Chapter 21
NAOMI
Three weeks of living with the Alphas under what amounted to house arrest. Constant security, background checks on everyone we encountered, and Rowan's increasing frustration as his contacts came up empty.
Whoever had broken into my apartment and destroyed the learning center had vanished like smoke, but remained a threat. Hanging over us like a guillotine waiting to drop.
Then the letter arrived. Hand-delivered by courier. Sealed with wax that bore a crest I didn't recognize, a wolf's head surrounded by laurel leaves.
Our daughter,
We have waited years to write these words. Hoping, praying, and believing that you were alive.
We understand this is overwhelming and you may not be ready. But we would like to meet you. To see with our own eyes that you're safe.
Please come to our pack lands. Bring whomever you need to feel comfortable. We will ensure your safety and ask nothing of you except the chance to know you.
With love and hope, your parents,
Edgar and Leilani
I'd read it seventeen times before showing it to Rowan and Kellan.
"Do you want to go?" Kellan asked carefully.
"Yes? No? Maybe." I set down the letter. "I don't know who these people are. They're strangers who happen to share my DNA."
"They're also the people who've been searching for you for all this time," Rowan pointed out. "The people who never gave up hope."
"Like you."
"Like us," he confirmed.
I looked at the letter again. At the careful, elegant handwriting.
"If I go, you're coming with me," I said. "And Kira."
"Obviously," Kellan said. "We're not letting you out of our sight."
"Whenever you're ready." Rowan confirmed.
I took a breath. "Okay. Let's do it. Before I lose my nerve."
The pack lands were two hours north, vast, sprawling estates hidden behind walls and security gates that made our brownstone look quaint.
The main house was a mansion. No other word for it. Stone and timber construction that looked like it had stood for centuries, surrounded by forests and mountains that stretched as far as I could see.
"The Gods," Kira breathed beside me. "You're rich-rich."
"I'm not anything," I muttered. "They're rich. I'm just me."
But even I had to admit, the wealth on display was staggering. We were greeted by staff, Betas, who showed us to our separate rooms, I noticed. One for me, one for Kira, one for Rowan and Kellan to share.
"Your parents wanted to give you space," the Beta who escorted me explained. "They'll meet you for dinner. Seven o'clock in the formal dining room."
"Okay. Thank you."
She left, and I stood in the center of a bedroom that was easily twice the size of my entire apartment.
This was my heritage. My birthright. And it felt completely alien.
I was unpacking when the door opened. A guard stepped inside.
Alpha, based on his scent. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dirty blond hair and cold blue eyes.
Eyes I recognized. My blood turned to ice.
"Hello, Naomi," he said quietly, closing the door behind him. "Or should I say, hello again?"
It was the Alpha who'd been the example of everything I hated. Simon.
"What are you doing here?"
"Working here? Isn't it perfect?" He smiled, and it was the cruelest thing I'd ever seen. "I've been with your parents for a long time. Rose through the ranks. Became their head of personal security. They trust me completely. Isn’t that ironic?"
"It’s something." I said, refusing to play into his game.
"It is." He took a step closer. "But they do. And that's all that matters."
"What are you going to do, kidnap me again?"
"Better yet," another step, "if you open your mouth about who I am, I'll kill both of your parents. And then I'll kill that baby you're carrying."
My world stopped.
"What?"
"Oh, you didn't know?" His smile widened. "I can smell it. Faint, but there. You're pregnant. Probably only a few weeks along. Your useless mates couldn’t smell it?” He leaned in close. "I can. And I promise if you say one word, I'll make sure that child never takes a breath."
I couldn't move or do anything except stare at him in horror.
I’m pregnant.
"You're going to play the perfect lost daughter," he continued. "You're going to smile and hug your parents and pretend everything is wonderful. And when the time is right, when I've gotten what I came here for, you're going to disappear. Again."
"What do you want?"
"What I've always wanted. Your bloodline." He straightened. "And this time, no one is going to stop me."
He left as quickly as he'd come, the door clicking shut behind him. I stood there, shaking, one hand pressed to my stomach. Pregnant with Rowan and Kellan's child. And Simon knew. The monster who'd killed my mother knew. I had to warn them so we could figure out what to do next.
I left my room and went searching for my men.
Ifound them in a massive library. They were talking quietly, heads together, reviewing what looked like security protocols.
"Naomi?" Kellan looked up immediately. "What's wrong?"
"I need to talk to both of you, now."
They must have heard something in my voice because they were on their feet instantly, moving toward me.
"What happened?" Rowan demanded.
"A guard came into my room." I swallowed, drawing bravery from somewhere deep. "The Alpha that murdered my mother."
Both Alphas went still.
"Are you sure?" Rowan asked carefully.
"I'm sure. I recognized him. His name is Simon. At least—that's what she called him."
"What did he say to you?"
I told them. Everything. About his threat. About my parents.
"We smelled the change, but wanted to be sure. It’s very subtle." Kellan said quietly.
"He said he could smell it.”
The confirmation made it real in a way Simon's words hadn't. I was going to have their baby.
"We need to tell my parents," I said.
"Not yet," Rowan interrupted. "If we tip our hand too early, he'll know you talked. He might make good on his threat with your parents."
"Then what do we do?"
"We move Kira into your room. One of us stays with you at all times. We watch out for Simon. Learn his patterns. Figure out who else is working with him." Rowan's voice was cold, controlled. "And then we handle it from there."
"You're going to kill him."
"Yes," both Alphas said at once.
"Good," I said. And I meant it.