84. Jax

84

Jax

Nothing about killing Evalina brought me peace. Instead of the forgiveness in the old woman's eyes, all I could see was the horror in Anna's and the guttural screams ripping from Lunessa. The fear in Irene. Even Jenson and Kenzi were sneaking me furtive looks.

I'd killed the matriarch of Darkwyn Coven. It didn't matter whether it was with her permission or with her encouragement. It didn't matter that it was to save others. She'd made some horrible decisions, but she wasn't guilty of breaking any of my laws, and I'd executed her. The worst part of it was everyone thought it was over. They thought they were safe. Was Evalina the only one who knew that Lunessa was her grandchild and Anna's cousin? If Maeve found out, the horror and fear would start all over again.

I visited the families of every one of the twenty-seven wolves that we'd lost. London and Elonso's men were put under constant surveillance. Shocked, London was doing a deep dive into the two wolves who'd betrayed him, and I showered. It was almost dawn.

Anna wasn't in our room, but that didn't surprise me. I could still smell her, so I knew she hadn't been gone long. She was cloaking her mating bond, and that also didn't surprise me. I knew she was hurting. When she asked me for an explanation, I wasn't able to give her one. I needed to think. To work through what I'd done.

A large part of me wanted to seek her out and hold her. Beg for her forgiveness and tell her what Evalina had told me, but it wasn't what she needed. After what I'd done, taking away someone that important to her, it might be a long time before she looked at me like that again.

The blood and dirt had washed off my body, but I could still feel it. Doubts crowded my head, but I pushed them aside. If I'd given anyone else a chance to save her, it would be over. Anna would be the only target left, and London's wolves had just proven that we couldn't trust anyone. For all I knew, half my pack was waiting for Maeve's signal to take Anna.

That bitch was literally ripping us apart.

I needed sleep, but I knew there was no rest for me. Instead, I sought out London. He was sitting at a large conference table with Elonso, both of them on laptops and not saying a word.

When my friend looked up, his gaze was heavy with guilt. "I'm sorry," he said hoarsely.

"I want to rip into you right now, but only because I can't rip into Maeve," I said grimly. "She's playing us against each other, and I have to remind myself that if we let her play us, we'll have lost."

Elonso cleared his throat. "Do you know how Maeve got to them?"

"They both had sons who'd requested to go rogue. I have a feeling that Maeve is holding them hostage. It's the only way that they would betray me. They're both loyal. It's why I chose them to travel with." London slammed his hands on the table and took a deep breath. "If their sons are alive, and they aren't in league with Maeve, it's my duty to free them."

"The rest?" I asked in a clipped voice.

"They're clean, as far as I know."

"Elonso?"

"Emerson didn't let anyone leave the pack," he said simply. "But I don't trust anyone. They all need to be watched."

"Then they will watch each other." Exhaustion crept up in my voice, and I rubbed my hand over my face. "The two of you should get some sleep."

"As should you," Elonso pointed out. "I suppose, as we are no longer needed, we will make our way back, although I am not opposed to leaving tomorrow to execute Maeve. Do we think the loss of her plan has weakened her at all?"

The loss of her plan. I needed to tell them. They couldn't blindly continue about their day thinking that the nightmare was over. It was just over, for now.

"About that," I started, but there was a knock on the door. Irene walked in, her arm locked around Lunessa. Both witches looked furious, and I steeled myself. "You have every right to be angry about Evalina…"

"How dare you," Lunessa hissed. "How dare you speak her name."

Irene cleared her throat. "That's not why we're here. Lunessa has something to say to you."

"The hell I do," she muttered.

"Enough," I cut in. "As it is, I have something to say to all four of you, and it relates to Evalina. I was going to wait until I told Anna, but she's taking space, and Lunessa, you probably need to hear it first. Close the door."

Lunessa narrowed her eyes, but she didn't leave as Irene closed the door. I took a deep breath. "What I'm about to say does not leave this room. Irene, is there a binding oath?"

"Really?" Lunessa said dryly.

"Trust me, this is important. Our firsts and seconds should know, but until we come up with a plan of attack, nobody else is to know. And I mean nobody."

Glancing around the room, Irene picked up a coffee mug that was sitting on the shelf. She held it out to me. "You're the oath bearer, so you can drop blood in first. You'll have the power to tell others, but we will all be sworn to secrecy, as will anyone else who drops blood in. Once I finish spelling it, you'll have ten seconds to tell the secret, and we'll only be able to discuss it among ourselves after that. When the mug is broken, we'll be free from the binds."

"The fuck are you up to?" Elonso muttered. I didn't say anything as I sliced my finger with a pocketknife and bled into the cup. There was some hesitation, but everyone followed suit, and Irene whispered an incantation into the mug before nodding to me.

"Evalina was not Anna's last remaining kin. She had a granddaughter." I glanced at Lunessa. "It's you."

The room went dead silence, and Irene slowly sat the mug down. Her hands shook.

"You're lying," Lunessa whispered.

"I'm not. Evalina spoke to me when she was taken. It's why I remained human. I wasn't sure she could reach my wolf, and I didn't think I'd have time to shift anyway. I don't know the details except that no one knows she had a daughter, and that she's dead. Evalina asked me to kill her to save you. As long as Maeve doesn't know about you, you're safe. We're all safe."

Tears filled her eyes, and Irene put an arm around her. "I don't understand. Why wouldn't she tell me?"

I shook my head. "I don't know, and I'm sorry that I didn't have time to ask. And I doubt Evalina left you any answers. She was adamant about keeping you a secret. Do you know anything about your mother?"

Lunessa pressed a hand to her mouth. "Anna."

"Yes, Anna is your cousin."

"No, that's not…what have I done?"

Irene had also gone pale. "That's what we came in here to tell you."

Something about Anna? I narrowed my eyes. "What?"

"I was angry. I told her," Lunessa whispered. "I told her what Broderick said in the compound. About her child. I'm so sorry, Jax. When I realized what I'd done, I went looking for her to apologize. To talk to her. She's gone."

"She can't be gone. I would have felt her leave the boundary." Instinctively, I searched for her pack bond. Like the mating bond, it was cloaked, but that should've have been possible.

"We followed her trail to a young guard. She lied so he would let her out, and an hour later, Finn did the same. They're both gone," Irene said flatly. "We can't track her, but we can try to track him, although we can't guarantee that they're together."

"If they are," I said coldly, "then we'll find them. And if he's not bringing her back to me, then I'm going to kill him."