Chapter Twenty-Two

Eve

How is she here? Why is she here?

My sister stares back at me. Those pretty blue eyes, so big she always looks vaguely shocked, stun me in place.

Is this real ?

"Eve."

Thorn wraps an arm around my waist. His whole body is buzzing—is he growling?

I don't understand. Where's the threat ?

Only then do I realize Flora isn't alone. There are two alphas on her left and another on her right—all three of them squaring up. Assessing Thorn as a possible danger to their omega.

I hardly blame them.

"Eve," Flora says.

Suddenly I'm remembering the last time she spoke to me—the way she lured me in, told me she was sorry, before Carter and Brennan launched their attack. The memory is almost painful enough to override my relief at seeing her here, with her alphas, seemingly unharmed.

Everything moves so fast I don't know where to look. By the time I catch up, Thorn has already dragged me away.

I turn to see Baxter is face-to-face with the biggest of Flora's alphas—Coffs's pack head, I guess.

"—completely inappropriate," he's saying. "We could have your whole pack tried for this."

Coffs's pack head puts his hands up. "We're not here to pick a fight," he says.

"Too bad you're getting one," Red shoots back.

Baxter jerks his head at Thorn, who passes me into Riley's arms. My omega screams at me to follow him, but my muscles are like led.

"We're sorry to spring this on you," Coffs's pack head says earnestly, "but I'm sure you know how hard it is to say no to your omega."

"Our omega is none of your fucking business," Red snarls. "She doesn't need this shit—"

"Not our omega," Thorn says lowly, his gaze sliding to Flora. "Theirs."

For some reason, these words, and their ensuing silence, are what make it all dawn on me. Flora's here … for me. She convinced her alphas to find out where I'd be, and then bring her there, at exactly the right moment.

It seems so unlike her—too crafty, too manipulative—unless there's a deeper reason I'm missing.

My breath stops. Or an obvious one.

"Flora," I say, "are you pregnant?"

My sister perks up in her chair. Coffs's head alpha extends his arm, signaling for her to stay seated.

"Yes," he answers. "She is."

I cling to Riley, trying to make sense of what I feel. Shock. Joy for Flora, of course. And, weirdly, some sense of loss. Flora is my sister, and she's pregnant—at the same time as me, no less! For any other family, this would be something to celebrate. Why don't we get to have that?

Oh yeah, I remind myself as Flora's eyes return to mine. Because you betrayed me.

The guy at reception finally musters the courage to check in on us, popping his head out from behind the desk. "Is everything alright out here?"

A beat of weighted silence.

"Fine," Coffs's pack head says first.

All eyes go to Baxter. Will he retaliate … or let it slide?

"We're leaving," Baxter concludes, glancing at me, then up at Riley. "Get her out of here."

That's all the direction Riley needs, gently guiding me to the door. With every dragging step I feel like I'm leaving something behind. What if this is my last chance to see Flora? She sought me out for a reason. Was it just to share the news of her pregnancy?

Sure enough, she leaps up right before we make it out the door.

"Eve, wait," she gushes.

Her two alphas spring up behind her. "Flor—" one growls.

Riley bristles, shielding my body with hers.

"It's okay," I find myself saying. My voice is oddly steady, almost bland, like I've left my heart the other room. "Let her speak."

Across the room, my other alphas growl. They can wait. Right now, my omega is in charge.

Flora swallows, her eyes shining. "I wanted to say … I'm sorry. So, so sorry, for everything."

I already know she's sorry. I already know I forgive her. What more is left to say?

"I also wanted to congratulate you on your pup. I was so excited when I found out."

My heart twinges from that other room, trying to get back to me.

"Congratulations to you, too," I say, quietly.

She smiles, touching her stomach. "Thank you."

"I'm guessing they saved you," I say, "the same way mine saved me."

A weird statement to make, but I know Flora understands. My unborn pup is probably the reason I'm still with Pack Maddox. Her unborn pup is probably how she secured her place in Pack Coffs. Whatever obligation they might've had to reject her after the tribunal—to sever their association to Carson—comes second to their obligation to a pup.

"Eve …" Flora says, lower now, like she can sense our alphas closing in. "You should know. Not everyone has been so lucky."

I scowl. "What are you talking about?" My head goes to the worst place imaginable—Mother, left alone on the peninsula, subject to my fathers' and brothers' cruelty.

Then Flora says, "It's Lucille."

***

The next hour passes in a blur. A few phrases stick out above the rest.

"… business interests to protect …"

"… came as such a shock …"

"Rejected."

My oldest sister—the pride of our pack's eye—rejected by her new pack. The firstborn daughter of Pack Carson. Elegant, vital, dutiful. She was—is—the perfect omega. How could they do this to her?

How could I do this to her?

The tribunal scandal. All those things I said about Pack Carson, all the shame I brought upon them … I should've known. Shame never comes back to the alphas. It finds its home, time and time again, with omegas.

The rest of it comes to me in snippets as I'm lying down in the loft. One of my alphas accusing Flora of lying. One of her alphas defending her, telling us how Lucille has spent her time between Carson Den and Coffs Den. A husk of herself.

Dropped .

None of the city packs will take her. If anything, she's even worse off than my brothers—spoiled merchandise doesn't just leave the shelves. It gets thrown out .

I hate that I'm even thinking of her this way—I know there's not a single thing ‘spoiled' about her—but high pack society won't see it that way. By the time everyone moves past the Carson-Maddox scandal, she won't be a young omega in her prime anymore.

My brothers will be welcomed back, eventually. But Lucille … she won't be so lucky.

I eat just enough dinner to take my meds that night. I can't stomach anything more.

"Here you go, omega," Red says, offering me a freshly scented pillow.

Numbly, I add it to the nest. It helps a little, but it doesn't change the fact that still we're out here in this godforsaken city, or that my body isn't designed for pregnancy, or that my alphas don't know what to say to me.

Or that I've destroyed my oldest sister's life.