Xander âAre you gonna tell me why the f uck Mason was at the regional gathering?!â
Zane and | had called my father into the library after Maxim and Monroe dropped their bomb about my brother and his suspicious activities.
talk.â
âOr why he was having discussions with rogue guards?â Zane asked.
My father scoffed and scrubbed a hand down his face.
âHow should | know?â His voice was sharp with irritation.
Zane and | shared a suspicious look.
âSeriously?â | flexed my fists.
How s tupid did he think we were?
âWhen Alice was on her deathbed, she wanted you to deliver a message to Mason. So clearly you two âThis is ridiculous,â my father spat.
âNO!â | roared. âWhat's ridiculous is that youâre still hiding things from me even though your bas tar d son could put our entire pack in danger Zane came to stand next to me.
Neither of us was letting my father leave until he finally told us the whole f ucking truth.
âTell us the full story,â | commanded, âOr | will compel you to tell me.â
My fatherâs jaw clenched and his wolf danced in his eyes.
Hunter clawed at my insides, and beside me, Zaneâs body seemed to be humming with the effort of keeping Blade at bay.
Two against one.
My father might've been the Alpha once, but Zane and | were strong and much younger than he was.
He didnât stand a chance against the two of us.
âFine,â he finally said, âI've been keeping tabs on Alice for years, assuming the two of you would mate with her eventually. If she was going to be our packâs Luna, | needed to make sure she could be trusted.â
âLet me guess,â | said. âShe couldnât?â
My father shook his head.
meet with the same guy.
âMason,â Zane said.
âYes,â my father answered. âThere was something familiar about him. But it wasnât until | walked into the bar myself one night to get a closer look at him that | realized...he looked just like you, Xander.â
My mouth flooded with saliva and my stomach churned.
â| was planning on investigating him,â my father continued, âbut as | was leaving, he headed me off. And thatâs when he told me about the photo heâd found. That's when he told me he was my son.â
| turned away from my father.
Zaneâs hand rested on my shoulder.
âHe was a smug mot herf ucker, Xander. | could tell heâd known for a while. Hell, maybe thatâs why he was h ooking up with Alice in the first place. To get to me.â
| rubbed my temples, trying to loosen the mounting pressure in my head.
â| wanted to tell you, son. But not until | knew what he was planning.â
His voice was softer, and shaky with guilt, Good. He should feel guilty.
âB ulls hit!â | growled, spinning back around to face him. âYou knew Alice was f ucking around on us for years. You could've given us a heads-up on that, at least My father sighed deeply.
âYou weren't mated, Xander. You and Zane were single, as was Alice. As much as it might hurt, she wasnât f ucking around on you.â
âCool. Yeah, | guess youâd know, since you're such an expert in that department.â
âShut your f ucking mouth,â my father snarled as his claws shot from his fingertips.
Zane stepped between us, planting his hands on my fatherâs chest.
My father breathed in deeply, squeezing his eyes shut until his claws retracted again.
At this point, | was ready for a f ucking fight.
But if news got out that I'd f ucked up my own father, Gregory and Luca sâs rumors about us being murderers might not sound so crazy after all.
âWhat about after mating?â Zane said, trying to move us forward. âWhat about the night Alice was out with you, Orion? You still owe us an explanation for that.â
âShe was saying goodbye to Maso n,â my father said, his eyes still closed. âI went with her so nothing else could happen between them.â
âDoes that mean the pups arenât his?â | asked.
â| already told you mating ceremony.â
F uck.
There really was no way to tell.
What the hell were we supposed to do with this information?
The only thing | could think of was to track down Mason.
Right f ucking now.
âWe're going to find Mason,â | said.
Zane looked at me like | was crazy.
âWe should wait and see if he does anything else suspicious. Heâs a f ucking rogue, we have like ten times the power he has.â
â| donât think you're going to have a choice soon,â my father said ominously. âIf heâs going to act, he will do it quickly.â
âThen where is he?â | demanded.
âYou'll find him in Stillwood.â