Chapter 20

20

E veryone was staring at me, their expressions a mix of horrified concern and fury as the news that my uncle had decided to lodge a formal complaint with the Council sank in.

A slow shudder rippled through my bones as I realized this meant that there would be an inquest, and there was also now a chance I would have to return to Long Mesa.

Everything in me slowly went numb.

Killing Cassian hadn’t ended whatever twisted past I had with Long Mesa. Linden would never let us go, and now that he had lost his wife and daughter, he likely looked like an even bigger idiot than when his sister and niece managed to get away.

I shoved down the wave of nausea threatening me and focused on the people standing around me.

The people that I loved and who loved me back.

The people Linden would target to hurt me.

Panic swelled at the idea of being taken away from here. Of being taken away from my family.

My hands started to shake as the sudden urge to shift came hard and fast. My wolf wanted out. We both needed to run.

Almost as if he knew where my thoughts had veered, Remy closed the distance between us and pulled me into his arms.

Safe. We’re safe , my wolf sighed. The burning sense of terror slowly seeped away as Remy crushed us against him.

I wound my arms around his back, my fingers fisting in the material of his shirt as I buried my face against the hard wall of his chest. I focused on inhaling his scent, letting the thundering of my heart beats slow and sync with his.

I lost track of the moments we stood there together. After a while, I looked up.

Mallory had moved next to my mother and had wrapped an arm around her shoulders, supporting her. Gabe looked calmly at us all, but I could see a muscle ticking in his jaw. The same tell Remy had when he was holding back anger.

Dax, Sam, and Katy all seemed content with openly showing their anger in matching expressions of rage.

This was my family.

“Does Aunt Zara know?” I asked woodenly, looking over at Gabe.

He pressed his lips together. “I called Michael. He’s telling Zara and Zoe both what’s happening.”

“So, what now?” I asked. I let go of Remy, but he simply maneuvered me in front of him, wrapping his arms around my chest and anchoring me to him.

Mom drew in a deep, shaky breath. “We’ll all need to write formal statements to the Council and detail why we left.”

Gabe rubbed his jaw, nodding, but still not happy.

“Can we write letters, too?” Sam offered.

Gabe gave him a supportive smile. “It’s not a bad idea. We can also have members of the pack who are willing to document what an asset you have all been to Blackwater.”

“But you don’t think it’s enough,” Mallory said softly, reading her husband easily.

“No,” he admitted, frustration lacing his words. “I think we’ll need someone who can come and be a witness. The Council will have questions. If we want to shut down Linden once and for all, we’ll need someone to give a detailed account in person of what happened. Of the practices Long Mesa uses as pack law.”

“Zara can’t leave Bella,” Mom said softly. “Bella is still too fragile, and if the Council decides in Linden’s favor, whoever witnesses will have to go with him immediately.”

I lifted my hands, wrapping icy fingers around Remy’s forearms as my legs went wobbly.

Mom swallowed and raised her chin a notch, her eyes meeting mine. “It has to be me.”

All the air rushed out of my body. I was dizzy as it occurred to me that I could lose Mom.

She was doing a good job of hiding it, but I could see the terror in her eyes. The hell I had endured for almost eighteen years didn’t match what she had survived. And at the heart of it, everything she went through was because her family had abandoned and betrayed her. At least I’d had Mom on my side.

No one had protected her.

“This is bullshit!” Katy exploded, pacing to the sink. She whirled around, dark eyes wild as she looked at all of us before landing on her dad. “Shifters switch packs all the time!”

“You’re right,” Gabe agreed evenly. “But there are channels and processes in place for changing packs. Unfortunately none of those were observed here. Linden is within his rights as Alpha to demand them to return.”

My stomach swooped precariously. A full body tremor rocked me, and I felt Remy tense behind me.

“You mean because they’re females and basically broodmares to be whored around,” Katy spat bitterly.

“Katy,” Mallory said sharply, her eyes flickering to the twins.

I wasn’t sure how much Dax and Sam knew about what happened in Long Mesa, but I doubted it was all the details everyone else in the room knew.

Sam grabbed his twin’s sleeve and tugged. “I think that’s code for: we need to go .”

Dax frowned. “What?”

“Why don’t you guys go back outside,” Gabe told them, his request definitely more of an order than a question.

“We want to help,” Dax argued.

“I know,” Gabe agreed with a grim smile. “But right now I need you to both go outside while we talk about this.”

“Let’s go, dude,” Sam said as he headed for the door. He paused and met my gaze. “You’re one of us, Skye. They can’t take you away.”

A sudden lump of emotion formed in my throat. I struggled to swallow around it.

“Thanks, Sam,” I managed.

Dax looked at Remy instead of me as he followed his twin out. “If you want me to drive down to Long Mesa and kick their asses with you, I’m in.”

That brought a smile to my lips that lingered even as the boys left the room. Seconds later the front door opened and closed.

“I’m surprised Linden is doing this,” Mallory finally said, shaking her head. “He has to know we would fight it. Doesn’t he see that all he will do is shed light on the darkest facets of his pack?”

“This isn’t just about four female shifters leaving his pack. His sister and niece escaped,” Mom countered. “His wife and daughter deserted him. He sent his successor back to retrieve Skye and he not only failed, but died in the attempt. He has to be feeling the pressure from the pack.”

I closed my eyes, the memory of killing Cassian still fresh in my mind. I turned and pressed my face into Remy’s shoulder, and he kissed the top of my head.

“I agree,” Gabe replied, folding his arms over his chest. “Linden is trying to reestablish his dominance before his status as Alpha is challenged.”

“By letting the shifter world know about the shit that he lets go down on his watch?” Katy snorted derisively.

“He’s not the only type of shifter who thinks the way he does,” Remy said, his voice a deep rumble sending vibrations through my back.

Katy rolled her eyes. “Trust me, we’re well aware that some packs see females as property that can be sold and traded like a bag of sugar. But what that guy has done is so far past fucked up—”

“Language,” Mallory chided offhandedly, but she didn’t seem too upset that Katy was swearing a blue streak.

“She’s not wrong,” Gabe told his wife with a shrug. “Linden and his pack are fucked up. The problem is, it looks like he’s been getting other packs on board with his way of thinking.”

“Wait—what?” The words tumbled out of me. “What does that mean?”

Remy’s arms tightened around me for a second. In the moment of silence that lingered, I sensed he and Gabe were trying to figure out how to explain.

“We’ve been doing some looking into the Long Mesa pack,” Remy started, turning me around so he could see my eyes.

I stepped back, and his hands slid down my shoulders and grabbed my hands between us. “You’ve what ?”

“After what happened at Granite Peak with Cassian and Trace, we started wondering exactly how connected the packs were. It seems your grandfather had been working on alliances with packs across the US and parts of Canada and Mexico. A lot of them have taken to... adopting some of the ways of the Long Mesa pack.”

“You mean the omegas?” I whispered, horrified.

Remy nodded slowly, his dark eyes unreadable.

“You... you never mentioned any of this,” I muttered, taking another step back and out of his hold. I ran a shaky hand across my face.

He let me go without a fight. “I know. I should have.”

“We haven’t told anyone,” Gabe added firmly. “We decided not to mention it until we knew how many packs Linden was allied with. Only a few packs know about our suspicions, and we’ve kept it quiet while we’ve looked into it.”

Gabe looked at Mallory, his mouth flattened into a grim line. “Norwood has been funding a lot of their expansion techniques. Damien’s involved in this in every way, Mal.”

Damien Valois. Trace’s father and the Norwood Alpha.

Because of freaking course.

Mallory paled, looking away. “God dammit, Damien,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I thought we were past this.”

“Damien will never be past it,” Gabe replied darkly, his blue gaze electric as he watched his mate. “He’ll never be over losing you .”

“But joining Long Mesa because of a grudge he started decades ago? Funding and encouraging their depravity?” Mallory swept a hand out. “This is way past a childhood crush gone wrong, Gabe.”

“He was in love with you,” Gabe ground out.

“He was a fool,” Mallory retorted, dark eyes glittering. “And he’s an even bigger fool now for allying his pack with Long Mesa.”

I lifted my eyes to Remy’s. There was something more he wasn’t saying. Something dark swirling behind his gaze.

“You’ve been trying to figure out who else is helping them kidnap the females,” I finally said, the truth dawning slowly.

Remy nodded slowly. “We don’t have all the proof we need yet. We’re working on getting as many facts as we can before we go to the Council. Because of what Cassian told you, we know Norwood is involved, but there has to be more than that.”

Gabe cleared his throat, drawing my attention. “What Linden is doing in Long Mesa is the tip of the iceberg, but he definitely isn’t the one in charge. For a while we thought it was the Norwood pack. We’ve had both packs monitored by a few people we know. Linden has made several trips to New York, and Damien has been seen in New Mexico.”

“They’re working together?” I demanded.

“We don’t have concrete proof,” Remy replied honestly. “But it looks like it, yeah. We figured out Norwood was involved since the girls on campus went missing after they left. It makes sense that Norwood would use what they know about the campus to help the kidnappers get in and out. The only thing that doesn’t make sense is that females were going missing last year before anything happened at GPA.”

“Except the ones who went missing from school are a lot younger,” I pointed out. “Before this, it was adults. Why are they taking kids?”

Gabe sighed and shook his head. “Honestly? It looks like female shifters have been going missing longer than we originally knew about. This may have been going on for years, and it looks like several packs are involved. Allies of Norwood and Long Mesa, most likely. But there still seems to be a piece of the puzzle we’re missing.”

Remy nodded at his dad. “We’ve been working with our own allies. Trying to figure out what it all means, but we keep hitting walls.”

“You never said anything,” I murmured, feeling a little stung that Remy hadn’t said anything to me about any of this.

His lips thinned. “I know. I didn’t want to bring up Long Mesa until I knew more. I wish you could completely forget about them all together, Skye.”

“So, those assholes took Maren?” Katy snapped, cutting off our conversation. “Is that where she is?”

“We don’t know that,” Gabe replied firmly. “We believe Norwood and Long Mesa have had a hand in arranging the abductions, but we don’t have proof, and we don’t know why.”

Mom gave me a terrified look. “Forced matings?”

I curled my hands into fists to stop them from shaking. “Maybe.”

“If they were forcing mates to be together, we would have seen some of them by now,” Mallory argued.

“But no one can place any of the missing women with either pack,” Remy muttered darkly. “It’s like they disappear. There’s no trace. They’re just gone.”

“They can’t just disappear,” Katy said, her voice shaking. She stalked across the room to stand in front of her father. “Who took Maren?”

He settled his hands on her shoulders. “We don’t know, sweetheart. But I promise we’re working on it as fast as we can.”

She waved a hand wildly. “Then go demand the Norwood Alpha tell you who it is! Tell the Council so they can order him to tell you!”

“It’s not that simple, Katy. Damien Valois is smart and connected. He’s been careful. We don’t have any concrete proof, and we need it if we’re going to lay a claim like that at his feet.”

She wrenched out of his hold. “Yes, it is! You can make them give her back, Daddy!”

Mallory stepped up and tried pulling Katy into her arms, but Katy wasn’t having any of it.

“No!” she yelled, pulling away from her mother.

“Honey, if we tip our hand too soon, there’s a chance they’ll cut all their losses and cover their tracks. We can’t make any accusations until we have absolute proof. No one wants Damien to go down more than I do.” Gabe was infinitely patient as he tried to explain what was happening to his daughter, but his expression darkened as he talked. “We need to bring an airtight case to the Council.”

… but Katy didn’t seem to get that or care.

“That’s bullshit !” Katy yelled at him. She swept a hand backwards, knocking over a couple of wine glasses. They shattered on the floor.

The soft tinkle of glass shards skittering across the floor stunned all of us.

Remy sucked in a sharp breath behind me, and I watched as Gabe’s eyes narrowed darkly. Everything in the room seemed to pause.

Gabe exhaled slowly, clearly trying to rein in his temper. “Since you can’t act like an adult, Katherine, I think it’s time you left the room.” His tone was eerily calm as he spoke, but I could see the underlying power he was holding back.

Katy was yelling at her dad, but he was also her Alpha. And she was going into seriously dangerous territory.

Instead of backing down, she doubled down. “You can’t make me—”

Gabe’s shoulders straightened, everything about him suddenly hard and immoveable. On instinct, I dropped my eyes in submission and noted my mom had done the exact same. Even Mallory was watching her mate and daughter with a guarded expression.

Our wolves inherently recognized the look of a pissed off Alpha pushed too far.

Katy ducked her head. “I’m sorry, Dad.”

“I wasn’t asking. Go upstairs. Now .”

With an audible swallow, Katy spun on her heel and headed for the back staircase without a word.

Gabe watched her go, his body barely moving as he breathed and tried to reign in his wolf. It wasn’t until Mallory slid her hand into his and leaned against him that the tension leached from his body. He absently kissed the top of her head.

He was the Alpha, but his mate calmed him. Their bond was something he needed and relied on.

It was the same way I relied on Remy when things went to hell, or the way I seemed to soothe him.

“It should be me,” I blurted out as the idea came to me all at once.

Everyone turned and looked at me with varying levels of confusion.

“I should be the one to go to the Summit,” I explained. “I’m the one who should talk to the Council.”

“Skye, no,” Mom said quickly.

“Not a chance,” Remy replied fiercely. “No way are you going near your uncle.”

I shook my head firmly. “No, it makes the most sense.”

Mom came over to me. “Honey, I’m your mother. It’s my job to protect you. If Linden wins, that means I’ll have to go back to Long Mesa with him. If you’re here, Gabe and the pack will protect you or hide you.”

I reached out for her hand. “Mom, it has to be me.”

Her lips pressed together. “Skye—”

“Listen to me,” I cut in. “Remy is my mate. We’re bonded. A mate’s claim is higher than a pack’s claim.” I struggled to remember what I had learned last semester in our Shifter History class. They had gone over Pack Laws.

Unsurprisingly, Long Mesa violated more than a few.

But even they weren’t above a mate’s claim. Mates, true bonded mates, were too rare in our world. The Council would never approve separating mates.

I smiled slowly. “They can’t take me away from Remy. The Council will never agree to it. Linden can’t make me go with him.”

I felt Remy move behind me, his body brushing against mine as I looked over Mom’s shoulder to Gabe and Mallory.

“Right?” I asked, my eyes locking on our Alpha for support. “Mom could be taken back. They won’t separate me from my mate.”

Gabe blinked and rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. “That’s... actually a really good point.” He glanced down at Mallory. “It might just be our shot at getting the Council to listen.”

“I don’t like it,” Remy snapped. “It puts Skye at risk. No way.”

I sighed and looked at him. “They won’t touch me if I’m with you. It makes the most sense.”

I was right, and he knew it. But he sure as hell wasn’t happy about it.

“You realize that means you’ll have to face down your uncle, right?” he pressed. “You’ll have to tell a room full of Alphas, in detail, what he did to you and your mom. What happened to Bella and Zara, and what happened with Cassian.”

Raising a hand, I cradled his cheek. “I know you’re trying to get me to change my mind, and I love you for wanting to protect me, but this is the only way, Rem. Besides, I’m not ashamed to tell my story. I’m not afraid to tell everyone what my uncle did to me. What Cassian did. People need to know the truth.”

A slow grin crept over my face as I imagined Linden’s face when I outed him to the community. “I can’t wait to see the look on my uncle’s face when he realizes he’s lost.”

Remy growled low in his throat. “I don’t want you anywhere near him.”

“But you’ll be with me,” I countered, lifting a hand to his jaw. “You won’t let him hurt me.”

His dark eyes looked over my shoulder at his father. He absolutely hated this idea.

“She’s right, son,” Gabe told him. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but Skye is the only one we know they can’t force to go back. She’s your mate. That holds a lot of weight with the Council.”

Mom touched my back, making me turn to look at her.

She reached up, smoothing a hand across my hair. “Honey, no. You need to stay here where it’s safe.”

“No,” I replied gently. “It’s time I told Linden to go to hell. I’m done being afraid of him. If I go, I can prove we weren’t kidnapped or whatever. I can prove that we’re happy here.”

Tears filled her green eyes. “It’s my job to protect you , remember?”

“You did that,” I answered honestly. “You got me out of there. Now it’s my turn to protect you, Mom. To protect all of us.”

She shook her head. “I still don’t like it.”

“Gabe and Remy will be with me,” I pointed out. “You know they won’t let anything happen to me.”

“You have my word, Addie,” Gabe vowed. “Your brother won’t hurt her.”

With a shaky breath, Mom rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “You’re not going to back down on this, are you?”

“No,” I answered honestly.

“Fine. Go and tell them the truth. Our truth,” Mom whispered. She dropped her gaze to mine, her expression fierce. “But you stay with Gabe and Remy. You don’t go off on your own. The Council may accept Remy is your mate, but I know my brother. Don’t underestimate him or his cruelty.”

I forced myself to relax so she wouldn’t see the trembling of my hands. “I know, Mom. I’ve got this.”

Now I looked back at Remy, who had been silent for most of this. I knew he hated the idea more than my mom did.

“I don’t like this either,” he said coldly, eyes flashing. “You can stay here. Hell, we can video chat all of you in for the Council to question. No one needs to go.”

“I need to go for me, Rem,” I replied, reaching for him and tangling our fingers together. “I need to end this with my uncle once and for all. I need to show him that he didn’t win. Besides, if you put us on a video chat, he’ll probably argue we’re being forced to say whatever you want.”

He hissed out a breath and looked away. “I still don’t like it.”

“I know. But I need you to trust me, okay?”

His gaze snapped back to mine, the muscle in his jaw ticking as he ground his molars. After a heavy pause, he squeezed my hand. “Okay.”