Chapter 65
Chapter
Sixty-Five
My body froze, and so did Marcus’s. Ebony stood there, her hand resting on her stomach. Except that it showed she was well into her pregnancy. She didn’t smile, but her eyes focused on Marcus.
“You said you had wanted a family, Mar. You said you wanted one with me. I just didn’t realize it until after you left that I was already carrying your hatchling.”
Months ago, I felt my soul shatter. Laila held me together as I felt the first time Ebony fucked Marcus.
My wolf and I cried out, we howled in pain, feeling my heart and soul explode into pieces that I never thought I could put back together.
Even now, I was still trying to heal with Marcus, and the nightmares still continued to plague me.
“You dare…” Laila growled behind us, but I heard Peter hush her.
Mrs. Blackfell handed Tyson a folder. He looked it over, having a much easier time hiding his shock.
His hands were shaking, though, as he lifted the individual papers inside the folder.
My eyes focused on Ebony, but there was nothing that hinted at her being uncomfortable or that this somehow was an elaborate lie.
“You understand Marcus has been mated to Colton since December? The mate bond would not allow for a hatchling to be born from another.” Tyson was stepping carefully around this, and I felt Marcus flinch every time his name was mentioned.
“Yes. However, Marcus and Ebony had been in the process of breaking the mate bond. Based on their explanation, Marcus had received three out of the five shots needed to fully break the bond when the hatchling was conceived. The fourth shot also being administered, which was close to a full break.” Mr. Blackfell looked at Marcus.
“I’m sure Marcus and his mate felt the bond start to bend and break.
Especially after coming back to said chosen mate after so many months of being with my daughter. ”
He wasn’t wrong. It was so close to breaking and far worse on Marcus’s side.
His bond was partially broken, and it had been slowly healing.
At first, he could barely feel me; my emotions, my location, and even my thoughts.
Even now, he struggled to feel my emotions unless we were touching.
Right now, I hoped he couldn’t feel what I was feeling.
I hoped I was strong enough to shut him out right now.
“I think you understand that we will need to do our own testing as well.” Tyson closed the folder, but handed it to me instead of back to Mrs. Blackfell.
“Of course. We have no problem complying. We wished to speak with you today because Ebony is carrying Marcus’ child. There could easily have been regrets if an unborn child became a victim in all this.”
Slowly, I opened the folder, looking down at the pages inside.
There was information from doctors, images of the hatchling, confirmation through blood tests of it being an Alpha fire hatchling.
On the right hands side, there was a DNA test. It showed a positive match at 99.
5%. I looked down the page, but my mind wasn’t reading the words.
This wasn’t fair. I couldn’t fight this.
They knew it, and this was something I couldn’t account for.
Looking back at Ebony, for the first time, she smirked.
She really thought she was better than me.
That if she had Marcus’ child, Ebony would be on an even playing field with me.
As though he would choose her. Her self-confidence was nothing short of impressive.
Closing the folder softly, I handed it back to Tyson. I couldn’t look at Marcus. Stepping up to Ebony, I smiled as I let my face relax. However, I didn’t stand in front of her; I stood next to her. Not letting myself touch her.
I kept my voice low, for her and me only. “You think you’ve won? You think he will choose you after this?”
Her head turned toward me. “Colton, you can’t give him what I can. Of course I’ve won. You might be an Omega, but you are nothing. The Council is now finding out about this too. They will break your mate bond. They will make sure I take my rightful place next to Marcus.”
My head bowed, and I laughed quietly. “I hope you’re being truthful, Ebony. I hope to the old gods this isn’t a trick, because if it is, I will make sure that you suffer. I will destroy you, and I will watch as your very soul shatters.”
“You don’t scare me, Colton.” She put her hand on her stomach. “I am carrying an Alford hatchling and I will be protected.”
Turning my head to the side, I narrowed my eyes. Stepping back, I moved out of Marcus’ reach as well. Tyson was watching me, and I realized he was deferring to me in this instance. I let out a quick breath and nodded.
“We will request our own paternity test. Once we receive the results of that, we will reconvene in order to decide what to do about the Dark Night pack.” I glared at Mr. Blackfell.
“You will not escape punishment for what your pack has done. All you have done is delay it. Is that understood, Flynn Blackfell?”
He nodded. “I appreciate your understanding in this matter.”
Turning on my heel, I walked through the crowd of people. Laila reached out, but I moved out of her reach. Reaching into my back pocket, I pulled out my phone.
“Colt…”
“I need your help.”
Mike’s chair moved, and his tone dropped. “What do you need?”
“Can you come pick me up from the house? I don’t think it’s Marcus’ hatchling.”
“What? But the DNA test…”
I snorted as I stripped off my clothes, throwing them on the ground. “She knew I could tell if she was lying when I was that close to her. She said that she had an Alford hatchling. Not that she had Marcus’ hatchling.”
“What are you thinking?”
“The DNA test said 99.5%. Where is the other 4%, Mike? It should be 99.9%.”
The sound of his hands flying over the keyboard exploded. “Right, but sometimes DNA tests have a few variables in them. Legally, 99.5% is enough to establish paternity.”
“Except that Marcus is a twin.”
Silence came over the line before I heard his chair creak. “You think…that Keith Alford had something to do with this?”
“I wouldn’t have thought it until she chose those words specifically.” I threw off the last piece of clothing. “I’m hanging up and shifting.”
“Wait! Are you running back home?”
I hung up the phone and tossed it onto the pile. Shifting into my wolf form, I took off into the trees. The shade felt nice, and normally this kind of all-out sprint would feel fantastic. My wolf was crying in pain, and I didn’t know if I could look at Marcus again for a while.
Really, this theory was grasping at straws. Nothing made sense, but it was the only thing I could hold on to. Otherwise, I would break. I wanted to break. This wasn’t something I could fix. Marcus would be tied to Ebony forever. Nor could I ask him to kill the mother of one of his hatchlings.
My wolf took over for a moment, slowing us until they threw our head back. A howl, so painful and broken, erupted from us. It shook the trees and scattered the wildlife. Pulling the back, I took off again. We would figure this out, and if it were true…then we would deal with it head-on.
It would be painful and messy, but at the end of the day, I could pull my level card in front of the Council.
If they thought they could order Marcus away simply because Ebony was an Alpha-9, they had another thing coming.
I would give up my freedom if it meant that I would stay with Marcus.
We would figure it out. Even if it was raising the hatchling as my own and letting her grow old alone.
I’d do it if Marcus asked me. No matter how much it broke me, I would. For him.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself faster. Forcing myself to run at full speed. I’d been shifting more, and I was in probably the best shape I’d ever been. My world was breaking, but pushing myself was the only thing that helped put a band-aid on the gaping wound.
Marcus didn’t come home last night. The family came back, and I could hear them in the house, but no one disturbed me.
I’d gotten Kayla from Candice; none of them spoke as they handed her over.
I’m sure their mate already filled them in and I couldn’t take the anger or pity in their eyes.
It was too much, so I hid in the bedroom and the nursery.
I didn’t want to eat. I didn’t want to even breathe.
It hurt too much. Eventually, around two in the morning, my stomach wouldn’t let me ignore it.
Kayla was asleep, and I grabbed some food from the fridge.
Someone had put my phone and clothes on the counter as well.
Scooping them up, I carried everything back to my room.
Eating the leftover rice and chicken, I scrolled through my phone for most of the night. I didn’t know what I was waiting for. My world was still tilting, and I didn’t really want to speak to Marcus, but the fact that he never came home hurt.
Kayla ended up crying around four in the morning, and I fed her while speaking with Mike over text. They were already well on their way and would be here around six in the morning. I told him I didn’t want them to come in. I would meet them downstairs.
Gathering up clothes for a couple of days for both of us, I filled up a duffel, a diaper bag, and a refrigerated bag full of milk and icepacks.
I’d never taken Kayla out overnight from the lair.
Still, I needed to step away. We needed to work this out, and I didn’t want the family hovering or questions about what I was doing.
Mike and Sabrina understood, but if I looked like an idiot and I was grasping at straws.
I didn’t want their pity. I didn’t want to tear Marcus apart while watching me try to find an imaginary loophole.
Some scheme that Ebony somehow cooked up.
I wasn’t going to leave without Kayla though.
If Marcus had bothered to show up, I would have told him I was going to take a couple of days, but he didn’t.
Instead, I wrote a note and put it on the kitchen counter.
Out of the closet, I pulled the car seat we got for Kayla. Taking that down stairs onto the porch, when I brought the other two bags, Mike and Sabrina had already pulled up. They were loading my bags in and locking the car seat into the back of her sedan.
Going back up, I grabbed the other two small bags before grabbing a very sleepy Kayla and taking her down with me. I’d tried to be quiet, but I’m sure someone heard me. They just didn’t get up to check. Shutting the front door behind me, Sabrina kissed my cheek.
“You look like you haven’t slept.”
“I didn’t.”
Leaning in, I placed Kayla in the car seat and locked her in. She squirmed around a bit, but after getting her nestled in, I could see her eyelids droop again. I smiled and shut the door. Mike pulled me into a hug.
“We will figure this out.”
I shook my head. “It could be nothing. I could be imagining that she’s a fucking liar and I really, I just need to accept that…my mate has a hatchling with someone else.”
“I don’t know. I think you have something, Colt. Plus, we never figured out what Dark Night gained by helping Queen with the little stunt. What if it’s this?” Mike let me go. “It wouldn’t hurt to do some digging.”
“Yeah, thanks for grabbing me.”
I got into the back seat and Sabrina got into the front, turning her back to me as Mike got into the driver’s seat.
“Get some sleep, Colt. It’s a few hours back home. You get to see the apartment. We even have a second bedroom set up for you. No more couch or sleeping in Mike’s bed.”
Laughing, I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes. “I don’t know. Maybe I want to piss off Marcus more.”
“You better not. I’m not getting my head taken off just because you want a little revenge.” Mike pulled down the driveway.
“Don’t worry. Being in your apartment will be enough. Especially for a couple of days.”
Sabrina frowned. “Did you tell them?”
“I left a note. Marcus isn’t home and I honestly don’t feel like opening the bond right now.
If he’s not home, he’s still dealing with his own feelings.
I’m not…I’m not in the right headspace to be his support right now.
I just can’t.” I looked out the window. “I wish I were strong enough that I could, but I’ve already had to be strong enough. ”
“Just…reach out to him eventually so the entire city isn’t torched.” Mike smiled in the rearview mirror.
I laughed. “I don’t know. I’m pretty sure some of those places need to be burned down.”
“Your old apartment complex has been demolished. They paid everyone to move, and another company is building a new apartment complex there.”
“I hope Antonio had to pay out the ass in fines.”
Mike chuckled. “I made sure. Don’t worry about that.”
“Good. Mrs. Truman would have been proud.”