AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s great to meet you, Sadie, but I’m guessing this is more than a social call? What do you need?” I asked her, getting straight to the point. Ryder rolled his eyes at me, but he was watching Sadie as closely as I was. So was Sam. She was getting increasingly fidgety. Which showed she was nervous about something more than meeting us.
“I came because I want to meet the omegas here and help them figure out what comes next. It was Constance’s dream to free them from the Palace and I want to make sure where they end up is an improvement, despite the Crash. I have resources to help and can give them options.”
“That sounds great. Lexie and Ava have already started on that, so we can get to that in a minute,” I said. “What else?”
Sadie grinned at me, startling me. “I’ve heard about you. Gus, is a fan of yours. He says you’re a straight shooter and highly observant. He wanted you and Ryder to work more closely with us, but it didn’t fit your plans. I’m glad you found Ava.”
Gus was my contact in the Network. It turned out he was also Sam’s, but they had a much closer partnership. Gus was crotchety at times, but had a sharp mind and an agenda that mostly matched mine, so we’d worked together well.
“Thank you,” I said, keeping it simple. If she thought her pretty speech would distract me, though, she was wrong.
She sighed when I didn’t lose focus at her change of tack. “You’re right, there is something else, but it’s private. Is Maia here, Sam?”
Sam was instantly on alert, as were Lexie and Ava. “No, she’s at the farm. What do you need with Maia?”
“I was hoping to talk to you both together, but it will have to be you. Can we go somewhere?”
Sam gave an amused chuckle. “If we go somewhere private, this lot will just listen at the door. I don’t have any secrets. We can talk here.”
I was suddenly intensely grateful for these pack dynamics and the way they seemed to be completely open with each other. Because Ava tensing up protectively at the mention of Maia had riled up my alpha.
“Okay,” Sadie seemed surprised, but leaned down to pull something out of the backpack she’d dropped at her feet. “I have a letter for you.”
Sam groaned as he reached over and took it from her outstretched hand.
“Is there a problem?” she asked.
“No. I love letters. But in the last one I found addressed to me, I lost a grandfather and a brother, and gained a half brother.”
“I see,” Sadie said, a frown marring her features.
“I take it you know who Maia and I really are?” Sam asked her, his bright blue gaze fixed on her, looking for signs of dishonesty. Ava had filled us in on Sam and Maia’s history. Their abduction from Maven and how they’d been secretly adopted and hidden in plain sight amongst betas. They’d only recently found out they weren’t related to their gramps who had raised them, or the mother who had abandoned them.
Sadie hesitated for a heartbeat, and I wasn’t sure she’d answer. She swallowed hard. “Yes. I’m one of the few who knew who your parents really were. If you already know that, it may make this letter easier. I haven’t read it, but I can guess what’s in there.”
My eyes stayed fixed on Sam, but I reached up behind me and patted Wolf’s hand. He’d tensed up at the mention of Hunter. Ava was right. These packs were a giant, interwoven family.
“Who is it from?” Sam asked as he flipped the letter back and forth in his hand.
“Constance,” Sadie said, her voice breaking a little on the name.
Sam sucked in a breath and opened it, as Lexie wrapped her arms around him. He angled it so she could read over his shoulder. I watched them closely and noticed Sam’s hand shake as he read. Lexie took the letter from him and held it up between them while he rubbed his hands on his damp jeans. He was silent for a moment, as he seemed to focus on his breathing.
“Tell me,” Pala begged him from beside Lexie. Lexie immediately passed him the letter.
“Sorry, Pala.” Sam shook his head a little. “It turns out Constance was our aunt. Her sister was Maven’s omega, our mother. When our mother died, she convinced our gramps to take us and hide us away. Constance was close with her sister and felt helpless when she couldn’t save her. She said she started the Network to track the people responsible, trying to bring them down, and save as many other omegas as she could. She wanted to reach out to us, but knew Maven was hunting her and it would draw attention. She says we’re the future of the Network. That its founding members are getting old and they need to think about succession and bringing in new blood. She wants Sadie, Maia, and me to be the next generation of the Network and lead it into the future.”
Sam delivered the words matter-of-factly, as if he was slightly shell-shocked. Sadie looked sad, but not surprised, as she’d said. It struck me how the webs created by a pack nobody knew existed kept pulling us together.
“Wow,” Pala said, as he reached behind Lexie and gripped the back of Sam’s neck. They all had the same slightly dazed look, as if they’d been rolling with the punches for a while now.
“Maia is going to be gutted that she never got to meet her,” Lexie said quietly.
I suddenly felt as if we were intruding on something intensely personal. “We’ll leave you guys to talk and come back later.”
“No, stay,” Lexie said before I could lift Ava off my lap, and Sam nodded.
Sadie looked awkwardly at Sam. “Constance told me how much she wanted to meet you. She dreamed about it being possible one day. Your gramps sent her photos, and she kept them in a safe. But she knew having her in your life would put you in even more danger.”
