Page 208 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“Hell, I didn’t know about this, so how could you?” Flynn said. “Eren had everyone too terrified to say anything. Apparently, they were so scared that even when they found mates outside the pack, they kept quiet. Everyone was too scared Eren would hurt the family they still had here. It was like he had everyone by the throat.”

“You tell me, and I’ll pitch in,” Jace said. “Crestwood is very well-off. We can afford to help you out. We won’t even call it a loan. It’s a price I’ll happily pay to know that Eren is no longer here.”

Flynn chuckled. “Well, let’s wait and see what the bank says. If that meeting goes poorly, then maybe I will call in a few favors.”

Jace pointed at him. “Don’t hesitate.” He glanced at Steph. “Don’t you let him, either. You two call my ass and say the word, and I’ll have Tank deliver a check that same day. Got it?”

“Got it,” Flynn said. His smile faded a bit. “I can’t thank you enough, Jace. You’ve changed a lot of lives. I don’t even want to think about how bad things could have gotten.”

“Say no more,” Jace said, waving his hand, but I could see that the compliment had struck him deep, and he was grateful for the kind words.

“We’ll fix this,” Flynn said determinedly. “I promise that. I called the other alphas as well and told them the same thing. Dustin even said they’d still have the mating party here on our lands. Thought it would be a nice celebration to help bolster the Scottsdale spirits. I’ll look for both of you to be there?”

Jace grinned. “We’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it. Though,” he paused, taking my hand, “we won’t be looking for mates, I know Langston and Abigail are still on the lookout. We’ll come watch them try to find someone.”

“Fair enough,” Flynn said, then stood. “Let me go put on a pot of coffee, and we can talk more about the pack.”

Jace made a face. “Uh, what kind of coffee? If I may ask,” he added quickly.

Steph and I chuckled, and Flynn joined in. “Don’t worry, Jace. Your expensive tastes are well-known. My brother had some high-end stuff. I’ll get you taken care of.”

Jace blushed. “I don’t have expensive tastes. Do I?” he asked, looking at me. “I just really like coffee.”

“It’s okay, big guy,” I said, patting his leg. “We all love you, anyway.”

We left a couple of hours later. Flynn and Steph stood on the porch, waving at us as we drove away.

Jace took us through Scottsdale’s town center as we went, mostly to see how things were going. It was much livelier than when I’d come through early in the summer. People were walking the streets, talking. A few were even laughing.

I rolled the window down to bask in the warm air, and at the corner of the street, I saw Carter and his mother talking to another woman. Carter turned and saw me, and his face broke into a smile. Jace and I waved frantically at him as we drove by.

My hand rested on my stomach as I watched the boy slowly shrink in the side mirror. A peaceful smile crept to my lips. During the drive home, I made a silent promise to the child growing in my belly that I would protect him with my life. I would let no harm come to him until my dying day. His father would do the same. Whatever happened, he would always have the two of us there to fight for them. Like we’d fought for everyone else, and then some.

Chapter 28

Jace

Seven months. How could it have already been over a half year since the war with Eren? Every time I thought about it, it seemed less and less real. In some ways, it felt like only yesterday when I found him there by the creek for our final confrontation. In other ways, it felt like an entire lifetime ago. So many things had happened in the past few months that it was hard to keep track.

Kirsten was—in her words, not mine—as big as a house. The baby would be coming any day now. Every time I looked at her, all I could see was the love of my life. And I felt that nervous excitement that came with knowing how great a mother she’d be, no matter what she was afraid of.

“I didn’t have a great role model for a parent,” she’d told me a month or so earlier. She was obviously talking about her father.

I’d met her dad a few weeks after everything had happened, when Kirsten and I had driven down with a truck to pack her things up so she could move to Crestwood for good. She’d also brought along a box of items her grandmother had specifically left for her father in the will. We’d made a detour to drop them off. It had been a strange meeting, to say the least, but when he answered the door, I wasn’t met with the slob I’d anticipated.

“Hey, Dad,” Kirsten said as the door swung open.

The man inside was dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, but his hair was neatly combed, and there was no telltale bloodshot look in his eyes.

“Hey there, kiddo,” he said, then glanced at me, eyes widening in surprise. “Oh, I guess this is Jace?”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Holly,” I said, extending my hand. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

Looking uncomfortable with my formality, he motioned us inside as he shook my hand. “Come on, then.”

Kirsten put the box down on the floor in front of the well-worn recliner, then sat with me on the couch opposite the older man.

“Do you guys want a, uh, drink or something?” he asked.

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