Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Lana
“Welcome to Blackwell Mansion,” a man called out, drawing our attention to him.
Everybody in the dining room fell silent, glancing over at the man dressed in a black suit. His head was held high, and with his commanding tone, he had all of us locked in within seconds.
“I’m the owner of this gorgeous mansion, and I’ve called all of you here because we have a connection. It is up to you to uncover what that connection is. You must use your deductive skills to find out. You cannot win if you do not know.”
His eyes swept over the room. There were only four other tables waiting.
“If you survive, of course.”
Excitement and anticipation ran through me as he started to speak again.
“Five packs are gathered here to find out who will have the grit, the integrity, the class to take over something as important as this,” he said with a flourish. “But first”—he clapped his hands—“dinner.”
Servers swept out of the back room, all dressed in simple black uniforms. Instead of the name of the restaurant, the embroidery on their shirts simply said Blackwell. They went all in for this, and I was loving every second of it.
The service continued to move around him, filling glasses with champagne or their signature beer. I took a sip of my drink, humming at the sweet, tart champagne. It was one of my favorites.
“Here’s to the first of many nights out as a pack,” Mason said, giving me a wink.
I clinked his glass with mine, my smile widening. This was starting to feel real.
My gaze danced around the room, taking in all the ways they’d decorated for tonight. This was simply the formal dining room, made to feel a bit more like a home than a restaurant with art on the walls and props.
Mr. Smith was back in the center, calling out for our attention again.
“Now that you’ve been offered drinks, let’s continue.
Outside of that door are the other rooms of the mansion.
You and your pack will explore, but this is a friendly competition.
Be secretive. Be smart. Be insightful. Do not be a dick. ”
Laughter burst out from half the room at his words. He was working the crowd and loving every minute of it.
I dug into my Caesar salad as he wrapped up the list of rules and liabilities. It was honestly one of the best I’d ever had. The shaved parmesan on top and the fresh pepper really made it.
They brought out loaves of fresh bread, which Cade took immediately, cutting it up and handing slices out to our pack.
He didn’t even seem to realize he was doing it, but it was so sweet to see him take care of not just me, but everyone.
I never wanted a pack that couldn’t take care of each other as well.
Even among bonded packs, it wasn’t always like this. This pack was different on so many levels. There was something about them that made them seem so much stronger, as if they were fully in tune with each other.
“You look like you have questions,” Kieran said. I hadn’t realized he was studying me, but his intense green eyes were locked on me.
“Not necessarily a question,” I said. “I’m just… impressed with how close your pack seems to be.”
“Oh, that’s easy,” Cade said, patting a spot on his upper bicep.
“We’re a bonded pack. We wanted to be strong for our omega when we found her.
We’ve all seen too much chaos during mating and we wanted to be different.
It might give us a bit of an advantage in hockey, but mostly because we can tell what the others are thinking.
Outside of that, we just know how to work through conflict and can feel when one of us needs something. ”
They were all watching me now, almost guarded, waiting to see my reaction. I wasn’t sure what to say. It didn’t turn me off or freak me out. This was just unheard of.
“That definitely explains it,” I finally said. “Unexpected, but I can see the benefits.”
Cade took a sip of his beer before talking again.
“It was my idea. I wanted us to be the kind of pack that would make an omega proud. One that didn’t have to work through their differences once they found her.
We knew we were a pack, and even if something changed, like she had a mate when we found her, at least we would be strong enough to withstand anything. ”
“That’s kind of nice, actually,” I said. “I know firsthand what it means for a pack to not be on the same page.”
“This was our way of ensuring we always were.”
The unspoken thing was that if that were the case, then I was bonding with all of them. The first bite would bring me into the pack, and each bite after would only strengthen it.
Our next course arrived, and the conversation lulled for a minute as we dug in. I savored the incredible roasted chicken for a moment before telling them the good news.
“Coach approached me today with an official offer. Thanks to the good word all the players gave, and him noticing a difference in energy levels, they want me to come on full-time. I signed a contract today for a year with the Wardens.”
“Oh my god, that’s incredible,” Mason gasped, pulling me into a hug. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” I said, realizing this might be the first time outside of Conrad that I’ve had someone to celebrate with.
“You aren’t going anywhere, now. You’re stuck with us.”
“I already am,” I said. “You can’t get rid of me now.”
“We never planned to,” Cade said. He was watching me with that lopsided smile I loved.
It was getting a bit too heavy so I finished catching them up.
“He wanted me to stay behind since I wouldn’t have your guys’ protection. I’m not sure if it was one of you or Conrad who spoke to him, but either way, I’m grateful.”
“That means we get you all to ourselves this weekend,” Mason cheered. “No more planning around work hours.”
“I still can’t believe you guys are suspended,” I said with a laugh.
“Really?” Kieran deadpanned. “After getting to know us, you still can’t understand how we did that?”
“Okay, maybe I can,” I agreed.
“We just protect what’s ours,” Cade said, completely unrepentant.
Ours.
It had a really nice ring to it. They’d done nothing but protect me from the moment they met me, even before they knew I was their mate.
A glass clinking cut off the conversation. Our host was back front and center now that the tables were finished eating.
“Dessert will be served later, after you have a few more answers,” Mr. Smith called out. “For now, if you would follow me into the rest of the mansion, we can get started.”
They truly had transformed the banquet hall into a miniature mansion. Several rooms were partitioned off, complete with furniture and props. It looked like a lot of work went into this.
“Do they do this often?” I asked.
“Once a month,” Mason said. “I’ve never been before, but I always wanted to. I thought you seemed like the kind of girl who would love this. Was I right?”
“You were, and I knew you were behind that note and dress,” I said. He just smirked and walked ahead, leading our pack forward.
Wilder slid his hand into mine. His hazel eyes were open and excited. “What do you think? Maybe start in the back and work our way forward?” he suggested.
“Works for me,” I said, pulling him along. His comforting scent was stronger now, wrapping around me like a warm hug.
The back room was a makeshift library. I ran my fingers delicately over the spines of the prop books, shocked to find that they were actual books. I pulled down an old compilation of fairy tales, smiling when I saw the local library stamp inside.
I loved that they got the Westgrave Community Library involved. I was a sucker for the community working together.
“We’re looking for a connection that we have to Mr. Smith,” I mused. “I’m surprised they didn’t tailor the clues to us. How will we know what’s meant for us?”
“Oh, fuck,” Cade cursed, slapping his forehead. “I was so nervous last night I didn’t even think about it. They sent us information about who we are. We have a whole backstory.”
Lennon rolled his eyes. “That might’ve been helpful before we started all this.”
“It’s fine. I have it with me,” Cade said, pulling out a folded envelope and offering it to me.
The gold-flecked letter was fancy. I ran my finger over the gold script, impressed that it was hand-written and not printed. Even the letter inside was the same, the ink smudged in a few places, making it feel authentic.
Dear Rhodes Pack,
I am writing to officially invite you to join me at my home. I’d like to speak about an inheritance.
As the years get shorter, I worry I might depart this world with no one to share my knowledge and wealth with.
I hope you’ll indulge this old man his final wishes. Best of luck.
Cordially yours,
Elias Blackwood.
“Wait a second,” I said. “Who is Mr. Smith, then? He made it sound like he was the one with the inheritance.”
“Maybe you’ve found the first clue,” Kieran suggested.
I doubted that, since it was part of our invitation, but I was fully invested now.
The second page detailed our pack.
The Rhodes Pack: a prominent, influential pack from New York City. The omega built an empire from the ground up, the rest of the pack falling into place, each adding something new until it thrived beyond anyone’s imagination.
They’ve done many business ventures with influential partners worldwide.
Driven. Business-savvy. Often the center of gossip magazines.
“That must be how we know him,” Wilder cut in. “If our pack is big into business and influential partners, Blackwood would definitely fit.”
“That’s a good point,” I said, finishing the last few lines quickly. “I don’t think this will give us anything else, but now we know the important stuff. Let’s keep looking.”
We split up like it was an escape room, digging through books, furniture, under rugs, anything that might hold a clue.
“They didn’t introduce the other packs to us,” Mason pointed out. “But I’ve seen at least two prominent names pop up.”
“Just not ours,” Lennon said. “I’ve found nothing here either.”