Chapter 29

"You need to go, right now." Trying to sound braver than I feel as Weston steps back, scanning the front of the house.

Seth barks but Weston just sneers at him. "Protective of your Mum, are you? Cute, but I'd keep my mouth shut if you don't want to see what I do to insubordinate wolves."

Pushing Seth behind my leg, willing him to stop antagonising this man, I try to pull his attention back to me. Shifting position, I block Seth from Weston's view.

"Don't talk to him. He's got nothing to do with this," I snap. This guy makes my skin crawl. I don't want him anywhere near the boys.

"Looks like you're not the only protective one. Although that's hardly surprising since your Mama had her mate murdered just so she could keep you all to herself." He gives me a scathing look. "That's not going to last much longer."

That's an interesting take on what happened. I don't rise to the bait, instead lifting my chin to meet Weston's eye. I don't have to explain myself to this man. There's no point anyway.

"Lee deserved everything he got, and nobody is going to touch my son as long as there is still breath in my body." That I really mean.

Weston grinds his teeth, biting back the words he clearly wants to speak. "Why don't you come outside and we can have an adult conversation."

Said the wolf to the little pig. Hell no.

"She's not going anywhere. Not with you." Lucian sounds stronger and older, like he's channelling his inner Tyson to get us through this. Weston's arm shoots out, going to grab me by the front of my shirt but his hand slams into the invisible barrier and bounces back.

"What the fuck is this bullshit?" Growling in frustration, he narrows his eyes at the door and curses the invisible forcefield keeping him out.

Allowing myself a brief moment of victory, I smile. Thank you, Tyson. And thank you to whomever put up these wards.

"Like she said, you need to leave," Lucian repeats, and I reach out to take his hand, glad to have the vampire here with me as Weston uses his alpha power to make me uncomfortable. It's almost impossible to maintain eye contact, but I won't let him intimidate me. Now mated to Tyson, I'm feeling stronger, better able to stand up to the dominant wolf at my door.

Weston's chest heaves and he launches himself at the door one last time, furious at being denied entry by a defence he cannot attack.

"Get out here right now!" he roars, fists clenched by his sides. Picking up a chair on the porch, he launches it at a window, shattering it into a million pieces. The noise makes me flinch, and I wince at the sight of broken glass skittering across the wooden floor of the elegant lobby. He stretches out an arm but when his palm slaps against the barrier, he shouts in frustration.

"I will smash every fucking window, every fucking door until you come out. I'll burn this house to the fucking ground!" he roars. Lucian stiffens beside me and internally, I freeze. He might not be able to get in, but if he starts a fire, he could flush us out.

Panting hard, Weston paces outside. "Last chance." He's worryingly calm, his rage simmering now he's decided on a plan. I'm running through all our options when he pauses his long stride, nose lifting slightly in the air and turns on his heel to face us again.

My entire body trembles, an automatic reaction to an alpha's anger and I brace myself for his next words. I want to close the door and hide, but it's better to stay here and watch what he's doing. Even if I am terrified.

Lucian wraps an arm around my waist to keep me steady. I'm so focused on sucking in deep breaths and regaining control, getting my brain back thinking clearly, that it takes me a second to realise that I can no longer feel Seth's weight resting against my thigh.

"No!" Lucian roars, but he's too late. Seth has stepped past the ward, outside to within Weston's grasp. With a triumphant laugh, Weston grabs him by the scruff of the neck and dips his head to meet Seth's eye. I watch on in horrified disbelief as Weston's eyes glaze over, and so do Seth's.

"My, my, my." Weston stands to his full height and turns to face me. "He's not yours. He's one of mine." Laughing maniacally, he steps back, tugging Seth with him. Seth's eyes give away his every emotion. He's absolutely terrified, and just as confused as we are.

"He's from his pack," Lucian whispers. "What are we going to do? Mandy, we can't let him take him!" Now Lucian sounds like a teenager again, his fear for his friend shattering the big man act he had going on just a few minutes ago. Resting my hand on his arm, I try to assure him that it's going to be okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to Seth.

"What do you want?" I ask, resigned now to doing whatever it takes to ensure Seth's safety. This is my problem, not his.

Weston stops, already halfway across the lawn, dragging a reluctant Seth behind him. Turning, he smiles, a smug, evil smile, knowing he has me exactly where he wants me. Whatever the reason Seth ended up on his own as a pup, in the care of a coven of witches who had no idea what to do with him, it wasn't a good one. And I'm not about to send him back to that situation. Especially not with a man like Weston.

"I want you to come with me. Your alpha is keen for a reunion. It's been a long time, apparently."

Reluctantly I nod, "I'll come with you, if you let him go."

Weston nods easily, and I frown, taking a second to consider why that was so simple. "Expel him from your pack," I add, needing to make sure Seth is free of his control. Weston curses and narrows his eyes at me.

"Fine." He holds up a hand when I exhale in relief. "But… only if you tell me where your son

really is."

Lucian shakes his head. "No. Look at Seth. He's saying no. We'll figure it out."

When I look at Seth, he's telling me with his eyes not to give Weston the information. But there's no way I'm sacrificing Seth's life for Noah's.

When I nod, Lucian shouts in agitation. "No! You can't do this. Tyson… we promised him we'd keep you safe!" Turning to him, I take his face in my hands and go up on my tiptoes so he can see me clearly when I say this.

"He wanted you to keep me safe, but only if doing that didn't endanger you. This isn't something he could foresee. I will not put either of you in harm"s way." Lucian shakes his head, tears welling in his eyes. "Tyson will not be angry with you. He loves you. This is beyond your control. Only a very strong alpha, like Tyson, would be able to fight a man like this. Not us."

I need him to hear these words. And I think he does. The panic in his eyes ebbs away, and his breathing calms. When I nod, he nods along with me. I pull him into a tight embrace.

"Mind yourself, and be safe. Tyson will be back soon. And if there's any way I can, I will be too."

With a quick kiss to his cheek, I pull away and square my shoulders. "I won't be telling you where my son is, but if you let Seth go, I'll come with you to get him. Whatever our fate is, we'll face it together."

Weston straightens and stares at me. "Fine. Come on then." Once I'm clear of the ward and within a few metres of him, he releases Seth and shoves him away roughly. "I, Alpha Weston, release you from my pack. Congratulations boy, you're officially a mangy rogue."

Without a second glance, Seth bolts away from Weston and straight to my side, rubbing his coat against my leg. Squatting down, I ruffle the thick coat around his neck and wrap my arms around him.

"You're free, Seth. Next time you meet him, or anyone from that pack, they'll have no power over you." My voice is thick with emotion. I'd allowed myself to picture a world where Lucian and Seth would get to meet Noah, maybe even become friends and live together. Now I'll be glad if I can just keep them all alive.

Seth whines and nuzzles into me, almost knocking me to the ground. Weston waits impatiently nearby, staring daggers in my direction and tipping his head toward the trees.

Pressing a kiss to the top of Seth's furry head, "I know," I say. "Go. Stick with Lucian. Stay safe until help arrives."

Backing up a few steps, Seth's eyes flash, and after one final snarl in Weston's direction, he runs back inside, safely behind the wards once more. I breathe a sigh of relief.

Weston stomps over as I gaze longingly back at the huge gothic mansion which I thought looked so out of place before, but somehow fits this strange part of the forest with its messed-up history.

"Hurry up. This place gives me the fucking creeps." Grabbing me roughly by the arm, he tugs me away, walking quickly toward the cover of the trees. "And don't try anything or I'll burn the place to the ground with them in it."

He's confident that fear is enough to keep me compliant. I bristle at his cockiness, but reluctantly trudge after him. The last thing I want is him going back to the house. He knows hurting the boys is the one thing that could make me talk. I'm surprised he didn't. I need to draw him away from the boys. Then I can think about trying to get away.

"What did he promise to give you?" I ask a few minutes later, breaking the painful silence we've been sharing since we left Tyson's mansion behind. I"m not in the mood for chatting, but anything is better than the black thoughts pouring through my mind.

"He's not giving me anything. He's keeping his mouth shut." Weston doesn't exactly sound thrilled to be caught up in this, but I know how Wilson operates. Once he has something on you, there's no getting out from beneath him.

"Blake."

It's a statement, not a question, but Weston nods in response anyway. My old alpha knows it was Weston who helped Jenna poison Blake; if anyone found out, he'd lose everything.

"That, and I let his rogues cross my land to attack the Steel pack sixteen years ago." To his credit, he sounds ashamed. "I had no idea he was going to attack the pack. I thought he was only after Tyson. But then, after… I was already complicit. There was no way I could admit to knowingly allowing it to happen."

"This might be a crazy idea, but you could always come clean, tell the council what you did and what he's planning on doing to me and my son. If you were a witness, I'm sure they'd be more

lenient."

Weston looks at me like I'm trying to convince him that the grass is purple. Blake is his alpha after all. There's only one punishment for treachery like that.

"I doubt that, not after attempting to harm their beloved Blake." Then with his usual self-satisfied smile, he turns away, resuming his trek through the dense forest. "And not when I'm so close to getting the head alpha job. When you turn up dead – sorry – and Tyson gets the blame, conveniently missing again after another murder, Blake's reputation as the golden boy of the region will be in tatters. Who would allow an already vulnerable woman to leave the safety of their pack with a deranged, violent man?"

He waves a hand over his shoulder in the general direction of where we've come from. "Of course, we'll have to send someone back to deal with those two, but at least for now we know they won't leave the house."

"Leave them alone," I growl, worry already building inside me that someone else could be on the way to attack Seth and Lucian.

Weston rolls his eyes. "No can do. There can be no witnesses. That's how these things work. I thought you, of all people, would get that." With an exaggerated sigh, he pauses and turns to me, his relief palpable now that we're a good distance away from the house and firmly back on his main territory. "Now, tell me where your kid is, and let's get this over and done with."