Page 177 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“I also found a copy of the birth certificates, showing he was the father of both boys and that Flynn had been born a couple months before Eren.”

“What?” Flynn asked. He looked like he’d been kicked in the stomach. “Dad… he actually acknowledged me?” He clenched his jaw, the muscles in his face rippling. “After all these years?”

It was like a bomb had gone off. This was better than Jace and I could have hoped. If old Alpha Miller had really written Eren out of his will and given proof someone else was the true alpha, then the people of Scottsdale didn’t need to just take our word for it. Flynn looked like Eren, though more handsome, a foot taller, and with about fifty more pounds of muscle, but that wasn’t definitive. This document was.

“Why didn’t you tell us any of this on the phone? Before now?” Jace asked Stephanie.

Stephanie’s shoulders slumped. “I literally just found it. I was sitting in my house digging through the stuff to find something, anything, to use against him. I feel awful that I didn’t check the stuff earlier, but so much was happening, and it seemed like a long shot. Then I almost died, and I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“You what?” Flynn asked, and I saw his hand tighten on her thigh. His concern for her was so sweet.

Stephanie patted his hand. “I’ll tell you all about it sometime.” She turned back to us. “Everything was so chaotic that I forgot about the paperwork. Anyway, it seemed unlikely that we’d find Flynn fast enough for it to make a difference. Looks like I was wrong about that.”

“So it took getting sick and being on the verge of death for Eren’s dad to realize his son was a piece of shit?” Jace said in disgust. “Sounds like a really great guy.”

“He wasn’t,” Flynn acknowledged. “He can try to walk back all the shit he put us through with that will, but it doesn’t change what an asshole he was. At least he cared about his pack. From what I’ve heard, he treated his people well, even if he didn’t treat his family that way.”

Jace nodded. “I always liked the old guy. His people did, too. I hate that it turns out he was such a dick behind the scenes. I sort of assumed Eren was an apple that fell really far from the tree.”

“What does all this mean?” I asked. My head was spinning with all this pack intrigue.

“It means Jace doesn’t have to challenge Eren anymore,” Waylan said. “Flynn does. Yes, Eren committed crimes against Jace and his people, but a dispute from an alpha heir trumps anything else.”

Flynn sat, elbows on his knees, head bowed and silent.

“Are you okay, Flynn?” Jace asked.

The other man hesitated before nodding. “We need to get that document. The real one. If we can get our hands on the real will and get word out to the pack members, things could change fast. Then I can challenge my brother.” He looked sidelong at Stephanie. “Do you know where that paperwork might be?”

“No. It’s probably hidden somewhere in that office. Eren never went in there. I doubt he has any clue it even exists. It’ll be tough to get it back.”

“Not an easy place to get into, is it?” Jace said.

Stephanie chewed her lower lip. “Yeah, I couldn’t figure out a way to smuggle much more out. Eren gave me a room in his house.” Her face grew even more red, and she cast an embarrassed glance toward Flynn. “It was for when I stayed over.”

“So, you’re saying we have to plan another mission to sneak into Scottsdale? Not only that, but we have to sneak into Eren’s house?” Jace looked wearier than ever at the prospect.

“Easier said than done,” Langston said. “After what we just did, you know Eren has upped his security detail. What about Byron? Do you think he’s still there? Could he help us like he did before?”

Stephanie shook her head. “No. He knew this was a one-time thing. His mate and his son were smuggled out along with the others. I think he said his plan was to make his way to Dustin’s pack to be with them. Eren would have known he’d helped us and would kill him. We don’t have anyone on the inside anymore.”

“There’s no way we can get those documents,” Jace said. “Too dangerous. In fact, it may be impossible.” He glanced at Flynn. “Does anybody in Eren’s pack know about you?”

“No,” Flynn said. “The only person who knew was my aunt. She kept her mouth shut because she was terrified Eren would kill her or Carter if they said anything.”

“He’s right,” Stephanie said. “I even dropped a few questions about Eren’s family with some of the other betas. No one mentioned anything. It looks like everyone is in the dark.”

“So, Eren had all these documents but never read them?” I asked. “He just didn’t care to learn what his dad did when he was leading the pack?”

“He had bigger things to worry about, I think,” Stephanie said. “The pack is doing even worse than you realize. He treated me like a secretary at times, and I saw his checkbooks and bank statements. The Scottsdale Pack is deep in the red, on the verge of bankruptcy. I think he’s paying these lone wolves he’s recruited on top of allowing them into the pack. His money is bleeding away like water. I think that’s part of why he’s obsessed with taking over another pack.”

Flynn stood, his body tense. “If we can’t get into his house to get the will, we stick with the original plan. We can’t afford to drop the ball on this. The pack is dying, and I have to get it back from my brother before it’s too late. Once he’s dead, we can use the documents to prove I really am who I say I am.”

“Fair enough,” Jace said. “The challenge will stand for now. If we come up with something different in the next week or two, we’ll regroup.”

Flynn nodded. “Sounds good. I guess I’ll head back home for now. When does this training start?”

“Dustin’s sending some folks down tomorrow,” Langston said.

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