Chapter 56

56

SKYE

“ K aty and Maren will be here in ten minutes,” Larkin said, ducking her head into the room where I was sitting with my father in the Windale Alpha house. She flashed up both a tired smile.

It had been a long twenty-four hours since the challenge ended and we were all feeling it.

“Okay,” I agreed as Larkin moved out of the doorway to the formal living room Nikolai and I were sitting in.

“How is Katy’s girlfriend?” he asked gently.

I sighed. She was doing okay, but it had been a long twenty-four hours. After winning the challenge, and Norwood finally standing down, we finally had space to breathe. Maren had been sort of out of it when we brought her back with us, and she’d been holed up with Katy for most of the day.

After Trace surrendered, Remy and Lulu had bound him to his wolf form. He’d slunk off into the woods with his tail between his legs. The doctor from Windale had set Remy’s arm and stitched up his shoulder. I had stayed up most of the night, watching him sleeping next to me to reassure myself he was really okay.

That we were all okay.

Damien’s body had been cremated and would be returned to his widow when we went to Norwood tomorrow. Everything was happening fast now, faster than I could keep up with.

Which was why I was a little grateful that my dad had grabbed me to talk for a few minutes. There was something we needed to settle between us.

“I won’t keep you,” he told me quickly. “I just wanted to see how you were faring this morning. Yesterday was rather taxing.”

I snorted. “That’s an understatement. But I’m okay.”

“And Remy?”

“He’s good,” I said with a smile. “Doctor thinks he’ll have the cast off by the end of the week. The break was clean, so it’ll heal fast.”

“That’s good news.”

I fidgeted for a second. “I need to give you back your pack.”

Sighing, he nodded and rubbed his jaw. “I had a feeling this was coming after what I said yesterday.”

I looked down at my hands, not wanting to see any disappointment in his eyes. “Blackwater is my home. They’re my pack. I know you gave me Narodnaya to get the other Alphas to agree to help—”

His hand covered mine. “I was happy to do it. And I would still be happy to see you rule Narodnaya. You would make a magnificent Alpha.”

“I won’t ask Remy to give up Blackwater,” I said quietly, lifting my eyes. “And truth be told? I don’t want to give it up either. That pack saved me when I was a scared kid on the run with Mom. My friends and some of my family are there.”

He smiled at that. “I understand, little wolf. But you will always have a home with me.”

“I know,” I replied, feeling the prick of tears sting the backs of my eyes. “I had no idea I would find you or Dimitri.”

“You’re welcome in our home anytime. I’ll even send the plane for you,” he added with a wink. “And your room will stay yours.”

I drew in a cleansing breath. “So, how do I give you back your pack?”

“Well, I could challenge you.” He grinned at me, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

A laugh burst from my chest. “I think you’d win.”

“Perhaps,” he allowed with a small smile.

“But really. How do we do this?” I asked, a little unsure about the proper protocol to surrender a pack.

“Do what?” Remy asked, his frame mostly filling the empty doorway. He gave me a soft smile and sat down beside me.

“Give my dad his pack back,” I said.

Remy nodded slowly at me. We had talked about this last night, and he knew I was planning to give up Narodnaya. He grabbed my hand in his and squeezed supportively.

“There’s no need for formal protocol,” my dad told me. “Just... give it back.”

“Okay,” I replied with an amused chuckle. “I give you your pack back.”

“Our pack,” he corrected.

“Our pack,” I agreed. Blackwater was my home, but there was no denying the pull that my wolf and I felt for Narodnaya.

He dipped his head in acknowledgement. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to send some of the men ahead into Norwood. I don’t want any surprises when we arrive tomorrow.”

“You’re coming with us?” Remy asked, surprised.

Nikolai paused where he was standing now. “If that’s all right with you, Alpha?”

“Of course,” Remy replied instantly. “I just assumed you would want to head home.”

“My pack still has some outstanding business,” Nikolai said vaguely. “And Lulu needs to meet the elemental that the pack has been using to manipulate the wolves there.”

“Okay,” Remy agreed, shrugging. “I won’t say no to the extra help.”

Unease prickled up my spine. “You think we’ll have a problem?”

His dark eyes met mine. “I think I’m not taking any chances. There are bound to be a few who resist the idea of me being Alpha. And the deal Damien was offering was lucrative for a lot of people. They won’t be happy to see that end.”

My eyes narrowed. “He was offering women and children as mates to the highest bidder.”

“And there’s a lot of people who still think he was onto something,” Remy pointed out. “Winning this war isn’t going to magically change everyone’s minds.”

My face twisted into a scowl.

“Your Alpha is right,” my dad added gently. “Even in Europe, we struggle with this. Yes, we’ve had a lot of success, but there will always be a few outliers who seek to dismantle and uproot our work.”

“Not everyone is a good person,” Remy finished sadly, his lips pressed together.

No need to tell me that; I was well aware of the depravity of people.

Sighing, I nodded.

“Any word on how the packs are doing where you live?” Remy asked.

“Holding their own, as expected,” Nikolai replied. “These petty squabbles between packs are annoying and time consuming, but no true threat. And I suspect after you finish dismantling what’s left of Norwood, they’ll fall easily enough.”

“If you need to go home,” I started softly, hating the idea of him leaving already, but knowing he had a duty as Alpha.

“Mikael is handling things. Your uncle is very capable,” he assured me.

I huffed out a quiet laugh. “It’s kind of nice having an uncle who isn’t completely psychotic.”

My father winced. “Well, I can’t assure you he’s entirely sane, especially when there’s vodka involved, but I’m not concerned.”

I giggled and leaned against Remy.

Nikolai glanced out the window. “It appears your friends are here. I’ll give you all your space and check in later.”

Remy stood up and extended a hand to my father, which he accepted with a smile.

“Thanks again for your help,” Remy told him. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Nikolai’s gaze flickered between us. “All due respect, Alpha, but I believe the two of you would fare just fine without me. When will we depart for New York?”

“Soon,” Remy replied. “We’re refueling the plane now. I just need to have one last meeting with my council before. Hopefully Maren can tell us what we’re walking into.”

“You’re welcome to join us,” I added.

“No. Alexei should have his people close to the northern pack boundary by now. I’ll check in to make sure we aren’t walking into any surprises.” My father gave me a warm smile. “I’ll see you soon, little wolf.”

Remy smiled at him, and I stood up as he walked out the room.

My mate turned to me, his eyes narrowing as his arms slipped around my waist to draw me close. “You look exhausted.”

I frowned at him. “Wow. Way to make a girl feel good.”

He rolled his eyes. “You know you’re gorgeous.”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes, but I couldn’t stop the blush that crept across my cheeks.

“Seriously,” he said, ducking a bit to look me in the eye, “did you sleep okay?”

“I didn’t sleep much,” I admitted. My fingers lightly touched the cast on his left arm. “I mostly just watched you. Yesterday scared the hell out of me.”

His gaze softened. “I’m fine, baby.” He leaned into me, his nose brushing mine a breath before his lips did the same.

“I know,” I insisted weakly. “I just... I don’t know. I just needed to reassure myself that you were still here with me. That we had really won.”

“I am and we did,” he said softly.

I rolled to my toes and kissed him, running my fingers through his short hair as his palm flattened against the small of my back and pressed me closer.

“See, Mare? Somethings never change,” Katy deadpanned from the doorway.

I twisted away from Remy instantly and ran to Maren, hugging her tightly.

“I’m so glad you’re back,” I whispered.

“Me, too,” she replied with a wan smile as I let her go and Remy stepped in to hug her quickly.

As soon as Remy released her, Katy pulled Maren back to her side. Her face was still pinched with worry, though. The same worry I saw reflected on Dante, Tate, and Ryder’s faces as they filled the hallway behind the reunited couple.

“What?” I asked, bracing myself.

Katy and Maren exchanged looks before Katy looked back at us. “We need to talk.”

“Rhodes and Larkin are already here. It’s a nice day, so we were all going to sit out back,” Remy said, jerking his head. He led the way, all of us following like baby ducks behind him until we walked out onto the back patio.

Larkin, cuddled on Rhodes’s lap, looked up. A smile broke across her face and she scrambled up to hug Maren.

There was ample seating around the unlit fire pit, and everyone settled into a seat. But somehow, I still wound up on Remy’s lap. Then again, looking around the circle of my friends, most of us were using each other as furniture.

Larkin was back on Rhodes’s lap, Dante had Tate’s feet on his legs while she leaned against Ryder, and Maren was so close to Katy that they may as well have been conjoined twins.

Katy sighed first, her fingers curled around Maren’s. “Tell them what you told me, baby.”

Maren cleared her throat and leaned forward slightly. “Katy told me that you guys know about the... place I was being held?”

Remy frowned. “We have an idea. We’re planning to head there tomorrow to make sure everyone is released.”

Maren nodded, her head jerking in quick movements. “Good. That’s good. I don’t know how many people were there altogether, but I think it’s a lot.”

“Can you tell us anything about it?” Rhodes asked, dragging his knuckles up and down Larkin’s arm.

Maren’s brow furrowed. “They didn’t let us outside too much, but when they did, we were in an enclosed courtyard. Like a hole in the middle of the building. The building had four floors and looked really industrial. It was always cold in there.”

“Okay,” Remy said, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. “Do you have a rough idea of how many people we’re looking at?”

Maren sighed, her shoulders curling in a bit. “A hundred? Maybe more? I shared a room with twenty other girls around my age. We were all kept separate in our rooms and classes, but guards were always patrolling the grounds.”

“Classes?” Larkin asked curiously.

Maren flinched and Katy growled softly beside her, her face twisting into a glower. She rubbed a hand up Maren’s back.

“Not classes like at school,” Maren clarified, ducking her head. Her dark hair covered her face like an inky black curtain. “They wanted to make sure we were prepared to be a good mate.”

Tate made a face. “Prepared how ?”

“To make their mate happy,” Katy ground out, eyes flashing. Clearly Maren had already told her this last night when they were together. “You know. Like... sex and shit.”

I gasped sharply, my gaze snapping to Maren as Remy stiffened under me. “Did they—”

“No,” Maren said quickly, her head lifting and her eyes huge. “No, they didn’t. It was more instructional. It was really important that we not be... compromised, is what they called it.”

“Jesus,” Dante muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face in disgust.

“I think they’ve been doing this for a while,” Maren added slowly. “I mean, Norwood rarely had a female in their pack at school. I walked by a room that looked like a nursery when I was there. I think they’re taking the girls as soon as they’re born, and they’re assigned a mate by the Alpha.”

“Were Kit and Jayla with you?” Remy asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. Kit was in my room and Jayla was across the hall. I also saw Sierra in the building... but she wasn’t with us. I asked around, and it sounds like she was in a separate area because she was compromised .”

A shudder rolled through me. That sounded way too familiar.

“Explains why her parents never found her,” Larkin whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “They went to Norwood, but she wasn’t there.”

“The separate area,” I started quietly, meeting Maren’s gaze across the fire pit, “do you think it was like—”

“Yeah,” she cut me off with a sad nod. “Exactly like that.”

“Like what?” Ryder pressed, looking back and forth between us.

“Long Mesa,” I murmured, not resisting when Remy pulled me closer. I was practically sprawled across him, but I didn’t care.

“Sierra looked awful,” Maren commented. “She was so skinny and her hair had been kind of hacked off. I called her name, but she didn’t look up.”

“I’m not Sierra’s biggest fan,” Katy added, “but no one deserves that.”

“We’ll get them all out,” Remy promised, kissing my shoulder absently. “We’re leaving in a few hours. I don’t want to wait any longer than we have.”

“Is everyone in place?” Dante glanced between Remy and I.

“Yeah,” Remy replied. “Nikolai is reaching out to Alexei, who should have his people in place soon. They’ll monitor what’s going on until we’re on the ground.”

“Anything else we need to do before we go?” Rhodes asked.

“No,” Remy said firmly, looking around the circle at each person. “No. But I also don’t know exactly what we’re walking into. Damien and Trace are gone, but there’s no telling what we’ll find when we get to Norwood. If anyone wants to hang back-”

The chorus of refusal from our friends was immediate.

“No.”

“Don’t even think about it.”

“Not happening.”

Remy smiled. “Okay. Then everyone finish getting your stuff together. We’ll leave soon.”

Slowly everyone started to get up and wander back inside. I turned to Remy when we were alone.

“Are you ready to go, Alpha?” I arched a brow.

“I’m going to talk to Elias,” he replied. “I’m hoping he’ll give us an idea of what we’re walking into.”

“Good idea,” I agreed, reluctantly getting off of him. “I’m in.”

He smiled as he stood up. “I figured you would want to join me.”

“Always.”

He reached for my hand. “So, let’s talk to Elias.”

T he room where Elias was being held by guards was cramped and tight in Windale. Judging by the faint smells of chemicals, it was formerly a storage closet for housekeeping.

He looked up, clearly defeated by the hunch of his shoulders. “Alphas.”

“We’re heading to Norwood in a few hours,” Remy announced, leaning against the far wall. The only chair in the room was the one Elias was sitting on.

“Anything we need to know before we get there?” I added, watching the old shifter cautiously.

“I don’t know,” he replied, shaking his head. “Apparently so much of what I believed was a lie.”

I knelt in front of him. “You can still help us. Just tell us what we need to know.”

Elias sighed. “Without Damien or Trace, Damien’s beta will step in. Conrad. He wasn’t there yesterday, but he likely knows what happened by Damien not calling to check in.”

After Rhodes defeated Trace, we’d isolated the Norwood pack into the field using wards from Lulu that would keep them confined to the space until we could decide what to do with them. But also so they wouldn’t give Norwood a heads up.

“You’ll need to get to the facility first,” Elias went on. “That will be the first place Conrad will go.”

“They’ll kill them?” My breath caught.

“No,” he said quickly. “He’ll start evacuating them. Taking them before they can be freed. But Conrad isn’t in New York; he’s in Nashville. And the facility is on the Canadian border. By the time he arrives, you might be there.”

I spun to look at Remy. “We need to tell my Dad. Alexei needs to lock down the Norwood border now .”

Remy was already pulling out his phone.

“What else can you tell us?” I demanded.

Elias swallowed. “There’s four floors and the basement. The basement is storage and supplies. The first floor is offices, mostly. The fourth floor is where our elemental lives.”

“Okay.” I filed that away to let Lulu know.

“The second and third floors are where you’ll find the women. They’re separated by age.”

“Maren told us there’s a nursery?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“You took babies,” I whispered, covering my mouth with my hand.

“No,” he said emphatically. “Never.”

“Then how—”

“Our pack has always let the Alpha assign mates,” he cut me off. “Years ago the pack decided to start the process early.”

“Process,” I spat back at him. “You mean those classes Maren took for how to be a good, little mate?”

Elias’s eyes narrowed. “We’ve realized that mates take better if both mates accept their roles in the relationship. Some have even bonded.”

I stood up and glared down at him. “All that shit you told me about women being Alphas and acting like you supported us? Was it all a lie?”

“Of course not,” he answered. “Look at you, Skye. You became an Alpha just as I suspected you would be. But not all women can be a Dashkov. Some have to be shown the proper way.”

My palm cracked against his cheek before I realized what I had done. Remy pulled me back before I could slap him again.

“The proper way ?” I shot back, shrugging off Remy.

“Just because your pack believes one thing doesn’t mean the practices of another pack are wrong,” Elias insisted. “The parents of these children willingly gave their daughters to our Alpha. They entrusted him to secure the best future for them.”

“And if those little girls didn’t want that future?” I challenged.

“That’s just it,” Elias replied heatedly. “They do . They understand the responsibility of their role. And they’re all treated well. They’re healthy and thriving.”

“And prisoners,” I said, my tone scathing. I turned away from him and looked at Remy. “I can’t listen to his shit anymore.”

“Go,” Remy said softly. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

I stormed past him and slammed the door on my way.