Chapter Six

~Emma~

Anthony sat beside me while Donovan stood behind us, a looming presence that somehow brought me comfort. I felt the rage of the men in the room as if it were a weighted blanket, and I’d only answered one question so far.

“Your father did that to you.” The rumble of Bastion James’ displeasure was unmistakable.

I nodded, though there was no question this time. Cyan spoke before I could add anything else.

“Clayton was always a bastard, but he killed his son?” Cyan shook his head, disbelief clear on his face. “I heard it, but I wasn’t sure until this moment. I never imagined he was that much of a bastard.”

“He killed your father to become alpha,” I reminded Cyan, unsure what to make of him not believing what he’d discovered until he had it confirmed by me. “Jonathan was a threat.” I had to swallow down my tears. I wasn’t there when my brother had been killed, but there had been no limit to the number of my dad’s thugs who’d found pleasure in describing it to me. In vivid detail.

“Your mother sent me away at his request,” Cyan offered, and for a moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of the young boy he’d been then reflected in his gaze. “My father’s body was still warm when she had me removed.”

“She saved your life when you were too weak to defend yourself,” I whispered. “She sacrificed herself to save mine.” Tears poured unchecked down my face. “Do you know what she thought of herself before she went back into that building? She said everything she’d done had been to protect her children, and she’d failed us all. Sent you away. Jonathan dead. Sam missing. And me, her baby, captured and beaten by my father. She blamed herself for all of it, Cyan.”

“Fuck,” Cyan snarled as he pushed to his feet and paced to the door. “Fuck!” he yelled as he pounded one fist on the door before turning back toward me.

I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t to see this big man, who was the brother I never knew existed, falling to his knees in front of me and capturing my hands in his.

“I’m sorry. I’m the one who failed you. All of you. I left you there. God, Emma. I checked on you. Several times. You were quiet, seemed shy, but I thought you were happy. I thought you were all happy.”

“Did you ever see us around him?”

Cyan shook his head. “I didn’t trust myself not to try to kill him. And…she looked happy. With you and your brothers. She looked happy, and I didn’t want to ruin that for her.”

“She loved you.”

Cyan shook his head.

“She did. She sent me to you. Told me to tell you what happened to all of us. More than that, she wanted you to know that she was sorry. That she should have done more, done better. She said there was never a day she didn’t think of you and hope you were happy and thriving. She loved you. She admitted that if she’d tried to keep you or leave with you, my father would have killed you. She made the only choice she could to protect you.”

Cyan squeezed my fingers with his then stood. I saw the disbelief in his gaze, even before he spoke.

“Clayton Richards always wanted what his brother had. He stabbed him in the back, betrayed his alpha and pack, then seized the title for himself. Took the woman my father loved as his own. I wanted to believe she loved my father, but they were never mated. Whatever choices she made, they were hers to make. I won’t fault her for them. What I know is, one moment my father was there, tucking me in and laughing as he kissed me goodnight with her at his side. Then my life was irrevocably changed. I lost more than my father that night. I lost my mother, my family, my pack.” He heaved a sigh. There was anger under the hurt pouring off him. “As far as I could tell, the only thing that changed for my mother was whose bed she slept in.”

I sucked in a breath, taking his words like a blow to my stomach, doubling over and wrapping my arms around myself. I would not break. The rumble of growls surrounded me.

“Stand down,” the alpha barked. “All of you. Cyan?”

“I’m fine,” Cyan said before glancing toward me again. “You’re safe here. I’ll find out for sure what happened with your parents and let you know. Now that you’re mated to two of our enforcers, this is your home. I…” He paused as if not sure of what he wanted to say. “I may not be the brother you want in this situation, but I’m the one who’s here. I’ll be here if you need anything. Anything, Emma.”

“I need to find Sam.” My mind still filtered through everything Cyan had shared. I wanted to rage, to yell and berate him for his words about our mother, but part of me knew that wasn’t what she would have wanted.

“The pack will help all we can,” Bastion shared a look with Cyan before he continued. “My mate wants to meet you and assess your healing. Raina’s a nurse.”

“My mate would like to meet you, also,” Cyan added.

“You’re mated?” I asked and took in the way his face softened.

“Yes. Ivy is…everything. Come for dinner. You can meet her and the rest of our inner circle.” Cyan smiled. “Be prepared for teasing, though I’m sure most of it will be directed at your mates and the fact they mated the same woman.”

Anthony and Donovan both growled, and Cyan actually laughed. It was the first time I’d seen him anything but serious since our first encounter. I saw my mother in that smile.

“We’ll be there,” Anthony answered for the three of us.

“Let them know teasing comes at a price,” Donovan warned then headed toward the door. “I’ll walk you out.”

“I’ll see what I can find out between now and then,” Cyan promised before turning and following Donovan.

“You’ve mated two of my best enforcers, Emma,” Bastion James said, coming to stand before me. “I don’t know much about your old pack, but here, pack is family. We take care of one another. You have more than your mates at your side, now. You have the entire James Pack. Plus, I think it’s fair to say, you’ll have the newly formed Rigton Pack, as well—my mate’s brother and the wolves loyal to him. We share Rigton County. Two packs. One family. One you’re now a part of.”

Anthony stood and took Bastion’s hand, doing some type of handshake that seemed second nature to them.

“Thank you.” I stood beside Anthony, enjoying the press of his palm against the small of my back.

“You’re welcome, little sister,” James said with a tip of his head. Then with another glance at Anthony, he turned and left.

“You okay?” Anthony asked as soon as we were alone.

I nodded, still lost in my head. Anthony turned me to face him, tilting up my chin with his fingers. He was still cupping my face when I heard Donovan enter behind us. He crossed the room, his heat settling along my back as his hands gripped my hips. Anthony’s lips brushed across mine, soft and gentle. Donovan inhaled as he ran his nose up my neck. Then his tongue flicked out, caressing my skin as his fingers clenched.

It would be so easy to get lost in this, in them. To let all my ravaged emotions slip away and soak myself in the pleasure they offered. I still wasn’t sure how being mated to two wolves would work. At least, outside of these walls, but I wasn’t afraid of it. Cyan and Bastion James hadn’t acted as if there was anything out of the ordinary about the mating.

“We should go for a run,” Donovan murmured at my ear. “Let your wolf finish the healing your body needs.”

“I’d love a run.” Already, my wolf pressed against my skin, craving the shift.

Donovan dropped a kiss on the side of my neck then stepped away. I glanced back and watched as he tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it to the couch before reaching for the button fly of his jeans. He was already shoving them down as he spoke again.

“I’ll get the backdoor. We can shift and have a run through the woods behind our house.”

“You’ll be safe here, with us,” Anthony added, but my gaze had snagged on the long, thick length of Donovan’s cock.

“See something you like, baby?” Donovan’s voice was a husky drawl.

Anthony chuckled, pulling my gaze his way. He was already naked, one hand wrapped around his wide shaft just below the crown. “Run first. Then we can have some more fun.”

I bit my lip to keep the moan from spilling out of my mouth. Gods, they were beautiful specimens. Their looks weren’t what resonated the most with me. It was the protective instincts they showed around me. The feeling of safety I felt in their presence. It was in the looks and touches that heated my blood. It was the feelings they’d awoken inside me, needs I’d never experienced with any other males I’d met. As if I’d merely been waiting for Anthony and Donovan to find me, or me to find them.

Anthony moved into me, dropping a kiss on my lips before gripping the hem of my shirt and starting to strip me. “Let’s get you out of your head for a bit.”

“We can work through everything once we’ve let our wolves get acquainted,” Donovan added.

I nodded as I took over stripping to the skin. Their heated gazes roved over me, desire shining in their eyes as they drank me in. I’m not alone , I reminded myself. No matter how out of control and complicated my life had seemed even a day ago, I knew I’d be okay.

I wasn’t na?ve enough to believe what had happened with my dad and former pack couldn’t hurt me anymore. It could and would, but…I wasn’t alone. I had Anthony and Donovan and…Cyan, the brother I’d never known I had. According to Bastion James, I had the James Pack and the Rigton wolves standing with me.

It was a lot to take in when, for most of my life, I’d only had three people. My mom, Jonathan, and Sam. I had to deal with the fact two of them were gone and one was missing. Later. Once I had all the facts. Only then would I be able to untangle my emotions when it came to my family.

“Ready?” Donovan asked, claiming my attention, pulling me out of my jumbled thoughts.

Was I ready? Yes, I was.

“Race you,” I called as I ran for the back door, shifting the moment my feet hit the lush green of the lawn.

Anthony and Donovan were already at my sides, fully shifted. Anthony’s fur was varying shades of gray while Donovan’s was a deep, dark, gray. It was interesting how well they complemented my wolf as they flanked me. My pelt was a light shade of gray, so light it often appeared silver in the moonlight.

Run! Anthony’s voice filled my head.

My muscles bunched in preparation, then with a laugh, I leapt forward, running with the wind. My mates at my sides the entire time.