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I see a flicker of emotion in Hester. She is tired, but there’s also fear there. I didn’t expect to feel any sympathy for her, but the way her shoulders drop has me wondering about her past.
“You’re scared.” I can’t stop my words from sounding like an accusation as they spill from my mouth. I didn’t mean it like that, but I won’t take them back either.
“There’s nothing that scares me in this life.”
“Everyone is scared of something,” Dove offers.
“What did the white-haired man do to you?” I press, knowing I’m on to something here.
Cade watches both Hester and me. “Answer him.”
For a moment, there’s nothing but silence. Is she really not going to tell us things that could help? What does she know?
“There is no stopping this. He is an unrelenting monster. The only way to survive is to hide. Trust me. I know.”
“Can we talk about this surviving thing?” Sawyer’s voice drips with sarcasm. “Is that the daily magic the girls have to perform just to keep the Order from finding us, or maybe it’s the hiding out in the woods, never getting to leave the safety of the wards? Or was it the midnight attacks where they tried to steal our mates away? Please, do enlighten us.”
“The wards are stronger now.”
“Yeah, because there are more of you, but this fucker—whoever he is—is building an army of tau-vargr hybrids. How powerful do you think they are going to be when they start coming of age? Let’s face it, we’re on borrowed time here.”
I didn’t expect my pack brothers to jump on board with this, but I’m grateful they have. At least if we stay together, we can protect each other. Somehow along the way, I lost sight of that.
I unmute my pack link, needing to feel my brothers in my head, and the familiar sense of them surrounds me, offering comfort in a way I didn’t expect.
Welcome back, Sawyer says as Wyatt chips in with a, Hey stranger.
Are you keeping it on? This question comes from Halle, who was the last to join our pack after she mated with Cade.
I consider my answer before I give it. Dove’s right. We are stronger together. We’re going to need each other.
My attention is dragged back suddenly as Halle steps around Cade, inserting herself between him and the tau female. “What does he have on you that makes you so scared? In fact, who is this he?”
“He doesn’t have anything over me.”
“Stop lying.”
Cade tenses, ready to pull his mate back if Hester decides to do anything.
“All you need to know is that the man is dangerous, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. The only way to stay alive is to keep out of his way. We keep finding tau, we keep saving them, but that is all we can do.” Her throat bobs as she blinks rapidly, and for the first time ever, I watch as she lets a crack open, giving us a brief glimpse at her vulnerability.
“Every day we waste his army grows. Soon, we are not going to be able to fight, even if we want to. We have to strike now.” This comes for Beck, standing at Callum’s side.
Hester shakes her head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” I answer, no longer able to stay quiet. “Dove and I were locked up like animals, probably forced to rut as part of his sordid fucking plan. We didn’t have the safety or comfort of a fucking sanctuary. And then, to make matters even worse, they decimated any memories we had of our life before.” I drag my fingers through my hair, my body shaking with frustration. Dove moves closer, her heat calming me a little as she squeezes my hand.
“I’m tired of the games,” Cade finally states. “If you want us to stay, you have to give us a reason. You have to tell us something. Because you sure as hell know more than you’re letting on.”
Hester closes her eyes, torment marring her face. “I’m terrified of him, and if you knew what he’s capable of, you would be too.” She lets out a shaky breath. “The white-haired man… the asshole in charge of all of this… he’s my brother.”
Chapter 18
Jackson
Her words make me jolt. She is related to the guy who is taking our kind? Who is forcing heat on them? The man who took Dove and me, who messed with our minds, and did fuck knows what to our bodies?
I can barely focus on anything but the ringing in my ears. My fingers curl into a fist at my side, the other hand wrapped around Dove’s wrist, ready to pull her back if my brothers start to fight.
