Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
LARK
What a mess.
I can’t believe Gio tried to kidnap Johan.
Well, no. I can believe it, actually. It makes sense.
The error was in assuming Johan would attend a meeting without his pack. Though, that error was on Bastian’s part, not my brother’s.
“Ugh,” I grumble, irritated. At least Gio wasn’t trying to kill Johan. But still, he’s made my life rather difficult.
I flip the phone in my hand, debating if I should call him.
Lazarus was clearly trying to punish my brother by implying that I’m being hurt by his pack. If I call my brother, I’ll undermine that.
But I hate leaving Gio with doubts about my safety and well-being.
“This is ridiculous,” I mutter, pacing the balcony just outside my room. I feel like I have to choose between Gio and my pack.
Or rather, my scent matches.
They’re not my pack yet.
I’m not even sure Lazarus wants me as part of the pack. Actually, pretty certain he doesn’t.
I cover my eyes with my hands—one of which still has my phone—and growl.
Only for a reverberation from the device in my palm to make me jump. I half expect to see Johan’s name on the caller ID. But it’s Luna’s instead.
I frown. She usually checks in after dinner, which makes her call earlier than expected.
“Everything okay?” I ask after accepting the call.
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” she replies, her nose scrunching on the display. “I just had a weird feeling that you may need a friend right now.”
My lips twitch. “You and your cryptic intuition.”
“So I’m right? You need me?”
I sigh. “Yes and no,” I mumble. “I could use a distraction right now, if you have one.”
“Hmm, let me see if I can think up something.” She taps her chin, her russet-brown eyes thoughtful. “Lexi ate half a dozen maple donuts for breakfast today. Emmett was impressed for reasons I don’t want to evaluate. Of course, Sloane made those reasons clear with his descriptive commentary…”
“I bet,” I say with a snort. I don’t know Lexi’s alphas all that well, but from what I’ve observed, Sloane is quite the character.
Actually, I suspect Noah might like him. They’re both… blunt. Only, in very different ways.
“Haven’t seen Silva much recently. Pretty sure she’s enjoying her new pack and the privileges that come with that. Briar has kept to herself, too. And Aries mentioned that you helped her vet some new alphas in town. Though, you obviously already know that. So, I’m not doing a good job, am I?”
My lips twitch. “Just hearing you talk helps,” I admit. “I miss you.”
“Just me?” she asks, brightening. “No one else?”
“You the most,” I tell her honestly. “But I really miss everyone and Widows Peak.”
“Then you should tell that sexy fiancé of yours to take you home,” she suggests.
“Did you just call Noah sexy?” I demand, feeling stupidly annoyed. “He’s mine, Luna.”
Her dark eyes widen, her expression morphing from teasing to shock. “Are you seriously getting all proprietary on me right now?” She makes a show of looking her screen up and down. “Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?”
Part of me wants to growl at her. “I’m not getting proprietary.” Okay. That’s a lie. But I’m not going to back down now. “He’s my alpha, though. They all are.”
“Oh?” She arches a brow. “Does that mean you’ve claimed them?”
“Er, well, no,” I hedge, my lips twisting. “Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s been, like, a week?” I tell her.
“A little less,” she informs me. “But who’s counting?”
“Apparently you.”
“I do like details,” she says, nodding. “And speaking of details…” She gives me a knowing look. “Anything you want to share, best friend?”
“Seriously? You’re pulling that card right now?”
“Well, you’re clearly holding back on me. Is it because of rule number one?”
My eyes lift to the ceiling. “You’re going to get me in trouble, and I’m not even the one who told you about that rule.”
“No, my newest bestie did that,” she murmurs. “Where is Noah, by the way?”
“In a pack meeting,” I mutter.
“A pack meeting?” she echoes. “Shouldn’t you be involved, then? Since they’re your alphas?”
I bite my lip, not sure how to answer that.
But given the way she’s looking at me when I meet her gaze again, I don’t need to say anything.
She can read me like an open book. We might have our secrets—ones we’ll never share with each other—but we’ve always naturally understood one another.
“Oh, Lark, if I could hug you right now, I would.”
“And I’d probably push you away,” I tell her.
“I know,” she says, her smile sad. “So I’d just hug you tighter.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, acknowledging that, despite the fact that I would absolutely try to squirm out of her arms, I really could use a hug right about now. “They’re mad at me for something I didn’t do.”
Okay, that’s not exactly accurate. Noah and Johan definitely said they didn’t “blame” me for betraying them. And Lazarus also mentioned that he was angry at my brother, not me.
So I rephrase by saying, “Mad isn’t the right term. I can’t really elaborate. But let’s just say we’re having a misunderstanding.”
She considers that and nods. “Can you, uh, help them understand?”
“I tried that, and I think I made it worse.” I hacked into my brother’s communications to see if I could find proof of what he had done.
Instead, I found the kidnapping assignment, which was written in a bunch of cryptic commentary that I only understood because of growing up in this world.
So I sent that to Johan, hoping it would absolve me since I wasn’t part of the chat or even mentioned in it.
Except, I immediately realized that he would just assume I massaged the communications to remove myself from the evidence.
“Hmm, well, I can’t really help without much context. But, in my experience, logic prevails. So if you can present facts to them, that should clear up the ‘misunderstanding.’ ”
“Ironically, that’s what I already tried to do,” I tell her, sighing. “The problem is, I’m someone who can alter the facts, if you grasp my meaning.”
She stares at me through the screen. “So they don’t trust you.”
I wince. It’s a direct assessment, but that’s Luna. She isn’t one to mince words. Not with me, anyway. “Basically, yeah.”
“Do you trust them?” It’s a quiet question, one she utters with a bit more gentleness than her frank statement from a few seconds ago.
I don’t immediately answer her, instead seriously considering her question. “This is going to sound kind of crazy,” I warn her, swallowing. “But yes, I do. I… I know they’re dangerous. I know they could easily hurt me. However, I don’t think they actually will.”
Lazarus scares me. Although, not in a traditional way.
“I’m terrified of what I’m feeling for them,” I confide to Luna, the statement one I’ve barely admitted to myself. “I’ve never wanted to be a mafia bride. I’ve seen what that did to my mother. But I don’t think they’re anything like my father’s pack.”
Actually, I’m certain they’re not.
“Maybe it’s the scent match, but I… I really like them, Luna. Which is insane. How can I feel this way after only knowing them for a week?” I clear my throat. “Or slightly less than one,” I quickly amend, aware that she’s likely thinking that already in her head.
“Scent matches are rare and powerful,” she says, her voice soft. “If you like them, then embrace it, Lark. Otherwise, you’re just fighting fate.”
“You believe in fate now?” I ask, incredulous.
“Pretty sure I never stopped,” she replies, her expression holding a touch of sadness to it that she instantly masks behind a smile. “My point is that time is irrelevant. Follow your instincts. They’ve never failed you before.”
She’s right.
My instincts are what drew me to her that night thirteen years ago. I knew something was wrong. Then we were taken, and while I was certain we could escape within days, my instincts forced us to remain.
That led us to saving the other Widows.
Founding Widows Peak.
With the money I stole from the Ferraros.
Which has landed me here… in Lazarus’s family estate.
Luna’s comment on fate plays through my head again.
“I don’t want to fight fate,” I whisper, more to myself than to her. “Luna, I need to go.” Because I need to talk to the pack, to tell them I’m innocent and make them hear me.
No more wallowing on this balcony.
I’m going to fix this by telling them they’re wrong to distrust me. And I’m going to demand that they give me a proper chance.
“Thank you,” I tell my best friend as I move away from the railing outside the balcony and step backward toward the house. “You helped me more than you know.” She didn’t really give me a pep talk so much as help me process the situation.
“Uh, Lark—”
“Seriously, I’m good,” I cut her off as I spin toward the house. “I’ll call you back later tonight. Normal time, okay?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Love you!” I hang up before she can say anything to change my mind and practically sprint toward my room. I’m going to convince—
I run right into the closed glass door.
“Ow!” I shout. I could have sworn I left that thing open!
I lift my hand to smack the offending object, only to find my wrist caught in a strong hand.
I blink, realizing I didn’t run into a door at all.
I ran into Lazarus freaking Ferraro.
Shit!
My eyes widen. “I-I wasn’t talking to my brother,” I sputter. “I swear I didn’t call him.”
“I know you didn’t,” he answers calmly.
“I was talking to—” I frown, then look up into his dark eyes. “Wait, you know I didn’t call him?”
“I’ve been standing here for the last five minutes, Aurora.”
My eyelashes flutter again. “I… what?” How the hell did I miss that? “Did you knock?” Okay, that’s a stupid question. So I shake my head and try again. “How much did you hear?”
He arches a dark brow, his thumb gently running across my still-captured wrist. “I stepped out onto the balcony around the time your friend mentioned maple donuts.”
“So basically my entire conversation,” I say, feeling oddly defeated. “What I talk about with my friends is meant to be private.”