human man who paid the Keepers for the privilege of hurting an innocent woman.
He had to pay an additional charge for her death because it meant the Keepers were down an asset. A fucking asset. Not a life. Not someone who mattered.
A way to make money for sadistic monsters.
Bile churns in my stomach as I read through the files Katie sent my way. The reality of how much my mother suffered, of how broken she was when she came back from the failed escape. I wish she had saved herself instead of me. I wish she hadn’t had such a horrific life.
My biological father’s name was James Lo.
He was an alpha wolf shifter and a monstrous piece of shit who enjoyed harming others.
He raped and sexually assaulted the women trafficked into the organization.
And when he used magic to fake a mate bond with one of the women in his clutches, he used it against her instead of realizing how wrong it was.
He had her gagged before he ever entered the same room as her to prevent her from breaking the bond, and they used magic-imbued collars so she couldn’t shift forms. He tortured her and raped her. Over and over again.
He was a monster and I’m glad he’s dead.
They kept meticulous records. Sometimes for research, some apparently used as blackmail and leverage against the politicians and CEOs who used their service.
There was nothing about James Lo’s sons, however. Not among the lists of employees or owners, not amongst the records of those who hurt the women trafficked by the organization. Nothing.
Which means they could be innocent.
They might have never even heard of the Keepers.
Sofia didn’t want to tell me anything about them.
She tried to push me to wait for Ryan. But I couldn’t do that.
Not even if I had wanted to. He didn’t even answer the phone when I called him after getting home and realizing I had reacted from a place of emotion rather than talking it out.
Katie didn’t have answers either about who they were or how I could get in touch.
She hadn’t ever met them during the time she spent imprisoned, which was again encouraging that they weren’t involved.
But Caleb did have their details. He didn’t want to give me the number. I could hear the hesitation in his voice when I asked. But I was able to persuade him with promises that I wouldn’t make contact without Ryan or Sofia present.
He’s such a nice guy; I felt terrible lying to him. But this is something I need to do for myself. Something I need to face alone. My tiger whimpers at that thought. She disagrees. She wants Ryan here. And maybe now the intense emotion has drained off, so do I.
But he hasn’t called me back.
I told him to leave me alone, and he did.
Now I’m sitting in my house with Brett Lo’s phone number typed into my phone. My hand shakes as I try to force myself to press the call button. Do they know about me? Probably not. Who tells their family about the woman they raped and impregnated against her will?
I had so many dreams about my family as a kid.
Ideas of a happy reunification. Stories of how we were separated by accident and they had been looking for me all along.
And then I would feel guilty. Because my family, the parents who adopted me, were amazing.
They were always there for me. Always loved and wanted me. Always supported me.
Even when they found out I could turn into a tiger.
Especially then.
They never stopped loving me and protecting me. Is contacting my biological brother a betrayal of their love? Mom had always said we could do genetic testing to try to trace my birth family once I was eighteen. It just stopped being an option when we realized it could draw attention to my genetics.
Mom was terrified I would end up a science experiment, tucked away in a lab somewhere, never allowed to be free again.
But now I have the opportunity to actually meet someone I’m related to. Someone who might have my eyes or my smile. Someone who people wouldn’t be confused about how we are related as soon as they see us together.
Before I can overthink it any further, I hit the call button.
I jump at how loud the ringing sound is.
How long have I been sitting in silence?
Nobody answers the call, and my shoulders slump as I hang up when the message for his voicemail starts up.
Disappointment settles into my bones, and indecision fades away.
I know what I want. What I’ve always wanted.
So when the phone lights up with an incoming call, mere minutes later, I nearly swallow my tongue in my haste to answer.
“Hello?” a deep male voice asks when I don’t say anything.
“Uh, hi,” I squeak before clearing my throat. “I’m looking for Brett Lo.”
“This is he. How can I help?” Okay, friendly, wants to help. He doesn’t sound like a monster.
“This is, perhaps, going to come as a bit of a shock. My name is Maya, and… I think you might be my brother.”
There’s a long pause, and I’m not sure if I should keep talking, keep explaining. But silence is powerful, so instead, I give him time.
“My father…” he says, trailing off. My instinct is telling me he doesn’t know. He sounds shocked and confused. As if this is new information.
“I believe your father may have also fathered me. I was left at a fire station as a baby. I’m twenty-nine years old, and I’ve only just started the process of finding out about my origins.”
“Can we meet?” he asks. “This feels like an in-person conversation. I can bring Michael too; that’s my brother.”
“That sounds good. I’d really like that,” I say, feeling warmth blooming in my chest. This is really happening.
I’m going to meet someone related to me.
My tiger doesn’t seem so sure, but she’s never prioritized family like I do.
Brett and I exchange email addresses and make a plan to meet in a couple of days.
Somewhere public, because as much as I want this to go well, I’m not an idiot either.
Excitement skitters down my spine. Nerves too, of course. This is huge. And the first person I want to talk to about it is Ryan. How absurd is that?
He lied and manipulated me, but I still wish I could lean on his strength right now.
I wish he could come with me, hold my hand and steady my nerves.
I let out a heavy exhale, and Moto, my Romanian Shepherd, whimpers and nuzzles into me.
He settles onto the couch beside me, his head resting on my leg while Bran, my Irish wolfhound, curls around my feet.
My head is a mess of emotions. The grief of losing Ryan and the Lunar Eclipse Pack, the excitement of meeting a biological relative, and the nerves that this might all be a terrible mistake.
My tiger lets out a huff of breath, and I get it. She’s been wanting me to go back to Ryan since I walked out a few days ago. She has been pushing me to climb into my car and go talk to him, and a huge part of me wants to.
I bring up his number on my phone, examining the picture I selected for his contact details.
Sofia took this photo when we had dinner as a group one night.
His arm is around my shoulders, and I’m laughing at something someone said, but Ryan is just looking at me.
Even in the photograph, his affection is clear.
He hasn’t called me, though. Should I wait for him?
Or go after what I want? Because I want him here.
Despite everything, I want him to come with me and hold my hand.
Fuck it. I hit call. For the second time tonight, my call goes unanswered.
But there’s no call back this time. Not that night.
And not before I leave to go meet my brother two days later.
I guess I know where I stand, at least.