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“Because in order to succeed in this world, you have to remain one step ahead,” she deadpans, moving the blade away from Lo’s throat to point the tip toward me. “You may be content towait and bide your time, but I’m not. I make things happen. You would still be kissing Alpha Paul’s boots if I hadn’t stepped in.”
Her words give me momentary pause, and it’s enough for Archer and Ares to grab ahold of my arms again, hauling me back. “What do you mean,stepped in?” I question, my brow furrowing.
“Paul was an idiot,” she snorts. “Did you really think it washisidea to go after your little girlfriend that night?”
My gaze pings to Chey, who freezes on the spot. Her eyes widen as she processes my mother’s admission, anguish reflecting in them as they slide over to connect with mine.
She set her up.
“Evidently I should’ve just had him kill her off,” Mom scoffs cruelly. “I won’t make that mistake twice.”
She raises the knife to Lo’s throat and all hell breaks loose. Iver’s clothes tear away from his body as he shifts to his wolf and lunges forward. My own wolf pushes at my skin as I frantically shout, “Pack! Protect your Luna!” and my enforcers pour in from all sides at my command, ready and willing to carry out their oath they swore to me earlier; protect Lo at all costs, even if I fall.
I spring forward into the fray, sprinting across the parking lot toward Lo. I hear the thunder of footsteps pounding the pavement all around me, but just as we’re closing in, my mom presses the blade of the knife against Lo’s neck. My brave, beautiful mate winces as it breaks the skin, a drop of blood pooling up at the tip.
“Stand down!” I bark, slamming to a stop as fear claws at my throat, cutting off my airway like a noose.
It’s like time grinds to a halt.
The drop of blood drips down Lo’s neck.
And while everyone else remains frozen in place, I slowly inch closer, holding up my palms in surrender.
“Ma, please,” I beg, my voice breaking. “Don’t do this.”
Lo’s clear blue eyes are wide with fear, but I see a spark of something else in them. My girl is a fighter, and she’s not about to go down like this.
My mate suddenly lifts a knee, stomping her foot down hard on top of my mom’s and using the moment of stunned surprise to her advantage, grappling to free herself from her hold. Chaos ensues as I spring into action, pouncing on my mom to rip her arms away from Lo’s body and grasping for her weapon.
Iver’s wolf swoops in to push Lo toward Madd, who tugs her away from the fray while I continue to scuffle with my mom in an attempt to get ahold of the knife. She waves it around wildly, stabbing and slashing, the blade grazing my skin and carving a deep slice across my bicep. I hiss out a curse at the sting of the silver, finally managing to pry the knife away, and just as my fingers close around the hilt I feel the distinct squish of the blade sinking into flesh.
My mom staggers back with a gasp, hands clutching at her stomach. My eyes widen when I see the blood blooming beneath them and soaking into the fabric of her white shirt.
“Mijo,” she croaks as her knees wobble beneath her and she falls to the ground.
I rush to her side, crouching down beside my mother with the knife still firmly in my grip. Her eyes flicker to the silver blade, coated in crimson, then return to mine.
“Finish the job,” she rasps, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth as she stares up at me with those cold, soulless eyes. “Prove you’re worth a damn. Prove you’re his son.”
With my gaze still trained on hers, I hold the knife out at my side, uncurling my fingers from the hilt until it falls to the pavement with a clatter. “I’llneverbe like him,” I growl.
I vaguely hear footsteps approaching, Chey stooping down next to me to pick up the weapon from the ground. For a second, I’m relieved that she thought to grab it before my mom could.
But then, with a cry of rage, Cheyenne lunges forward. Blood sprays my face as she slashes the blade across my mother’s throat.
35
When I started to fall for Javi, I considered how I’d eventually come clean with my friends and family about him being my mate. However it went down, I imagined it’d be messy, butthis? This is a total clusterfuck.
As soon as Javi ordered his pack to ‘protect their Luna’, there was no more hiding the twist that fate threw our way. And while I’m nottechnicallyhis Luna, since we haven’t sealed our mate bond by marking each other yet, that declaration was enough for everyone present to connect the dots. I heard the gasps of surprise; saw the shocked expressions on my friend’s faces. Then things went completely sideways, and the last thing I saw before my brother shoved me in my car to get me the hell out of there was Delilah bleeding out on the pavement while Madd and Archer hauled Javi to his feet.
That’s also the moment I finally felt my wolf begin to stir again. After being knocked out for hours by the wolfsbane, she suddenly shoved forward in a groggy panic, desperate to get to our mate. No amount of begging could make Iver turn the car around, though, and all I could do was grit my teeth against the strain of the bond tugging in my chest as he drove us straight to the Goldenleaf packhouse, grilling me about my relationship with Javi the entire way.
Since there’s no point in hiding anymore, I told Iver everything. I came clean about the night of the full moon, our meetups at the cabin after, and Liv identifying Javi’s mom from one of the surveillance photos. The only thing I left out was a recounting of our more intimate moments, figuring it’d probably be best to spare him the dirty details of his sister’s sex life. You’d think he’d appreciate that, but instead I just got an earful about putting myself in harm’s way and how keeping secrets could’ve gotten me killed, which I suppose is fair considering I was just threatened at knifepoint and all.
The senior alphas of the alliance were already waiting at Madd’s packhouse when we arrived, and I was immediately ushered into the kitchen to be sequestered from their debate while Iver filled them in on what went down at the motel. Sloane took one look at my exhausted face and put on some coffee, hanging back in the kitchen with me under the guise of ‘keeping me company’, but then I heard the other guys arrive with Javi and without even thinking, I made a break for the doorway to go to him. Sloane stepped in to block my path, regret shining in her eyes as she admitted that she was instructed to keep me in this room.
So I guess my mate isn’t the only one on trial here today.
