Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Luna
My fellow widows arrive in waves.
Lexi is the first, bringing her entire pack with her to carry her snacks. I have to bite back a laugh at the amount of food she deemed it necessary to bring, but I will not laugh at a pregnant woman. Nor am I going to tell her she can’t have all the food she wants.
I value my life way too much for that.
“Just call us when you’re ready to leave,” Emmett tells Lexi, kissing her before following the rest of their pack out the door.
“Too stinking cute,” I say with a half-smile.
She wrinkles her nose, grabbing a bag and heading for my living room. “I’m going to sit on your super-comfy couch until the others get here. Otherwise, I’m going to pester you about what’s going on.”
I wave her off as the doorbell rings and the door opens to reveal Briar and Aries. “Welcome. Lexi is here, so we’re just waiting on Lark and Silva. Lexi brought the entire grocery store with her, so there’s plenty to eat.”
I follow them back into the kitchen, getting drinks for everyone—mine is a little heavy-handed with the alcohol, but luckily no one says anything.
Lark’s the next to arrive, but Silva is coming up the walkway as I open the door.
“Oh, that makes this much easier. Sorry about you having to close the club last minute,” I say as Silva joins us.
“Don’t worry about it. When one of us needs something, we’re there for one another. It won’t kill the town to not be able to go out tonight.”
We head into the kitchen where they grab themselves a drink, and I bite back a smile as I realize Lark is just beginning to show.
I can’t believe two of my sisters are pregnant.
“Are you going to tell them what I think you are?” Lark asks quietly, the two of us trailing slightly behind Silva.
“About my past, Fabian, and the new case?” I nod. “But more has happened today, so I even have news for you.”
She lifts an eyebrow. “Well, this should be an interesting night then. It almost makes me wish I could drink.”
“But you’re too busy growing my niece or nephew. You’ll be fine.” I barely manage to keep from rubbing my hand on her stomach.
I’m so excited for both her and Lexi to give birth.
Once we’re all settled, everyone with snacks and a drink, plus my comfiest blankets, they all turn their attention on me.
“Ugh, I hate this.” I rub my face before tossing back the rest of my drink.
Luckily, I thought ahead and had already made a second one.
“We haven’t all necessarily discussed our lives from before Gideon—even if parts of it have come out along the way.
My past is rearing its ugly head unexpectedly, so I wanted to get you together to explain a few things.
Life has been throwing surprises at me lately, and it’s a lot.
First, after some nudging from Lark, I realized Prescott was interested in me for more than just sex during my heats. ”
Lexi scoffs. “That isn’t news to any of us.”
“It’s not?”
Briar shakes her head. “We all know he’s been head over heels for you for years. I’m pretty sure you were the only one who didn’t know.”
Well, then…
“And no one thought to tell me?”
“As if any of us can see what we’re not ready to see—no matter what anyone tries to tell us.” Silva sighs. “It was something you needed to discover on your own—or mostly on your own.”
She makes a good point. Would I have listened to Lark months ago?
Hell, even a few weeks ago?
If Prescott hadn't been at my door on that exact day under the exact circumstances, would we be together right now?
Fuck if I know.
“Well, we’re dating now—so there’s that.” I grin at the squeals of my friends. “It all happened because I had a new client come into town with a new case that turns out has something to do with my past.”
Silva snickers. “The bikers? Syrus is counting down the days until they’re gone.”
“About that.” I grimace. “I don’t think they’re going anywhere—at least not anytime soon. I’ve taken their case, and it’s going to be involved. But that’s kind of beside the point. Damn it, I’m already screwing this up.”
“Take a deep breath and start from the beginning,” Aries says, taking a sip of her drink. “We have all night.”
I nod. “Right. Yes. I guess the best place to start is that I wasn't born as Luna Salazar. I was born Mariana Vallejo Gomez, daughter of the leader of the US division of the Colombian cartel.”
Silence follows my announcement.
“That tracks.” Silva nods. “You and Lark?”
I glance at my friend, who gives me a nod.
“We met when we were eight. Our fathers did business together from time to time. But don’t go thinking I had a terrible childhood.
My parents loved me, and I grew up like most of the kids I went to school with—even if our parents made their money differently.
I have two younger brothers and an older half-brother named Fabian.
He’s never liked me. He thought Papa babied me and that he should marry me off as part of a deal. Papa was having none of that.
“I don’t know if any of you wondered why I was able to become a lawyer so young, but my fabricated identity had forged transcripts to match the two years of college I’d already finished before Gideon’s men took me.
I graduated high school at sixteen, and I planned to become a lawyer for the family.
Clearly, that didn’t happen. But that wasn’t the only way I was ahead in life compared to most people my age.
“I was already engaged by the time I graduated to an alpha—Christian.” I take a shaky breath.
“This is where things will get harder for me to talk about. Just know there will probably be tears, and while I’m not okay, per se, I am working on it.
Christian worked for Papa, and he was four years older.
We were in love, and it wasn’t something my parents forced on me.
We were waiting until after I turned eighteen and designated at Papa’s request.
“Less than a month before my wedding, both of my parents were murdered. That left my half-brother, Fabian, to take over Papa’s job.
It put him in charge of all of us, which was scary as hell.
But to make it worse, I designated from the stress—presenting as an omega while he was telling us about their deaths.
He was less than enthused to find out his sister was an omega. ”
“We can kill him,” Briar says, and as much as I’d love to say she’s joking, I know she’s one hundred percent serious. She doesn’t care that he’s the head of the cartel. For me, she’d kill him.
I snort. “Maybe later. First, there’s more I need to tell you.
I knew that my marriage to Christian would mean I’d be able to get out from under Fabian’s thumb—the only way, honestly.
But two weeks later, he called Christian and me into his office and said our engagement was off.
He commanded me to marry an alpha who had information on my parents’ murders.
Not that he cared about Mama’s death—he didn’t like her either.
Maybe because she took his mother’s place.
I don’t know. I refused, and Christian’s the one who paid the price.
He shot him in the head right there in front of me. ”
A gasp has me turning to Lexi, who has tears running down her cheeks. “Oh, Luna.”
Seeing her tears has me fighting my own.
I damn well knew I wouldn’t be able to get through this without crying.
Silva pulls her sister against her side, cuddling up to her.
“Yeah, it’s not exactly a cheerful story, is it?
I managed to sneak out the next night, and I had a new identity waiting.
I called on Lark to help me get out of the country.
I was planning to fly to Colombia. I knew the head of the cartel would take me in with no questions asked and keep me from Fabian.
Only we never made it. Gideon’s men found us before we made it to the airport. The rest of that story you know.”
I pause, sipping from my drink. “The new case involves an omega who was declared mentally unfit, and guardianship was granted to someone unrelated to the omega. To Fabian, in fact. That’s why I freaked out yesterday.
I wasn’t expecting to get slapped in the face with my past. My first response was to say no. ”
“As would be your right,” Aries says.
“It would be, and with three bikers, who I believed to be alphas, staring at me, that’s exactly what I said.”
“Oh, shit. The new omega in town? He’s one of the bikers?” Lexi sits up. “Someone told Emmett about it, and he mentioned it to me, but then I got your text.”
I nod. “Ding. Ding. Ding. You got it in one. He was considering offering himself up in exchange for his twin omega sister. With two omegas involved, it started to sway me—even if my main thought was I needed to get far away from this case and anything to do with Fabian. I told them to stick around, and I’d think about it.
I’d all but decided I was going to take it when the three of them walked in on my lunch date with Prescott. ”
“He already had you out on a date?” Lark laughs. “He works fast.”
“That’s not the point. The alphas, Ven—that’s short for Vengeance, in case you were wondering—and Mack, were still using scent blockers, but Knight wasn’t.” I take a long sip from my drink. “He’s both mine and Prescott’s scent match.”
Once again, silence descends on the room before all five women start talking at once.
“What is it about this place?”
“You have a scent match?”
“He isn’t?!?!”
“No way!”
“Did someone put something in the water?”
The last one came from Briar. Like me, she hasn’t packed up. The rest of the girls have found their scent matches and are happily packed up.
I take a long pull of my drink. “Knight says Mack and Ven are his scent matches, which means they might be mine—and possibly Prescott’s.
I told them they needed to remain on scent blockers because I’m not ready for that.
I don’t know if I ever will be. The idea of being with another alpha feels like a betrayal to Christian and what we shared. ”
“Oh, Luna.” Lark moves to sit beside me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and pulling me close. “You know that isn’t true, don’t you?”
I scoff. “I don’t know what I think. It’s literally been two days. I never allowed myself to grieve for him. I threw myself into finishing school and building Widows Peak. I just… It’s not something I considered, and I’m not ready for it.”
“They better honor your request. If not, he’ll have to deal with us and our packs.” Lexi has gone all mama bear, and I’m here for it.
“Knight’s going to explain everything to them, and I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. It’s just a lot. Hence my need for a girls’ night and some drinks.” I toss back the rest of my drink. “So that’s what is going on in my life. What about the rest of you?”
Bless these women because they don’t hesitate to change the subject as we all catch up with one another.
It’s not often we’re all able to get together—especially with Lark having to go back and forth to New York.
We do our best to keep one another up to date, but it’s nice to have this dedicated time.
By nine, Lexi’s half asleep, and we end up calling it a night.
“If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.” Silva hugs me. “I know we’re all a little stubborn and don’t like to ask for help, but this is a lot. So if you need something, you ask.”
“I will. I promise. Thanks for tonight, ladies.”
Lark hangs back as the others step outside, Lexi’s pack already there and waiting. “What do you need from me?”
“Can you see about getting surveillance on the Vallejo property? And anything you can dig up on my brother? It’s been so long, I don’t know who I’m dealing with anymore.”
“Consider it done. Between Johan and me, we should be able to find out anything you need.” She hugs me before stepping onto my porch. “Remember, I’m only a phone call away—whether I’m here or in New York. It’s not like the flight is all that far, so I can jump on a plane within a few hours.”
“Thanks, Lark. I’ll call if I need to. I promise.”
I close the door behind them, resting my head against it.
Suddenly, my house feels so empty.
Just a few days ago, I loved the solitude of my house, but now it just feels big and empty.
I hate it.