AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Welcome andcongratulations,” Cades said. “Have a seat. Can I get you anythingto eat or drink?” She picked up the plates and put them in thesink.
“No thanks,” Kashsaid.
When everyone was seated, Jason said,“So tell us what’s going on.”
Kash looked at Bella and gave her anencouraging smile.
She inhaled quickly, bit her bottomlip for just a moment, then said, “Would I be right in saying thatKinley didn’t tell you where I was from?”
Jason glanced at Cades and sheshrugged at him. “She told us you were from Rhone, which isn’t atown we recognize. Why?”
“My parents are the alphas.Brett and Grace Sullivan.”
When that didn’t seem toregister with the alphas, she continued, “You know my grandfather,Jake Sullivan, former alpha of the Garra Pack.”
Jason’s eyes went wide, his browsrising. Cades’ mouth fell open.
“I didn’t tell Kinley notto mention it or anything, I think she just didn’t realize it wasan issue. I actually didn’t think it would be an issue either, butI also didn’t tell my parents I’d be coming to hang out here forthe full moon. I…didn’t tell them I left town.”
Jason’s brows drew down.Cades said, “You just left? You didn’t clear it with youralphas?”
She told them how shewasn’t ever able to shift. “When my grandma was killed by thatbullet, my wolf just retreated. I could feel her there, but shewouldn’t come out. No one knew if I’d ever be able to shift, andthere was a lot of speculation in the pack that I actually couldn’tshift and would never. I haven’t hung out with my pack in months.It’s hard being on the outside of things, seeing the disapprovalfrom people I’ve known my whole life. I know it rubbed my dad thewrong way, even though he never outwardly said anything. I’m hisoldest, I should have been able to shift.” She shook her head.“Anyway, I called them this morning and they were pissed. Or atleast my dad is. My mom isn’t from the Garra Pack originally so shedidn’t have a strong opinion about this pack one way or the other,but she does defer to my dad.”
Jason settled back in the chair. “Whydid you come here in the first place?”
“Kinley thought a change ofpace would do my wolf good.”
“You met her at thosedances?” Cades asked.
“Yeah. My brother and hisfriends would go with me sometimes. I’d hoped to meet someone whowouldn’t care that I couldn’t shift.” She looked at Kash and gavehim a half-smile. “Kinley was right about me coming here, because Imet Kash and he brought out my wolf. I can’t really explain it, butKash feels like home to me, like my life was just waiting to getstarted here.”
“That’s all well andgood,” Cades said, “but you said your dad is angry. You left townon the full moon and communed with another pack without permission.You potentially put us in a bad position with your parents,especially considering our history.”
Jason grimaced. “Did you think itwould be okay for you to come here? Did you think your dad would befine with it? I can tell you that as an alpha, I’d be furious if apack member just ducked out without letting me know in order tohang out with another pack, let alone the depths of my rage thatwould happen if it were a family member.”
Bella closed her eyes andlowered her head. Kash wanted to protect her and tell Jason to fuckall the way off with his disapproving tone, but he knew he wasright. Bella had made a choice and now she had to deal with thefallout.
Her hand was ice cold when he linkedtheir fingers, and a fine tremble shook her as she lifted her headand looked at the alphas.
“I know what I did waswrong, but I genuinely didn’t think it would be that big of a deal.My parents have never cared if I was at the hunt since I couldn’tparticipate. And as far as the issues between the two packs, mywhole life I was told that my uncle died during a wolf fight and Iwas never told any details. When I called my parents this morning,my dad said I betrayed him and called you a…” her voice dropped offand she lowered her head again.
“Called me what?” Jasonasked.
Bella wouldn’t lift herhead. He could feel her fear like it was a living thing, and hewanted to cover her with his wings and fly her the hell away.Instead, he filled in the words. “I overheard the conversation. Hesaid you were a murderer. That you killed his brother.”
“What?” Cades demanded.“That’s not accurate at all.”
“Hold on,” Jason said,putting a hand on her shoulder. “Brett’s right in a way. I did killChris, but I’m not a murderer, I delivered pack justice. Yourgrandfather was alpha at the time, and he supported my decision.I’m certain he grieved what happened, but he didn’t try tointervene.” He gave them an appraising look. “Do you know whathappened? Why I had to fight Chris?”
Bella lifted her head again. “No. Theynever talked about it.”
Jason and Cades took turns telling thestory, about a time before they mated when Alpha Jake, Bella’sgrandfather, had given Jason thirty days to claim his truemateCadence, or he wouldn’t stop his oldest son, Chris, from claimingher for himself.
“The night we matedofficially in front of the pack,” Cades said, “Jason went out tohunt and I went to bed to rest until he returned. Chris and a fewof his buddies took out the security team and drugged me. Heplanned to…” her voice stopped as she choked up. Brushing tearsfrom her cheeks, Cades, said, “Shit I didn’t think this wouldbother me after so many years.”
“He planned to rape andforce-mate her,” Jason said. “I gathered the pack and we found andrescued her before anything could happen. It’s against packlaw—both of our packs—that interfering in a mating the way Chrisdid is punishable by death. We shifted and fought, and I killedhim. My pack hunted down the ones that helped him.” He shook hishead. “Renee was torn up by it of course, no matter that he’d goneoff the deep end mentally, he was still her son. Jake decided totake the pack and move. Our packs had shared Allen for decades, sowhen they left there was a void—empty homes and closed businesses.I never knew where they settled, so when Kinley told me that youwere from a pack in Rhone, it didn’t occur to me to ask who youralphas were.”
“Kinley didn’t know, pleasedon’t be angry with her,” Bella said.
