Chapter 133: Chapter 132

Xander Goddamn him.

| should've known my father wouldn’t leave this place without a fight.

“What rule is that?” | asked carefully.

Zane caught my eye and his face paled slightly.

| knew what he was thinking because | was thinking the same thing. If my father somehow found out we were harboring a dying vampire, then we were dead in the fucking water.

“The rule that says you're supposed to respect your elders,” he seethed.

So my father had run off and told Gustav that I’d yelled at him? How fucking pathetic.

“If there isn’t peace among your family, then how will there be peace in the pack?” Gustav demanded.

“My relationship with my father is complicated,” | said. “And private.

Gustav shook his head.

“The Constantine pack is the most powerful pack in the region, and the Council would like it to stay that way,” Gustav said icily. “Which means nothing that goes on behind these doors will stay private.”

He looked at me pointedly, his gray-blue eyes unwavering.

| tried to keep my expression stony, but my heart was about to beat out of my chest.

We needed to get him out of here, and then take Braden as far away from the mansion as possible. Something told me Gustav would be back, sooner rather than later. And so would my father, | was sure of that.

Gustav stepped closer, and | instinctively moved back. He cocked his head at me.

“You know,” he said, “our pack was the most harmonious it’s been in decades when you and Zane took over, and now it seems.

that everyone walking down the street is restless and looking for a fight. We can’t have that, Xander”

He pointed a bony finger at me, then Zane.

“One more slip-up from either of you, and you'll be under Council investigation. Your days as Alpha and Beta might be numbered.”

And with a swish of his white robes, he was gone.

But his threat loomed over us like a heavy storm cloud.

We were so fucked.

Katie “You want to tell me why the hell a vampire is in my house right now?” Gabriela asked as soon as Xander and Zane had left.

She nodded her head in Mason's direction.

“And why your boyfriend here has gone catatonic?”

“Boyfriend?” Braden asked. “This is the guy?”

| waved Braden off.

“You should be resting, not talking.” | scolded him.

Gabriela motioned for me to follow her out to the living room, away from the boys.

Tm serious, Katic,” she said, lowering her voice so it was barely above a whisper. “Having a vampire here could put us in deep s hit.”

Yeah, no duh. Everyone had made that pretty f ucking clear.

“| didn’t bring him here,” | whispered back. “He just showed up. Mason was supposed to be away, and | think when he saw me with Braden, he just... lost it.”

Gabriela studied me for a moment, like she was waiting for me to say more.

The truth was that Mason probably wouldn’t have gone all big bad wolf if he hadn’t caught me with Xander and Zane the day before.

But | wasn’t about to tell Xander’s f ucking mom that | was caught messing around with them.

“I'm sorry,” | said. “I’m not trying to come here and screw up all your lives.”

Gabriela reached out with her hand that wasn’t holding Stella and placed it on my shoulder.

“| don’t blame you for any of this,” she said.

And when | looked into her eyes, | believed her. There was an understanding there that no one else ever offered me.

“Thank you,” | said.

The sound of footsteps made Gabriela drop her hand.

Xander and Zane appeared in the doorway.

“We need to get Braden out of here,” he said, a wild and terrified expression on his face. “NOW”

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