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I knew I had gone pale, because I could feel the blood rushing from my head down to my feet and leaking from my very being. How did Dad know what Pac said to me before he hit me on the side of the head and took off with Sandy?
“He said all that, didn’t he?” Dad now demanded.
“Yes, but how—?”
Dad held up a hand and motioned for Jacob and Bruno to take a seat at the table as well. He ran a hand through his thinning hair and released a big sigh. Mom came in at this point and put both her hands on his shoulders, which seemed to give him strength. He looked up at her then, a question on his face, and she bent down to whisper in his ear, though we could all hear what she said: “Julian is nowhere to be found. No one’s sure where he went.”
When he looked up again, he was back to his alpha self with a thunderous look in his eyes. Shaking his head, he continued, “I should have let Pac go when he was younger. I should have sent him to an older pack where the alpha could control him better. But your mom and I had just found each other, and Pac had helped to bring us together. If not for him, you boys would not exist.Iwould not exist.”
Mom sat down next to Dad and held his hand. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand as he told their story. How he had found Mom and Dredge, all skin and bones. How they had wandered into Chen territory and met Mom’s grandfather for the first time. How Pac was like a son to Mom’s grandfather and saved the day by saving Dad.
“I know you boys know this story already, but what you don’t know is what your great-grandfather said when we told him we were adopting Pac.”
I arched an eyebrow at Luc, who shrugged his shoulder. Clearly, he hadn’t heard this part yet either.
“Your great-grandfather warned us to watch out for Pac,” Dad continued. “He told us that he was more cunning than he let on. That he would cause trouble for us.”
Dad sighed, and Mom put an arm around him. I thought I heard her say, “We didn’t know. We did the best we could.”
“I should have known better,” Dad said. “But I was starting a new pack and relied on Pac a lot. Dredge was still young and helped out where he could, but Pac was who I turned to. I became too dependent on him.”
He paused, collecting his thoughts, and we all silently waited for him to continue.
“I started suspecting something when I found two pack members in my office one night, snooping around. This was when you two boys were small; Jacob and Bruno hadn’t come along yet. They swore they were acting alone, but no one knew the code to my office except for me, your mom, and Pac. And I know your mom would never give it to a single soul. There was also the fact that these two particular wolves were ones Pac had brought into the pack. He had made a big deal about them joining. Proclaimed they were trained scouts who had been kicked out of their other pack for no good reason and needed a new home. I’m the first to admit it made me happy to be known as the leader that would take in strays, no questions asked.”
“You used to not question them?” Jacob asked in amazement. “You give them the third degree now.”
“I learned my lesson the hard way.” Dad’s stare was so powerful that we all looked down. He continued, “When my office was broken into a second time, they were very meticulous and didn’t leave a thing in disarray. But I knew they’d been in there because of the lingering smell they left behind. I always thought it odd that they would try such a thing, knowing I could pinpoint them just by their smell the next day. But what was odd was the smell wasn’t one I recognized.”
Mom rubbed his arm as Dad continued, “I put up a camera, but I never caught anyone. After a year, your mom made me take down the camera, saying it made her feel like she was under lock and key being watched every day.”
“And that was my mistake,” Mom said. “Pac had taken care of my grandfather so well I believed he was good. That no one could be as bad as my own father and his pack. But I’ve since learned there are shifters out there who are just as bad as my father and ex-husband, those who want power more than anything—even over those we love.”
Dad patted Mom’s hand and gave it a squeeze. I wanted that—that partner in life I could lean on and give comfort to. My wolf howled inside my head, and I pushed him back.Becca; I know!I told him, but he wouldn’t stop howling. I clutched my head with both hands, trying to silence him. The action didn’t go unnoticed.
“Your wolf will not let you go without your mate now that he’s found her,” Dad said. “There’s no escaping your fate.”
I dropped my hands to the table and leaned my forehead on them in defeat. “I love her too much to hurt her.”
“You are a fool,” Dad said. “It took Pac kidnapping your sister for us to see how far over the deep end he’d gone. Maybe he was always like that, we don’t know, but that night you were with Sandy, you did nothing wrong. Do you hear me? You saved Sandy.”
“How? How did I do that, Dad, when I was out cold? He knocked me senseless and then ran off with her. If you and the pack hadn’t come to track them down, she would be lost. I was completely useless!”
“You’re wrong, Brandon. Those words Pac said to you are the same words he said to me before he went after Sandy.”
Dad paused to let those words sink in. I could see Luc and the others sit up a little straighter, their eyes laser-focused on Dad.
He continued, “Pac had asked for a meeting with your mom and me. We were so busy with you young ones that it had been a while since we spent time with Pac. Feeling guilty, your mom asked Dredge to look after Sandy, Luc, and you that morning so we could have a nice brunch with Pac.
“But that brunch did not turn out the way we thought it would. Pac came in that morning with ulterior motives, saying he wanted me to put in writing that he would be alpha of this pack when I stepped down. He threatened to harm the lot of you if I didn’t agree. Of course, I said no, and that’s when he spewed those words at me—the same ones he later said to you.”
“But . . . how?”
“I’m getting there. Dredge was reluctant to look after the three of you, so he persuaded Sandy to watch over you, Brandon, while he took Luc hunting. After Pac realized he wasn’t going to get what he wanted, he left me and your mom and went straight to where you and Sandy were playing near the pond. Unbeknownst to us, he had been making a move on Sandy, persuading her that he was her mate. We later found out this was his backup plan. But you boys know your sister; she’s as stubborn as all of you put together and would not leave with him. Brandon; I believe you remember this part, at least—where Sandy put up a fight when Pac tried to take her.”
I nodded, remembering the surprise and hurt in Sandy’s voice when Pac got forceful. I felt her hand slide into mine and squeeze tightly as I said, “I tried to bite Pac, and he threw me off like I was a—”
“Pup. He threw you off like you were a pup because you were a pup, Brandon! You weren’t even a year old. There was no way you could have battled with a wolf who was trained to be one of the best guards in our pack. You didn’t stand a chance. And you were just one pup, all on your own.
