Chapter 13

13

SKYE

N ikolai and I were the last ones in the formal dining room. The room was massive with a table stretching the length of the room that easily sat thirty people, yet only four were already sitting. The elaborate gold and crystal chandeliers illuminated the room, and the ruby red carpet with gold accents looked like something from a movie or a picture. Dark had fallen outside, so I could only imagine the landscape that lay on the other side of the dark floor to ceiling windows.

Dimitri and Alexei were on one end of the table, smiling and laughing easily. I recognized the man and woman seat across from them as the two that had been in the room when I first met Nikolai.

The man was generically good looking, fit with a strong jaw and nose that had clearly been broken more than once. The dark hair around his temples was graying, and he was laughing easily at something Dimitri said.

The woman, however, immediately zeroed in on us when we stepped into the room.

Not us.

Me.

She was staring at me with curious blue eyes, her blonde hair falling in soft waves down her back. She lifted a champagne flute to her lips, the delicate column of her throat working as she swallowed. She set the glass down and watched as Nikolai and I approached.

“Hey,” Dimitri greeted with a smile that he quickly smothered. “How’s Tate?”

“Talking to Dante and Ryder,” I answered softly. “She’s not doing great.”

His lips pressed into a thin line. “If there’s anything we can do, let me know.”

“You can get us on the first plane home,” I said bluntly.

The soft laughter of the woman across from me snagged my attention, but she was grinning at Nikolai.

“Oh, I like this one, Nik,” she said warmly.

Nikolai gave her a tight lipped smile before glancing down at me. “Skye, this is my wife, Natasha.”

Wife, not mate. Interesting.

“Hi,” I said, trying to smile at her.

Natasha stood slowly, moving around her chair to stand in front of me. Her icy gaze moved slowly over me, missing nothing. “I suppose that makes me your wicked stepmother.”

I met her gaze and held it, not entirely sure what the proper reaction to that was.

Whatever I did, Natasha seemed amused. She grinned at me after a beat with a wink. “Truthfully, it’s wonderful to have another woman around. All these men all the time can become a little tedious.”

“Might I remind you, darling, that it’s usually you who invites all the men around?” Nikolai replied dryly. If he was annoyed by that, he certainly didn’t look it. He smirked at her, almost indulgent.

Natasha waved him off with a sigh. “I have needs, Nik.”

Dimitri groaned, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Mama.”

Rolling her eyes, Natasha turned to her son with a reproachful look. “Dima, certainly you’re old enough to understand that women enjoy sex as much as men. I didn’t have your father spend hours telling you how to please a woman because we loathe intimacy.”

I almost choked on my own spit. Jesus.

A muscle ticked in Dimitri’s jaw as he stared at his plate. A second later he slapped Alexei, who hadn’t stopped laughing.

Rubbing his shoulder, Alexei flashed me a smile.

“Speaking of pleasure, this is Tomas,” Natasha said, gesturing to the man still seated beside her. “He’s a... friend of mine.”

Nikolai snorted, shaking his head. “A friend? Is that all he is, wife?”

Natasha grinned unabashedly. “It’s good to have friends from local packs. Helps us with networking.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Tomas told me, taking all of this in stride.

“Same,” I replied, not sure how to navigate this situation.

Thankfully Alexei jumped in, saving me from any more awkwardness.

“Will Tate be okay?” he asked me curiously.

I hesitated before giving a tiny, one-shouldered shrug. “I don’t know. It’s a lot to process.”

“Of course it is. I’ll have one of the staff send some food up to her. Maybe some tea?” Natasha waved over a man that had almost melted into the background.

“That’s... thank you,” I murmured. I doubted tea or food would make Tate feel any better, but it had been awhile since she’d had any food.

The man disappeared behind a door on the far side of the room.

Natasha reached out and took my hand in hers. “Dima told me about the explosion and your pack.”

I ignored the low growl that came from Nikolai as he stepped around me and headed for the head of the table.

Natasha flashed him an irritated look as he passed, not ignoring his reaction at the mention of my pack. She smiled when her eyes came back to mine. “I’m so sorry you can’t be home right now. If there is anything you or your friend need, please tell us.”

“Thank you,” I answered. I managed a small smile.

“Let’s sit, shall we?” Natasha let me go and moved back to her seat, freeing me up to sit in the empty seat to Nikolai’s left.

Alexei flashed me a grin, standing up and moving down a seat so I could sit between him and Dimitri. Dimitri pulled the chair out for me, waiting for me to be settled before sitting back down in the seat to my left.

Natasha rested an elbow on the table, placing her chin in her hand as she studied me from across the table. “You’re very pretty. You must have gotten that from your mother.”

My spine stiffened, not sure if she meant that as an insult or not.

“Thank God for that,” she continued with a laugh. “Anything is better than a miniature Nikolai running around.”

Nikolai sighed and leaned back in his chair, but his gaze was amused as he looked at Natasha. “You’ll have to forgive Tasha, Skye. We so rarely have guests that she forgets her manners.”

She snorted. “My manners are flawless, husband. Need I remind you of the time you destroyed a three hundred year old crystal vase arm wrestling the Alpha of the Obinisk pack?”

“He needed to be taught a lesson,” Nikolai returned with a wolfish grin. “Besides, he didn’t seem overly bothered when you spent the night consoling him.”

Dimitri groaned beside me and shook his head. “Can we not?”

Natasha narrowed her eyes at him. “Who ever would have thought our son would be such a prude?”

“You’re my mother ,” he argued, emphasizing her title. “I don’t need to hear about this. And neither does Skye.”

Natasha waved a hand and fixed her gaze on me. “Skye is a healthy, young female with a bonded mate. I’m sure she understands the physical needs of a woman.”

My eyes went wide, not sure how to answer that.

“Mama!” Dimitri snapped.

Natasha winced, looking genuinely ashamed. “I apologize, Skye. Sometimes my mouth gets the better of me.” She tried to shake off the sudden tension. “My son tells me that you’re bonded?”

I nodded slowly, ignoring the pang of longing as I reached for my own glass of water and sipped from it. “Yeah.”

She and Nikolai exchanged unreadable looks, silently communicating until Natasha finally broke and looked away first.

“A bond is a beautiful thing between mates,” she finally said.

“Tash.” There was no missing the warning in Nikolai’s tone.

Again, Natasha looked at him, lifting her eyebrows as if she was challenging him. Nikolai openly glared back at her.

My eyes volleyed back and forth between them until several people emerged from the side door and brought out plates of food, setting them on the table. One of the men serving leaned over Nikolai’s shoulder and whispered something to him as he set the plate in front of the Alpha.

Nikolai’s eyes immediately went to me for a second before he gave the man a nod, effectively dismissing him.

“What?” I asked, ignoring the food in front of me despite the way my stomach was growling.

Nikolai gave me an unreadable look. “Your friend asked for her own room.”

“What?”

“When we brought her food, she asked if there was a room available for her.”

I started to push back from the table.

“Sit down,” he told me softly.

My fingers curled around the smooth wood of the arms on my chair. “I need to see if Tate is okay.”

“She’s fine,” he assured me, reaching for his wine glass and taking a sip. “I’ve moved her into the room next to yours. It connects through a washroom.”

That wasn’t good enough. “I have to make sure she’s all right.”

“You need to eat,” he countered.

My eyes narrowed, irritation prickling my nerves. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

A fleeting smile crossed his face. “Last I checked, I am the Alpha and that’s exactly what I can do.”

“Nik,” Natasha murmured, her big blue eyes staring imploringly at him.

His gaze cut to her, hardening for a second before coming back to me. “You did just tell her about the death of her father, correct?”

I nodded, teeth clenched.

“She likely needs space right now. Time to sort out her emotions without prying eyes, no matter how well intentioned they are,” he went on, lifting his fork and knife to cut into his steak. Blood seeped out, pooling under the meat.

Admittedly, my mouth watered a little as my wolf and I scented the meat. It smelled freaking delicious, and I was starving.

“I still need to check on her,” I argued.

“Give her an hour to get settled, little wolf,” he continued calmly. “Eat your food while we discuss what we’re doing in the morning. You can check on her when you’re finished here.”

That didn’t sound like the worst plan, but I felt like a shitty friend. If Tate needed someone, I wanted to be there for her.

“Or you can go to your friend now,” Nikolai said with a shrug as he took a bite of food. “But you’ll miss us discussing what we plan to do with the traitor.”

I stiffened, my interest begrudgingly piqued. “Elias?”

He nodded, swallowing. “I plan to begin his interrogation in the morning. I assumed you would have questions of your own.”

“Damn right,” I ground out. “I want to be there.”

“Then sit. Eat. You’ll need your strength.” He flashed me a grin before forking a bite of whipped potatoes. “Tate isn’t going anywhere. You’ll see her soon enough, and your rooms connect so you’ll have direct access to her.”

Damn, he was convincing.

I slowly sat back down.

Nikolai watched me, waiting until I took my first bite of the steak before he started talking.

“Very well,” he said, smiling to himself. “Is there anything either of you can tell me about the Summit meeting that might help us?”

Dimitri sighed next to me. “Not that I haven’t already told you.”

Nikolai nodded, but the corners of his mouth turned down unhappily.

“I still want to know more about why he had that file on me,” I muttered darkly. I took another bite of the meat, biting back a groan of appreciation when it practically melted in my mouth. “And why the hell would he be helping someone like Damien Valois or my uncle.”

“Ah, yes.” Nikolai smiled again, but this time the effect was chilling and terrifying. “Your uncle. I have many questions for him as well.”

“Why?” I asked, trying to ignore the sudden pit in my stomach.

“Dimitri told me how your former pack operated,” Nikolai replied.

The food in my mouth soured. I had to wash it down with a gulp of water. “He did?” I turned my head to stare at Dimitri, trying to figure out exactly what he had said.

That all-too-familiar feeling of shame started to creep over me like a cursed blanket that always showed up no matter how many times I threw it away.

Dimitri cleared his throat, his eyes landing on me. “I told him about the allegations. There was talk of him abusing his role as Alpha, omegas were being treated poorly. It was why you and your mother left.”

Omegas being treated poorly ?

That was the freaking understatement of the freaking year.

And Dimitri knew that. He had sat through the hearing where my mom, aunt, and cousin all gave video testimonies of the horrors that were a daily occurrence in Long Mesa. He had looked ready to kill my uncle and Preston when I told the Council some of the things they had done to me.

Dimitri knew a lot... and he clearly hadn’t shared all of those details with his father.

Our father.

I stared at Dimitri, trying to figure out his angle, but his face stayed completely calm.

“Anything you would like to add, Skye?” Nikolai asked, dragging my attention back to him. Suspicion lingered in his gaze. He knew we were hiding something.

“No,” I managed to get out. I pushed back from the table. “I’m actually really tired. It’s making me feel kind of sick.”

“Of course,” Natasha cut in smoothly, paving the way for my exit. “We shouldn’t have planned such a heavy meal tonight. I’ll have crackers and ginger ale sent up to your room.”

“Thanks.” I smiled at her, making it a point to ignore Nikolai’s gaze.

“Why don’t I walk you to your room?” Dimitri offered, shoving back and standing up. He looked down at Nikolai. “Don’t want you getting lost.”

Nikolai nodded. “Of course. If Skye isn’t feeling well, she should rest.” He smiled at me, but he wasn’t buying my sudden discomfort as an upset stomach.

Even though thinking about Long Mesa and my testimony was giving me just that.

“Thank you. I’ll see you in the morning?” I frowned as I got up. “I really do want to be there when you talk to Elias.”

“Of course,” he repeated. “Sleep well, sweetheart.”

I followed Dimitri out of the room, waiting until we were upstairs and heading towards my room before I grabbed his arm and stopped him.

“What’s your game?” I demanded.

He looked down at my hand on his arm before meeting my gaze. “What game?”

I let him go, but inched closer, lowering my voice. “You know exactly what happened in Long Mesa. Why didn’t you tell him?”

“Because it’s not my story to tell,” he replied after a beat. “It’s yours, and your mom’s, if you want to tell him.”

“So, you just told him Linden was a shitty Alpha? And he wanted you to bring him all the way to Russia to question him about being a bad leader? That Summit was full of awful men. You didn’t bring any of them for him to interrogate.”

Dimitri sighed. “Dad isn’t stupid, Skye.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I was... Fuck, I was furious for you and your mom and the others I had never met that suffered. What Linden did was fucked up ,” he said fiercely, eyes blazing.

“I’m well aware,” I muttered, shaking my head as I wrapped my arms around my waist, hugging myself.

“Elias had a meeting after we got back from hearing your testimony, so I called to check in while he wasn’t around,” he explained. “Dad knew I was upset. I kept it vague about what happened in that room since I didn’t think it concerned us. At that point, we were focused on Elias and his betrayal. And Elias was connected to Damien, which made him connected to—”

“—Linden,” I finished for him.

“Exactly.” He nodded solemnly. “Elias came back, but when he left for his meeting the next morning, I could tell he was flustered. He messed up. He got that call from Damien, and that set him off. He left and left the door to his room unlocked. That’s when I found the file on you.”

“And you came to find Remy?”

Dimitri had been looking for him when found me. We were going to get Remy when the bomb went off, and I was knocked out.

He hesitated. “I called Dad first. Told him what I had found out. About... you and the DNA test. Dad said to get you out of there, away from Elias and the Council and Norwood.”

“And Linden?”

“He said to bring him, too.”

“Why? What questions could he possibly have for Linden that Elias can’t answer?”

Dimitri gave me a strange look. “Your uncle isn’t here for an interrogation, Skye.”

“Nikolai said he has questions for him,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, questions that will help fill in the gap about what happened to you and your mom. After he gets those answers...”

Unease pricked the back of my neck. “After that what?”

“Linden isn’t here for questioning,” Dimitri replied evenly. “He’s here to pay for what he did to you.”

“But Nikolai doesn’t know—”

“He’s smart,” he ground out. “Dad can read between the lines. He knows whatever happened upset me a lot. And he knows that whatever I’m not saying is bad and that it’s about you. He’s holding Linden accountable for whatever happened to you.”

I sucked in a deep breath. “Hold him accountable how?”

Dimitri’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Skye, your uncle will be executed for what he did to you.”