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“Grace and I... we’re mates,” Lex blurts out, and you could hear a pin drop in the room as we all take a moment to let that sink in.
Max’s eyes are wide as he stares at Grace, a mix of shock and big brother worry all over his face. “How’d that even happen?” he asks, looking like he can’t believe his ears.
Chewing on her lip, Grace looks torn between wanting to spill everything and holding back. Her eyes keep darting to Lex, like she feels a magnetic pull to him. “Thea,” she starts, her voice a bit shaky. “She snagged your beanie right after you visited oneday.” She gives Lex this cute, warm smile that makes him light up.
“My beanie,” he repeats, grinning like it’s some sort of private joke between them.
Grace nods, and it’s obvious she’s barely hanging onto reality, knowing Lex is her mate. Max moves like he wants to comfort her, but then he stops short when she reaches for Lex instead.
“She would sit next to me, and I’d catch this amazing smell,” Grace continues, sinking back down next to Lex and curling up against his side. My brother starts purring, and it seems to give her the push she needs to keep talking. “Every Friday, she’d hit me with his scent. Then by Sunday, when you guys would visit...”
“It’d be gone,” Avery chimes in, looking Grace over like he’s trying to make sure she’s all good.
“Exactly,” Grace says, giving Lex’s chin a playful nudge. “Then Thea throws this curveball, asking if I want to meet her brother. She had his beanie, and I just needed that scent.”
Max kneels down in front of his sister, his face like an open book of emotions he can’t quite pin down. “She set you up with a scent match,” he says, piecing it together.
Turning to Lex, I need to know. “How long have they had you here?” I’m scared to even touch him, afraid I’ll hurt him more.
He makes a face, like he’s not too keen on answering. “You’re not going to like it.”
“Just spill it, Lex,” I say, feeling a knot of worry in my stomach.
“I got jumped last time we met,” Lex tells me, reaching for my hand. I can’t hide my shock. “Don’t give me that look. I was just leaving the apartment and bumped into this council dude at the end of your street.”
“Who?” Max demands, his voice sharp.
Lex scrunches up his face, trying to remember. “Guy looked kind of squirrelly. Had a fresh mating mark.” He’s frowning hard now. “Name’s something like a bird...”
My eyes go wide as it hits me. “Finch,” I blurt out.
“Yeah, that’s him. One second, he’s chatting about the weather, the next, his buddy’s pistol-whipping me.” Lex reaches up to his head, wincing as he touches a dried blood spot.
Max shakes his head, concerned. “You probably have a concussion too. You guys can’t move.”
The wheels in my head are turning fast. “So we know who, but why?” Thea’s twisted plan is making a bit more sense, but there are still missing pieces.
Max catches on to something. “Wait, did you say mated?”
“Yeah, the guy’s got a fresh mate mark,” Lex confirms.
As the details start to piece together, the bigger picture of Thea’s scheme becomes clearer, but it’s like we’re still missing a few puzzle pieces.
“Finch isn’t mated,” Avery mutters, pacing around. He runs his fingers along the wall, as if he’s searching for a way out.
Lex insists, “Oh, he definitely is. He reeks of Thea. I only pieced it together when I noticed they are always tailing her, like loyal puppies, and there’s something weird about her scent.”
Thea mated? My mind races. Why would she mess with our lives like this? Was it all just some twisted game to her?
I press for more details. “Off how?”
Lex hesitates, then says, “I think she might be pregnant.”
“What?” Max almost roars. “That’s impossible. The patients aren’t allowed?—”
“They were there after you left,” I add, biting my cheek. Everything is spiraling out of control.
“We can’t just sit here,” Avery cuts in, giving the door a frustrated kick. “We need to find a way out now.”
