Chapter 10

Thomas

"I know you're still in the early stages and still learning, but when pregnant women, especially in a group like that, start crying, just run in the other direction."

"Thomas is right. They are all insane when hormonal. I mean, I love Kelsey, but man, I do not miss those days," Kyle told Patrick.

"Hell, Shelby wasn't even pregnant, but she bawled like a hormonal mess the first few months after I brought the triplets home," Ben added.

"No. That's entirely different. That's new baby exhaustion. In your case, times that by three. Don't worry, Elise won't be quite as psychotic as that when your little one arrives," I assured him.

"But until then? Good luck," Kyle teased.

"Where are Chase and Liam?" I finally asked.

Kyle sighed. "Westin Foundation got audited by the IRS and even though our books were entirely clean and nothing was found, Liam has been shitting bricks ever since. He's borderline psychotic. And Chase has been hanging around the office trying to help wherever he can because we've all been so worried about him. Maybe Lily will bring him around some. They always had that weird twin thing going on that no one else understood."

Patrick pulled out his phone and shot off a text.

When it dinged back with a reply, he grinned.

"They're on their way now. I think Chase has really pulled him out of his funk."

"We didn't know anything about this. Why didn't someone call? Lily would have definitely wanted to know."

"With the storm, pregnancy, and all the craziness you guys have been facing lately, he made us promise not to call. He didn't want to add any more to her plate," Kyle explained.

"Don't tell my mate that because it'll just piss her off even more."

"I'm well aware," Kyle admitted.

"So, what's the plan for this weekend?" Ben asked.

"I've been informed that our women are claiming a ladies' night tomorrow," Kyle said.

"Tomorrow? The night before the picnic? I figured they'd all be busy preparing everything," I confessed.

"They believe they can wrap that up by seven tomorrow and then have their girls' night. The rest of the Collier crew will arrive in the morning and assist, then Zach and Cora are co-hosting a grandchildren sleepover here in the living room."

"All of them?" I asked.

"All of them. It's a lot of kids, but between the four of them, they think they can swing it."

"Shelby has Emma on speed dial to come to the rescue if needed. I swear that woman could handle the whole lot of our kids single-handedly," Ben said.

"Thomas, there's something I should probably warn you about," Kyle said.

"This doesn't sound good. Do we need to talk in private?"

"No, everyone here knows already."

"Knows what, Kyle?"

"Jenna's twin sister, Tessa, is joining us for the picnic with her mate and their two kids."

"Okay. Is that a bad thing?"

"Her kids are Lake and River, and her mate is Jack Simpson."

The blood in my veins chilled, and then my head started to pound.

"What did you say?"

"Jack Simpson is Tessa's mate."

"Not Oscar's bio dad."

"Yeah."

"Does my sister know about this?" I demanded.

I didn't know all the details, but I knew enough. Jack Simpson, along with his brothers, had raped my sister. Oscar was conceived in the process. I knew Maddie had been happy to find it was Jack and not one of the other tiger shifters.

My whole body shook with rage at the thought of him being anywhere near Maddie or her family.

"She knows."

"Does Liam?"

"Yeah, he does."

"What the hell, Kyle? They can't just be okay with this."

"When Oscar turned fifteen, he started really asking about his biological dad. He doesn't know all the details, but he asked to meet him and when he found out that Jack was mated to Jenna's sister, he pressed for them to be a part of their life. It wasn't easy on Liam, but I think Madelyn found a bit of closure along the way. I won't say it's been entirely easy, but after three years we've all adjusted. Lake and River are Oscar's biological half brother and sister, just like Sara and Enzo. He's become quite protective of them."

"And Liam just lets this happen? He adopted Oscar. This guy has no legal rights to be in his life."

"No, he doesn't, but Maddie and Liam always agreed that if it was what Oscar needed someday, then they would figure it out. So this is them figuring it out."

"Just welcoming him to the family?"

"Yeah, actually. I know it's a shock to you."

"Why didn't they tell me?"

"Because they knew you'd fecking lose it," Patrick chimed in.

"I wouldn't."

"Your wolf is already on edge and ready to surge and go after him. That's what they didn't want."

"Family's family. Sometimes it just doesn't matter how they came to be, just that they are. My triplets could be genetic monsters. We don't know, but they're ours, and they're family. No one treats them any different or loves them any less," Ben said.

"That's not the same," I argued.

"But it is. Jack did a monstrous thing, but he wasn't entirely to blame either."

"The fact that Oscar exists at all says otherwise."

"Madelyn said you'd respond this way. That's why I wanted to tell you before he shows up and you cause a scene we'll all regret."

"Hell yes, I'll cause a scene. This is insane."

"And you'll hurt Oscar. I know you love that boy as much as I do. Do you really want to hurt him over this? Jack is not his father. He's not Dad. But he is Jack, and he is a part of his life. And his children are a hundred percent Oscar's siblings. Not to mention the fact that Tessa is Jenna's identical twin sister. Their Klaw has disowned both women. King Lockhardt of the black panthers has literally turned his back on his only daughters."

"You've given them asylum? You let them live here?" I yelled.

"Yeah, I do, at least when they're in town, which is usually most of the summer and occasional holidays. If they wanted to live here full-time, they could. They know that. Mostly, they choose to live away from my territory. Honestly, he's not a bad guy, Thomas. He just did a really bad thing, but he was young, and they drugged him, too. Maddie claims he was as much of a victim as she was. She doesn't speak up about a lot of things outside her mate and children, but this she asked—no, demanded—because it was what was best for Oscar. He could be a tiger. We don't yet know, but if so, he's going to need Jack to navigate that side of him."

It was a lot to take in, and I knew I needed some time alone to really let it sink in.

"I think I'm going to need a few minutes to absorb this one," I told him.

"Just make me a promise."

"What?"

"You won't do anything stupid at the picnic. If you have to have it out with Jack, fine, but do it away from the family, and if I were you, I'd pray to God it doesn't get back to your sister. But you should also know that he has given me his allegiance, even if he chooses not to live here full-time. So don't kill him or I will be forced to intervene."

"I promise to try not to kill him. But first, I really need to talk to my sister."

"I had a feeling you'd say that. Just remember, she's been through a lot, and this really was her decision to make."

I nodded, muttered an awkward goodbye and left to find Madelyn and shake some sense into her.

She was in the backyard picking some fresh herbs when I caught up to her.

"Thomas," she said, sounding genuinely happy.

I gave her a hug and held onto her just a little longer than was normal.

"What's the matter?"

"We need to talk."

Her entire body deflated before me. I hated that I was causing that.

Maddie and I had a rocky relationship. After Liam found her and brought her and Oscar home, things had been tense for a long time. We'd made progress to repair things, or at least get to know each other again. If nothing else, we did it for our mates. But that wasn't entirely true. I had wanted my sister back.

It had taken some time to realize the Madelyn I knew since birth was not the same woman she'd grown into. With that knowledge, I was able to put most of the past behind us and get to know who she was now.

"What's wrong, Thomas?"

"I spoke with Kyle. He told me about Jack."

She sighed. "I guess I'm glad for it. The last thing I wanted was for you to run into him blindly."

"That would not have been a good thing."

"No, I imagine it wouldn't."

"You can't seriously be letting this guy into your lives, into Oscar's."

"I can and I have."

I could see the stubborn set of her jaw and the way her arms crossed defensively over her body. But I pressed on anyway.

"Are you insane? That guy raped you, Madelyn."

She cringed. I'd skirted around that word since her return, never bringing myself to say it aloud even though we all knew it was true.

"That was a long time ago, and you weren't there, Thomas. You don't know what happened that night."

"I know enough. And I damn well know that he does not deserve to be in my nephew's life. You don't need that sort of reminder."

She snorted and shook her head. "You don't know what my son or I need, so don't pretend that you do. I don't have to justify my decisions with you."

"No? Well, what about your mate?"

"I'll admit it wasn't easy on Liam at first, but we got through it. All of us. Jack isn't looking to replace Liam as Oscar's father. And Oscar doesn't look at Jack as a dad. He's simply the sperm donor. But my son isn't just some wolf. He's half tiger too, and we can't just ignore that. Liam and I can't understand that part of him, and he deserves to have a connection to his roots."

"Then make a tiger friend, but not that guy."

"That guy is my friend. He's family, too."

"No. Maddie, no!"

She took a deep breath and looked me right in the eye. I was an Alpha. Few people could stand there and hold that gaze with me without submission, but she did.

"I need you to find it within yourself to be okay with this, Thomas. You don't have to like it, but you need to accept it and respect the fact that this was my and Liam's decision to make as his parents and no one else's. And at this point, he's eighteen, a grown man able to make his own choices."

"I'm not sure I can do that, Mad."

"Yes, you can. You can do it for me. You can do it because you love and support your favorite sister even when you don't understand or like it."

"You aren't seriously pulling the sister card right now."

"I am. I'm pulling the pitiful, long lost, presumed dead sister card over this and you know that's not something I use lightly."

I sucked in a sharp breath.

"You're really that serious about this?"

"I am and really need you to try to be okay with this because Jack is in our lives and intertwined with this family. He's not going anywhere."

I sighed heavily.

"I hear you. For the record, I don't like it, but I hear you."

"And . . ."

"And I'll try not to kill him."

She smacked my arm.

"Thomas!"

"Fine, I won't kill him. But only because Kyle already warned me that he has Westin Pack protection. Asshole."

"So, we're good?"

"No, but dammit, Mad, you pulled the presumed-dead-sister card. How the hell do I come back from that one?"

She smiled brightly.

"You don't!"

Madelyn caught me off guard when she threw her arms around me and gave me the biggest hug ever.

Liam and Lily walked in right at that moment.