Chapter 15 #2
A wry smile split Flint’s lips. “Money has a way of getting you what you want, no matter what side of the bedsheets you’re born on.”
“You bribed someone in the pack to turn them over?” I guessed.
He chuckled. “Yup. Some low-level pack member was tired of being passed over for breeding rights, so he broke for a fairly low price. Hey, I can’t help it if wares are horny sons-of-bitches!”
Besides being disgusted that the Tupilaq pack had something called “breeding rights”, I was grateful that Flint had managed to obtain the documents he needed to uncover such an old and important mystery.
“I’m dying to know what you found, but I’m also going to need to know what the fuck “breeding rights” are, because it sounds absolutely barbaric,” I told him with a full body shudder.
“Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like.
It’s a really antiquated system by which those at the top of the pack hierarchy get to decide who mates with whom.
It’s really taboo nowadays, but old families like the Tupilaqs haven’t given up the practice, though they don’t readily admit they still participate in it.
It’s how they control their people. Through fear, intimidation, and, when you’re a really good boy, they reward you in the form of sexual access to a limited supply of females.
When you’re subpar or naughty, they starve you of it. ”
Fuck, it was worse than I’d even thought. “Okay, that’s disgusting. Do the women get a say in who gets access to them?”
Flint stared at me hard. “What do you think?”
Wow. Just when I thought the Tupilaqs couldn’t get any worse, they somehow sink even lower into the pits of hell.
“Why don’t people rebel against the system if it’s like that?” I wondered aloud.
“It’s all they know. Plus, they’re scared to incur the pack’s wrath.
It’s terrifying for a shifter to be on their own.
They aren’t wired for it, and community living is all they’re used to.
For a woman, it’s practically a death sentence.
If male wares get a hold of an unmated beta, or omega, it can be a brutal existence. ”
Ethan had tried to explain this to me when I’d first learned who I was.
Even though I was only starting to understand this world, I was beginning to see why mating me had been so damned important.
By claiming me, he’d probably saved my life.
In return, he’d unfairly inherited my father’s blood feud with a powerful pack.
As soon as I got that man alone, I was going to give him a very special thank you gift to show him exactly how grateful I was.
“That makes sense. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you and your brothers all these years.”
“It wasn’t easy, but we had Laurence. That man saved us all from being lone wolves, a fate worse than death for most shifters.”
God, I’d never thought about it like that.
When all this was over, I was going to see that Ethan taught me about our history and what I could do to help Cascia House, the safe haven for so many children who would otherwise be alone in the world.
It was the place that had saved my mate from possible death and damnation.
There was no way I could ever repay Laurence for what he had done, but I certainly was going to try, for the rest of my life.
Getting back to what Flint had been telling me, I asked, “What did you discover when you paid this guy to get access to pack records?”
“To be honest, I wasn’t even looking for myself. I’d just been looking into Jenny and Osyrius. That’s when I noticed something about your family tree that stood out to me.”
My skin began to tighten, alongside my stomach, with anticipation.
“Jenny has four siblings. Three older brothers and a sister. The oldest boy, Joshua, passed away as an infant. The youngest, Marlon, died in a fight with a rival pack known as the Armingtons about a decade ago. The Armingtons are another old and fucked up family that live in the area and love to remind everyone how far back their lineage goes. Fucking inbred pieces of filth,” Flint griped.
“I can see why you and Ethan decided to leave Alaska,” I noted wryly.
“Yeah,” he said, “I needed a fresh start. Too much history resides back there for me. Too many bad memories involving pack drama. Plus, I wanted to see the world, experience new places and people. That’s partly why I joined the military.”
I wondered what the other part was but didn’t push. Flint had something to get off his chest, and I needed to be patient and hear him out. “What happened to the middle brother?”
“His name’s Jacob. I think he’s still alive, but he left the pack seven years ago for a lover who isn’t mentioned in the records and there’s no documentation of where they settled after that.
They kind of just fell off the grid when Jacob defied his elders and ran away with the girl.
I’m still trying to locate them, but I don’t have much to go on. ”
I quickly did the math in my head. “That just leaves a sister then. Where does she live?”
“In the Bingham County Cemetery,” Flint flatly stated. “She died twenty-two years ago from complications of childbirth. Her mate had passed several months before her in a car accident that didn’t seem related to any pack disputes.”
That was a sad story, but I was trying to understand why that was relevant to both Flint and me. “So, my aunt died in childbirth. Did she leave behind any children?”
Flint took a deep breath. “The baby she was carrying died with her. But she had another. A little boy named Adom. He would have been three years old at the time of her death.”
My eyes widened dramatically. “Flint, you were three when Laurence took you in!”
“I was,” he agreed. “You want to know what your aunt’s initials were?”
“N.F.,” I provided, seeing the important connection straight away.
“N.F. Nancy Fuller. After searching all these years for my birth parents, I think I might have stumbled onto them while researching yours,” Flint theorized. “And since Nancy was Jenny’s sister, that would make us cousins.”
Holy fuck, that was crazy! “This can’t be a coincidence, Flint. We’re related. I can feel it. Fate brought us together so that you could have closure. Because you helped me find out who I was, you found out who you were! I’m so happy for you! And me! I have a cousin!”
Though I was ecstatic for the man, I was also sad for him.
He might know his parents’ names now, but that didn’t change the fact that they were still both dead.
He would never truly know them or why he’d been left on Laurence’s front stoop instead of being placed with one of the other pack families.
“You know what this means, don’t you? When we go to Alaska, you can talk to my mother. Surely, she can tell you about her sister. About why you were left at Cascia House instead of being turned over to her family.”
Flint shook his head, as if to clear it.
“I just can’t believe it. I might be a pure blood.
A fucking Tupilaq pack member! That’s actually insane.
As I’m sure you’ve concluded, they never let one of their own just walk away from the family, Millie.
They’re like the God damned human mob. Children and omegas are especially important to them.
They’re considered pack assets. Too valuable to lose.
Both give shifters power within our community.
They never willingly surrender them up without a fight.
So, what happened with me and my family that I managed to slip through the cracks like I did?
Why didn’t anyone look for me? And who the hell left me at Cascia House like a stray? ”
I couldn’t answer those questions. Deep in my gut, I knew Flint wouldn’t rest until he could, but we hadn’t come this far just to bump up against a dead end.
I had faith that, if we were persistent, we’d discover the whole truth about Flint’s childhood, and he’d finally get the closure he so desperately craved.
“My mother will be able to shed some light on that, Flint. I’m sure of it.” Jenny owed it to me. If she resisted, I’d remind her of that in no uncertain terms.
“I hope so, Millie,” Flint returned, “because I can’t keep living in the dark about what happened any longer. I need to know who I am. Even if I don’t like the answer.”
There wasn’t one of us on this green earth, human or ware, who couldn’t relate to Flint’s desire to know where he came from.
Even if he loved Laurence, Ethan, and our motley crew of pack members more than anything else, he deserved to know where he came from and why he’d been abandoned.
Who had secreted him away from his pack.
Without those answers, he’d never have closure.
I damn sure knew how infuriating and frustrating that could be.
Ethan knocked at the door then, alerting us to his presence. “Do you mind if I join you guys?”
Flint smiled. “It’s your room, boss. No need to ask. I was just leaving. I have some important research to do.”
Ethan watched his pack brother saunter out of the bedroom with interest, picking up on his conflicted vibes as he passed by.
“Is everything okay?” He checked, closing the bedroom door behind him for privacy.
“No, but it will be,” I told him honestly.
As was my mate’s way, he accepted that cryptic answer without any pushback. “Should I go to him now?” he checked, wanting to address the situation immediately if need be.
I smiled, a touch of sadness lighting my eyes. “I’d suggest you let Flint come to you when he’s ready.”
Scrubbing a large hand down his tired face, Ethan said, “I knew going back to Alaska was going to be a challenge for him. It’s a lot for all of us, but for Flint, there’s the uncertainty and abandonment factors that the rest of us don’t have. Not in the same way, at least.”
I was tempted to speak on the matter, but I held my tongue. If I’d learned anything about Flint, it was that he’d do things in his own way, in his own time.
“When do we leave?” I asked then, anxious and nervous about the trip.
“Tomorrow morning,” he told me, his hand on his belt as he began to subtly move closer.
The minute my eyes trailed his hand unbuckling his pants, my pussy spasmed with desire. I subconsciously licked my lips as I watched him swiftly remove the leather from the cloth loops.
“We better get packed then,” I said, my voice taking on a husky quality that wasn’t there a moment ago.
“We will,” Ethan returned before doubling up the leather and slapping the meat of his palm with it. “After you do something for me, first.”