19. Kezia

I wasin the kitchen making nut bread when Cass found me. Her golden blonde hair was pulled back into a perky ponytail, her cheeks were flushed like she’d been running, and her smile was dreamy.

“You’re not the poster child of a rebellion,” I told her dryly as I kneaded the dough.

Cass immediately looked guilty, glancing over her shoulder to ensure there was no one listening. “I know and I feel terrible, but I have so much joy, Kez,” she told me as she rubbed her belly. “I never thought that this is what would make me feel so…complete.”

“Have you told him?” I sprinkled some nuts into the dough, watching her carefully. Cass’s lower lip trembled as she shook her head. Glowering at her, I punched nuts into the dough, ignoring how I was overworking it. “He needs to know and he needs to know now.”

“I’ll tell him when it’s the right time,” she hissed at me. Coming forward, she lifted my hands from the mixture. “You’re going to overwork that, and it will be denser than an old boot.”

“There isn’t a right time for this,” I reminded her. “We’re in the preparations of war. Kris needs to know everything before he jeopardizes it all.”

“You think he won’t fight if he knows,” Cass asked me, brown eyes wide with doubt.

“I don’t know,” I told her truthfully. “The idea of Kris being a fa—” Cass made a noise and I corrected myself. “Being that is something I’ve never thought of before. I don’t think he has either.”

Cass blew a raspberry at me. Leaning over, she took a handful of nuts. “Are you crazy? He’s raised you, hasn’t he? The man was born to do this.”

“I’m different.” Was I? I’d never thought of it that way. Kris was responsible for me when our parents died, but had he raised me? I ate a walnut absentmindedly as I considered it. He really was the only father figure in my life.

Cass was grinning at me. “Cat got your tongue?” she teased.

“Shut up.”

I went back to making my bread, and she went back to grinning like a fool and rubbing her belly. At this point, it was unlikely that she’d need to tell my brother…he’d figure it all out on his own.

“Do you think Landon is innocent?”

The question took me by surprise so much that I choked on air. When I had stopped spluttering like an idiot and taken several mouthfuls of water, I met her questioning look. “What makes you ask?”

“He’s Landon,” Cass said with a shrug as she looked away from me. “You know as well as I do how clever he can be.”

I did know. It was something I’d been struggling with for a while now. “I know. He plays the part very well.”

“Do you think he is playing now?”

I could lie. I could. She was my brother’s mate, my brother’s pregnant mate. She was also my best friend. “I no longer know what to believe.”

“Oh.” Cass’s eyes filled with tears that she was trying hard not to let spill over.

“When he told me that if I didn’t go to meet him, then Kris would die, I believed him. He was so horrible, so unlike himself, I was too stunned to react. To even think properly.” Giving up on the dough, I stepped back. “When I got there, he overpowered me and told me they had his mom. He never mentioned you.” My tone was hard, but it had to be if I was to get through this. “He touched me in ways he shouldn’t, ways he had never been interested in before. In the compound”—I took a shaky breath—“after he told me Cannon was dead, I couldn’t keep up with him. One moment he was we’re in this together, other moments, he was this isn’t as bad as you think it is. But it was. Cannon was dead, my brother a prisoner, your father was trying to break the mate bond, and Landon was trying to convince me that me giving him an alpha son was the answer…I”—I inhaled deeply—“I no longer know what to believe.”

“I knew he hated that I was mated.”

I looked at Cass in surprise. “To Kris?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think it would have mattered to who; it was something I had that he didn’t.” Cass ran her hands over her jean shorts as she spoke. “He’s always been competitive. It’s a twin thing,” she added with a shrug. “But he couldn’t beat me at this. I had something that he didn’t, that he could never have.”

Wow. Just wow. That explained so much, but I wasn’t sure if Cass knew what she was implying.

“If they could break the mate bond, it would mean I was the same as him again,” she added.

“Did he…did he ever talk to you about it?” When she turned her head completely away, I sensed she was hiding something from me. Walking around the counter, I stepped into her line of vision. “Talk to me, Cass.”

“He said…” I watched the tears spill over and handed her a tea towel as she tried to stop crying.

“He said what?”

“He said that just because I had an unused pussy didn’t make me special.” She sniffled a little. “He did apologize almost immediately afterwards.”

My anger flared within me, and I grabbed my best friend by the shoulders. “Your brother is an asshole.” Cass laughed despite her tears. “I love you both, I do, but he’s a jealous little prick with a tiny dick.”

“And how would you know about the size of my brother’s dick?” Cass tried to joke, but her eyes widened as she looked over my shoulder, which only meant one thing, and I closed my eyes briefly.

“Yes, please enlighten me, mate, how would you know?”

I did what I always did when caught in an awkward position. I went on the defensive. “Don’t judge me, Mr. I-Have-An-Understanding-With-Someone-For-Mutual-Benefits.”

“He has a what now?” Cass looked between us in confusion.

“A fuck buddy.”

“Oh.” Cass was still looking between us. “Past tense?”

I saw Cannon roll his eyes. “Obviously,” he grunted as he walked into the kitchen. He was wearing dark jeans and a dark blue T-shirt today. It made his green eyes pop, or maybe his eyes popped whatever he wore. The black boots on his feet had thick tread, yet he made no noise. I really needed to learn that skill.

Cannon kissed me briefly, pausing as he pulled away. “I’ll ask one more time, how do you know about his dick?”

Pushing him away, I glared at Cass when she giggled. “Because we’re shifters. I’ve seen him naked hundreds of times.”

Cannon pulled me into his body. “Is that right?”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m your mate.”

“You’re my ridiculous mate.” Pushing him off me, I returned to my bread. “Nudity is common in the pack; you know it as well as I do.”

“Doesn’t mean I need to like it.” Cannon popped a walnut in his mouth, his attention on Cass. “You need to tell him.”

“You told?” she accused me.

“Yes, he’s my mate!”

“We all know, except the one person who should know,” Cannon told her. “We think it’s why your father has gone insane.” He saw Cass look at me quickly in confusion. “Humans call it a psychotic break. It seems that Kezia’s mother was the object of your father’s obsession. It was your father who killed Kezia’s parents and tried to kill her children. Years later, her son turns up at his pack, seeking refuge for himself and his little sister. Fast forward more years, and the son of his enemy is an alpha. Something Bale nor his son can be. Add to that, his daughter is this male’s mate. It’s a lot. Add on to that she’s pregnant—and it’s the last straw and he loses his shit.”

“I don’t…” Cass shook her head. “I think that’s a little far-fetched.”

“Which part?” Cannon asked casually as he ate more walnuts. “The fact he took in his obsession’s children or that he put collars made of silver around your neck?”

“You don’t know he was obsessed with her!”

Cannon went to speak, but I quieted them both.

“I do.” I dared not look at my mate as I spoke. “I know he was obsessed with my mom.” Avoiding looking at both of them, I spoke to the dough, once more left unattended, and scooping it up, I put it in a bowl to proof.

“Kezia?”

I ignored the questioning concern of my mate as I got the wrap for the bowl. “He told me I was just like her, that all I wanted was to be fucked by an alpha, like her. My mom.” Quickly I wiped away the tears. “He said that I didn’t think his boy was good enough, I only wanted an alpha.”

“Dad?”

I nodded. Putting the bowl aside, I had nothing to do with my hands, so I grabbed a towel to wipe them. “That was when he beat me, broke my cheekbone.” I felt sick as I said the next words. “The final time, when he was going to kill me, he told me”—I cleared my throat—“he told me that he was going to see if my cunt felt like hers.”

I heard the bang, and glancing up quickly, I saw that Cass had knocked the stool over as she stood. I didn’t need to look to see her repulsion; I could feel it surrounding me.

“Kezia…”

Strong hands took mine, their grip gentle for someone so tall. “Look at me, Kezia.” Angling my head back, I looked into the deep green eyes of my alpha. “Why didn’t you tell me this?” Cannon asked softly.

“You didn’t need to know.”

I saw his anger, but his touch was still gentle when he cupped the side of my face. “I need to know everything that he said and did to hurt you,” he told me.

“Why?” I tried to pull away, but Cannon held me tight. “You don’t need details, the actions speak for themselves.”

“Bullshit.” He dropped his head to kiss me softly. “The words can cause more pain. Is there anything else you haven’t told me?”

I shook my head.

“Kezia, I swear to the Goddess, I will love you no matter what you tell me.”

Blinking, I looked up at him. “You love me?”

Cannon’s eyes closed briefly before he rested his forehead against mine. “Luna’s grace, Kezia, what the hell do you think we’ve been doing?”

“I didn’t know you loved me.”

“You think I want to set the world on fire for just anyone?”

Biting the inside of my cheek, I shrugged. “You do give off strong hero-complex vibes.”

Cannon’s laughter reverberated through me. “Your smart mouth is going to be the death of me.” He pressed his lips to mine, and I almost forgot to check that Cass was still in the room as I fell into my mate’s embrace. “She’s gone.”

Cannon scooped me up without breaking our kiss and carried me up the stairs, his mouth owning mine the whole time. I was sure there was someone we passed on the way there, but the alpha never slowed. In his room, he laid me on the bed, and slowly, torturously, he removed items of my clothing as he made sure every inch of my body was kissed.

“Aren’t you supposed to be organizing a revolution?” I said between gasps as he parted my thighs.

“My mate’s hurting, I’m soothing her,” he told me as he licked along my seam, parting my folds with his tongue.

“I’d really prefer if you were planning revenge.” My protest was weakened as I moaned his name when his tongue circled my clit.

“Mm-hmm, I think you protest too much.” Cannon’s mouth did something wondrous, and my whole body arched off the bedspread.

“Holy shit, do that again.”

With my fingers tangled in his hair, I held him close as he focused on making me feel so good, and he made me forget all about my capture at Anterrio Pack. For now, it was just me and my mate.

When we were done, I lay on the bed, my body worn out and my mind a fogged mess as I lay exhausted on the comforter. Cannon was pulling his jeans on, and I didn’t know where he got his energy from. I was dead. Okay, I wasn’t, but I felt lifeless.

“How are you standing?” I grumbled as I watched him pull on a shirt. “After all”—I waved my hand over the bed—“that.”

“Because I have better stamina,” he told me with a grin. “I told you that you needed to train with Leo.”

“I don’t want to train with Leo, I want to train with you,” I pouted. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, am I pouting?”

His laughter surrounded me, and I fought my grin. “You look so cute.” Cannon kissed me long and slow, and I was already reaching for him when he pulled away. “No, greedy little mate,” he scolded. “I have to go. There’s a pack meeting. I’d really like it if you could join me.”

“You want me to be at a pack meeting?” I asked with surprise.

“You’re my mate,” Cannon said reasonably as he put his boots on. “We’re equals, my pack is your pack.”

Pushing myself up to a sitting position, I looked him over. “You just screwed me seven ways to Sunday, and now you want to be all ‘let’s go have a pack meeting’?”

Straightening, he grinned wolfishly at me. “Seven ways to Sunday?”

“It’s a human term,” I said while trying to fight the blush.

“I like it.”

“I’m shocked,” I deadpanned. Wiggling my ass up the bed, I leaned against the headboard. “You really want me there?”

Cannon rested his palms on the bed and then crawled up until he was hovering over me, caging me in. “I want you wherever I am,” he told me, his voice all kinds of husky sexiness.

“You keep looking at me like that and using that voice, and there’s a danger that I may never wear clothes again.”

The look in his eyes became predatory. “I can live with that.”

“I bet you could, Neanderthal.” Pushing against him until he was sitting back on his heels, I got off the bed. “I need ten minutes.”

“For what?”

“To get clean, you ass.” Piling my hair on top of my head, I turned to look at him. “How does this look?”

“Like birds are ready to nest in it.”

“Leave!” I ran to the bathroom, ignoring his laughter as I turned the water in the shower on. Despite it all, I was smiling. He had taken a horrible memory and made me forget it as he devoted himself to me this afternoon. Now, when we were being serious, he was still making me smile with his silliness.

Sillyis not a word I would have ever described my alpha as.

Opening the door of the bathroom, I caught Cannon straightening the bedcovers.

“Hey.”

He looked up, saw me still naked, and smirked. “Hey yourself.”

“I love you too.”

The smile vanished as he looked at me. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” His smile would have lit the room, it was so bright, and I smiled back. “Now give me ten minutes, and we’ll go talk to the pack together.”

“Sounds good.”

Was it so wrong to be so happy when the world was turning to shit? I hoped to Luna it wasn’t.