19. Kirsten

A strange surge of power from downstairs made my head spin a little. One look at Tinsley told me she felt the same.

"What's wrong with you two?" Harley asked us, her eyes puffy from crying.

"What the hell was that?" Tinsley asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to check," I said.

Fear that we were being attacked filled my chest as I took the stairs two at a time. What I found downstairs was possibly more surprising than if Eren had been there with his pack.

Stephanie and Flynn stood a few feet apart, staring at each other like nothing else in the world mattered. Stephanie had a look of abject happiness, while Flynn looked like he might rip her clothes off and have her right then and there, audience be damned.

"Uh, did I miss something?" I asked.

That broke whatever spell hung over the two. Flynn shook himself back to coherence and took a hesitant step back from Stephanie, keeping his eyes locked on her.

From where he sat on the couch, Jace shook his head. "This is all your fault," he said to me.

"Excuse me?" I said, frowning.

Jace pointed at Stephanie and Flynn, then at Waylan. "All this? It's your doing."

I thought he was accusing me of something. A little flare of anger roared in my chest at the idea.

"I didn't do a damn thing, thank you very much," I snapped.

Jace held his hands up in surrender. "No, no, no. You don't get it. This is a known thing that happens when packs have their own witch. You brought magic to Crestwood, and now everyone is finding their mates. You didn't do anything wrong. In fact"—he raised an eyebrow at Flynn and Stephanie—"it looks like you've done something pretty right."

I didn't remember that bit of information from any of the books Tinsley had given me. Dumbfounded, I looked at Langston. Maybe he would talk sense.

"Is this real?" I asked him.

Langston nodded. "Yeah. Legends all say members of a pack with a witch find their fated mates much easier."

"But Nana lived here," I said. "Did this happen when she was at the cabin?"

"She was never the official pack witch," Jace explained. "It only happens when someone decides they want to be the pack witch. The magic spreads over the pack lands and…" He snapped his fingers. "Poof. Fated mates. I always wondered if it was true or just an old rumor. I guess it's true."

"Well…" I had no clue what to do with the new information and new responsibility. I shrugged helplessly. "You're all welcome, I suppose."

Everyone laughed at that. Everyone except Stephanie and Flynn, who were again eyeing each other like they wanted a few minutes alone. I walked over and took a seat on Jace's lap.

"Why did Stephanie stop by?" I asked. I didn't care that she was there. We'd buried the hatchet, but Jace had said she was supposed to be confined to her house.

"Oh, shit," Stephanie said, pulling herself out of the depths of Flynn's blue eyes. "That's right. Sorry."

"You were going to say something about Eren being afraid," Jace said. "Before you got interrupted."

"Right." She smoothed her hair down and sat. "Eren made me clear out his father's office. He said there was a ton of stuff in there he'd been meaning to get rid of for years." She shook her head in disgust. "I think he just wanted to see if I could follow orders before… before he asked more of me." She shuddered.

Flynn growled, his brows knitting together, and a pulse of alpha energy radiated from him. The only thing that eased it was the look of discomfort on Stephanie's face.

"I'm sorry," Flynn grunted, and the energy dissipated. "Let's not talk about that. I don't want you to relive whatever that piece of shit made you do."

He reached over and touched Steph's thigh. She grinned back at him, blushing, but there was a sad look on her face. My heart hurt to see it. How close had I been to having Eren take advantage of me? Minutes? Seconds?

I didn't want to pry. Eren had made it clear he'd taken advantage of Stephanie's circumstances. He'd proven himself to be an awful person time and again.

"Anyway, I found a stack of files in a closet," Steph said. "They hadn't been touched in forever. I was bored and got curious, so I started going through them. It was interesting, but then Eren sent me home before I could really dive into it. When I left with you all that night, I stuffed as much as I could in my backpack, thinking something might be useful. I found a file that was dated the year Eren's dad died. Inside was a photocopy of a will. It had been updated that year. In it, he said he'd been wrong in his assessment of Eren. There was also a letter to be read out along with the will. An apology to two people, a couple of shifters named Donna and Flynn Edgerton. In the will, he officially announced that upon his death, Eren's alphaship was to be expunged, and Flynn Edgerton was to be named rightful heir and alpha of Scottsdale Pack.

"I also found a copy of the birth certificates, showing he was the father of both boys and that Flynn had been born a couple months before Eren."

"What?" Flynn asked. He looked like he'd been kicked in the stomach. "Dad… he actually acknowledged me?" He clenched his jaw, the muscles in his face rippling. "After all these years?"

It was like a bomb had gone off. This was better than Jace and I could have hoped. If old Alpha Miller had really written Eren out of his will and given proof someone else was the true alpha, then the people of Scottsdale didn't need to just take our word for it. Flynn looked like Eren, though more handsome, a foot taller, and with about fifty more pounds of muscle, but that wasn't definitive. This document was.

"Why didn't you tell us any of this on the phone? Before now?" Jace asked Stephanie.

Stephanie's shoulders slumped. "I literally just found it. I was sitting in my house digging through the stuff to find something, anything, to use against him. I feel awful that I didn't check the stuff earlier, but so much was happening, and it seemed like a long shot. Then I almost died, and I wasn't thinking straight."

"You what?" Flynn asked, and I saw his hand tighten on her thigh. His concern for her was so sweet.

Stephanie patted his hand. "I'll tell you all about it sometime." She turned back to us. "Everything was so chaotic that I forgot about the paperwork. Anyway, it seemed unlikely that we'd find Flynn fast enough for it to make a difference. Looks like I was wrong about that."

"So it took getting sick and being on the verge of death for Eren's dad to realize his son was a piece of shit?" Jace said in disgust. "Sounds like a really great guy."

"He wasn't," Flynn acknowledged. "He can try to walk back all the shit he put us through with that will, but it doesn't change what an asshole he was. At least he cared about his pack. From what I've heard, he treated his people well, even if he didn't treat his family that way."

Jace nodded. "I always liked the old guy. His people did, too. I hate that it turns out he was such a dick behind the scenes. I sort of assumed Eren was an apple that fell really far from the tree."

"What does all this mean?" I asked. My head was spinning with all this pack intrigue.

"It means Jace doesn't have to challenge Eren anymore," Waylan said. "Flynn does. Yes, Eren committed crimes against Jace and his people, but a dispute from an alpha heir trumps anything else."

Flynn sat, elbows on his knees, head bowed and silent.

"Are you okay, Flynn?" Jace asked.

The other man hesitated before nodding. "We need to get that document. The real one. If we can get our hands on the real will and get word out to the pack members, things could change fast. Then I can challenge my brother." He looked sidelong at Stephanie. "Do you know where that paperwork might be?"

"No. It's probably hidden somewhere in that office. Eren never went in there. I doubt he has any clue it even exists. It'll be tough to get it back."

"Not an easy place to get into, is it?" Jace said.

Stephanie chewed her lower lip. "Yeah, I couldn't figure out a way to smuggle much more out. Eren gave me a room in his house." Her face grew even more red, and she cast an embarrassed glance toward Flynn. "It was for when I stayed over."

"So, you're saying we have to plan another mission to sneak into Scottsdale? Not only that, but we have to sneak into Eren's house?" Jace looked wearier than ever at the prospect.

"Easier said than done," Langston said. "After what we just did, you know Eren has upped his security detail. What about Byron? Do you think he's still there? Could he help us like he did before?"

Stephanie shook her head. "No. He knew this was a one-time thing. His mate and his son were smuggled out along with the others. I think he said his plan was to make his way to Dustin's pack to be with them. Eren would have known he'd helped us and would kill him. We don't have anyone on the inside anymore."

"There's no way we can get those documents," Jace said. "Too dangerous. In fact, it may be impossible." He glanced at Flynn. "Does anybody in Eren's pack know about you?"

"No," Flynn said. "The only person who knew was my aunt. She kept her mouth shut because she was terrified Eren would kill her or Carter if they said anything."

"He's right," Stephanie said. "I even dropped a few questions about Eren's family with some of the other betas. No one mentioned anything. It looks like everyone is in the dark."

"So, Eren had all these documents but never read them?" I asked. "He just didn't care to learn what his dad did when he was leading the pack?"

"He had bigger things to worry about, I think," Stephanie said. "The pack is doing even worse than you realize. He treated me like a secretary at times, and I saw his checkbooks and bank statements. The Scottsdale Pack is deep in the red, on the verge of bankruptcy. I think he's paying these lone wolves he's recruited on top of allowing them into the pack. His money is bleeding away like water. I think that's part of why he's obsessed with taking over another pack."

Flynn stood, his body tense. "If we can't get into his house to get the will, we stick with the original plan. We can't afford to drop the ball on this. The pack is dying, and I have to get it back from my brother before it's too late. Once he's dead, we can use the documents to prove I really am who I say I am."

"Fair enough," Jace said. "The challenge will stand for now. If we come up with something different in the next week or two, we'll regroup."

Flynn nodded. "Sounds good. I guess I'll head back home for now. When does this training start?"

"Dustin's sending some folks down tomorrow," Langston said.

Flynn nodded. "I'll be back around mid-morning?"

Langston shook his hand. "Works for me. See you then."

Flynn looked at Stephanie. "Could I see you outside real quick?'

"Yeah," Steph said quickly, jumping up from the chair.

I looked at Jace, leaning close to whisper in his ear. "They look smitten. That was fast."

Jace cleared his throat. "It always is. Even for me."

"It sure didn't seem that way when I met you," I said. "I had the distinct feeling you wanted me gone."

Jace lowered his voice. "I was scared, okay? Sue me."

The front door reopened, and Flynn and Steph walked back in, her lipstick smeared, hair somewhat disheveled, and her clothes looked slightly askew. Jesus, I thought.

Langston laughed at my expression. "Shifters learn about fated mates from a young age. Usually"—he sent an exasperated glance at Waylan—"we don't waste much time when we find them."

"Exhibit A," Jace said, gesturing to Steph as she straightened her blouse.

Steph's face turned a deep crimson. "I'm gonna have Tank escort me back home, if that's okay?"

"That's fine," Jace said. When she turned to leave, he called for her to stop. "Steph?"

She looked over her shoulder, fear in her eyes. She was worried she'd be punished for something else. At that moment, she didn't look like a shifter to me. She looked like a scared rabbit cornered by a fox.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," Jace said. "For coming to tell us. And for everything else."

A heartbreakingly happy smile broke across her face, and her eyes shone. She didn't seem capable of saying anything, probably for fear of breaking down. Instead, she nodded once and hurried out.

"I'm going, too," Flynn said. "To escort Stephanie. I'm sure your guy Tank is capable, but…" He shrugged, knowing any explanation was unnecessary, and rushed out the door.

"I guess that's our cue," Langston said. "We'll let you all rest up."

He and the others headed for the door, but Waylan lagged behind, sending worried glances up the stairs. Harley and Tinsley were still upstairs.

"You've gotta give her some time," I said. "Trust me, Harley is worth waiting for."

Waylan heaved a sigh, then left.

In their absence, the house was preternaturally quiet. There'd been so much activity over the last couple of days, it was strange to sit in silence for once.

Jace wrapped his arms around me, and I sank back into him, enjoying the privacy and peace. Since my kidnapping, there hadn't been many moments like this—time to simply sit and enjoy each other, and I would try my best to relish it.

"Do you want to do something really crazy?" Jace told me a few minutes later.

"Always, though I don't think my lady parts can handle anything too intense after what we did earlier."

Jace barked a laugh. "Not that, though I do like where your head's at. I meant we could do something normal. We haven't had much of that."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I thought we'd put on a movie, pop some popcorn, and drink a whole bottle of wine. A nice, plain evening in."

"A stay-in date night? My god, how exciting."

"Smartass," he hissed, poking me in the side.

"I'll make the popcorn. You pick a movie," I said, hopping off his lap.

With all the chaos we'd been through and what was yet to come, an evening of relaxation sounded like the best thing in the world. Who knew when we'd get another chance to do this? If it was the last bit of peace we had, then I would enjoy it.