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Seeing her like this, smiling and laughing again after everything she’d been through, filled me with a sense of gratitude that she was okay, and relief flooded each morning when I woke to find her safe in my bed. When I caught her laughing with Abi or cooing over Sofia, my heart swelled, grateful for the normalcy that was slowly seeping back into our lives. Well, as much normalcy as could be expected.
Despite the lingering threats, despite the looming presence of Tomas, Mariah was healing, and her resilience astounded me. As if she’d sensed where my thoughts had turned, she rested her head on my shoulder, murmuring, “It’s been three days, Evan.”
Her words carried an unspoken question, a fear that’d taken root since we first called Jax. He’d been roughed up, the object of his father’s wrath once Tomas discovered it was Jaxon who helped Mariah escape. Jax promised to contact us again with more information, but we had yet to hear from him, and my patience waned with each passing day.
“I’m not sure when we’ll hear from him, Mariah,” I confessed, my words heavy with skepticism I couldn’t shake. Honestly, I couldn’t be sure if we’d hear from him at all.
Mariah stiffened. “This again? How many times do I have to tell you we can trust Jax?”
I tried to hold in a sigh when I stopped before the last bend and lowered her to her feet. Mariah might be convinced Jaxon was on our side, but he had a long way to go to prove it. I was grateful he’d aided in Mariah’s escape, but there was so much we didn’t know. I simply wouldn’t risk putting Mariah in danger due to misplaced loyalty.
There was a mixture of challenge and empathy in her face when I looked at her. I rubbed her arms gently up and down.
“Mariah, I owe him one,” I said. “Jaxon got you out. He risked his neck to make sure you were safe.” My chest tightened as I spoke, the idea of Mariah trapped in Tomas’s cold clutches still a vivid nightmare in my mind. “That means something to me, but that doesn’t mean we can forget who he is. Whose son he is.”
My words hung between us in the air, a stark reminder of the situation we faced, very different from our teasing just a few moments ago. Those moments were the ones which really mattered.
Sebastian and I wanted to take Tomas Hawthorne down for the last time. But I wasn’t alone in my skepticism. The clan leader and I both had our doubts. What was really motivating Jaxon? Why did he help Mariah, inviting his father’s wrath onto himself?
I’d been on board when Mariah reached out to him to see if he could help, even if I hadn’t liked the way he’d spoken to Mariah one bit. He was entirely too forward and familiar with the woman who belonged with me. I’d go so far as to say he was flirting with her, something that had me grinding my teeth even now, but I’d still been willing to see how he might be of use.
Until we learned of his parentage.
Finding out Jaxon was Tomas Hawthorne’s one and only son had killed my initial hope. Instead, I questioned his motives. Was this part of some grand, unseen game Tomas was playing?
“I hear you, Evan.” Mariah never wavered. “I understand where you and Sebastian are coming from. But I still think—no, I believe Jax is trustworthy. He gained nothing by helping me escape. If anything, he put himself in danger since Tomas treated his own son as a punching bag when he found out.” Her eyes flashed in anger. “I don’t see that as a sign of someone who’s our enemy.”
As we stood there, bathed in the heat of the Texas’ afternoon sun, I admired Mariah, even if we disagreed. She had a way of seeing the best in people, a way of cutting through the uncertainty and finding the underlying truth. It was one of the many reasons I loved her. Hell, she’d seen through my own walls all those months ago and seen me for who I really was. But we had to tread carefully around these uncertain waters. As long as Tomas loomed in the shadows, that meant questioning everything, even the actions of those who seemed like our allies.
“Mariah.” I didn’t want to alienate her, but I also needed her to understand. “There’s still so much you don’t know about this world. About our dynamics, our politics. All of that comes into play here with the Hawthornes.”
“Then, tell me.”
Her eyes shimmered with curiosity, but deep down I wished to shield her from the most complicated parts of my life. I knew better than that, though. Mariah wasn’t one to shy away from challenges or be kept in the dark. It was only fair I let her in. She was willing to face so much just to be with me, and she needed to know how things worked.
I tightened my grip on her hand and led her around the corner where the trees stopped, and a massive rock jutted out. Keeping my eyes on her, I pulled her forward, loving the look of awe on her face when she saw the panoramic view of the Carey clan lands spread out before us.
Her mouth dropped open as she took it all in. It was only when she looked down that she looked uncertain.
“Come.” I laced my fingers with hers, guiding Mariah forward a few feet before sitting down on the wide, flat surface of the outcropping.
She sat down next to me, shaking her head. “I can’t believe this view. Why have you not brought me up here before?”
I grinned and leaned over to kiss her cheek, wrapping an arm around her. “There are even more places I want to show you. We just haven’t had time to explore all of them yet.” The land was vast.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, just taking in the view, but eventually Mariah’s curiosity got the best of her. “So, what were you going to say? About the clan politics.”
I scooted a bit closer, wanting to feel her body pressed against mine. “In our world, Jax’s situation isn’t that different from mine. Both of us are sons of powerful alphas, and both of us are illegitimate.” Mariah stiffened as I ran my fingers over her hand.
“I know what you’re thinking. It might not matter much in the human world, but the shifter world is different. We take tradition seriously, especially when it comes to succession. In most cases, the title of clan alpha is passed from father to son, but our roles aren’t automatically given to us just because of blood ties. Being an illegitimate son doesn’t guarantee succession. In fact, it’s practically unheard of in the clans. But there are also cases where even a legitimate son isn’t guaranteed succession.”
That’d been the case with Lucas and me. The fallout were severe, and while we were working to repair the damage that was done when I was banished, it wasn’t easy.
Mariah squeezed my hand, knowing exactly what I was thinking, offering strength and comfort.
I took another deep breath. “My point is alphas must prove their worth. Tomas could be testing Jax right now.”
Mariah frowned. “Testing him?”
