Page 73 of Crescent Warrior

She raised her face, caressing his cheek gently before turning to Alex. He was startled to see the same look in her eyes. Guilt and pain. “And you, cuore mio. That vile woman raised you as her own. How did she treat you? Did she hurt you?” Her voice caught on a sob, but he shook his head emphatically.

“Nothing like that,” he whispered, but he knew everyone could hear. “She raised me as well as she could on her own. She worked and took care of me. Sent me to school and kept me fed and safe.”

Tears leaked from her eyes as she nodded. “Of course. To you, she is your mamma. You love her.” She looked broken, utterly shattered, but Alex didn’t know what to do.

While his mother didn’t love him, he still worked to push aside his resentment, offering her his own unconditional love with the hope that, one day, it would be returned to him.

Now, that old resentment was festering, along with a new overflowing hatred that she had taken this from him. This woman who would have showed him how much he meant to her every day of his life.

“We have to do a DNA test, Elisa,” Knox whispered, and both Vincenzo and Elisa whipped their heads toward him, glowering.

“They are ours, Knox. I don’t need any more proof than their eyes.”

Alex blinked, glancing at Michael, who was looking back at him. Fascinated, he realized that now he recognized why he always looked familiar to him. His own eyes peered out of his face. The same eyes that he recognized in Elisa’s.

“I don’t mind doing any tests that you need,” Michael murmured, leaning into the hand she lifted to his cheek, clearly absorbing every bit of affection he could get.

Alex felt a pang in his chest, his protectiveness rising. This male was vulnerable in a way that made him want to kill Knox for asking for proof that this was real.

Even while there was a part of his brain that pushed against this seemingly miraculous happily-ever-after, he didn’t want Michael to be slapped in the face with anything other than what would finally make him happy.

He was about to step forward, about to tell Knox where he could put his condescending tone, when Vincenzo moved toward them, cupping his mate’s shoulders in his big palms, his face turned toward Knox and his head bowed respectfully.

“I understand that you care deeply for our family, my alpha—” Alex highly doubted that. “—but right now, my mate and I would like to bond with our sons. I don’t think the pack needs any more evidence than what we need, and we don’t need anything more than this.”

Knox’s expression didn’t change, but he gave a small nod, his eyes never leaving Alex’s. They were penetrating and focused, and Alex felt his hackles rising even more as the center of his attention.

“Perhaps you’d be so kind as to have a word with me?” Knox’s words were directed at him. “I understand that you want a moment to reunite, but I have to think about the safety of the pack first, and I need to know about any possible threats.” He didn’t say anything else, just waited.

Alex glanced at Michael, who nodded at him. They moved forward immediately, toward Knox, who was already on his way out of the cabin.

When they were outside, they were bombarded with the sheer number of Werewolves that stood there. Much more than Jason’s old pack, or what they knew of them anyway. Eyes wide, they glanced around. Alex felt trepidation and relief sweep through him.

Right now, he didn’t know if this pack would side with them, but if they did, they would finally have the type of army they needed to get rid of Damen for good. He looked over at Knox who continued walking toward the wooded area surrounding the cabin. His stride was confident and purposeful.

They followed, eyeing the Werewolves warily. They all stared back curiously, and a few even raised their noses in the air, very obviously trying to scent them but failing.

Knox led them deep into the forest, his hands clasped calmly behind him, his suit and loafers not seeming to bother him in the slightest.

“You’ll understand, of course, that I don’t trust you,” he started, not bothering to turn to face them but stopping and staring out at the greenery.

Alex felt annoyance rise in him, but held back the caustic barb on the tip of his tongue. He needed to get this male on their side if they had any chance of getting Selene and her family to safety.

“Are you saying that you both didn’t know what you were or where you came from?”

Alex glanced at Michael who seemed just as cautious as he was, but he answered anyway. There didn’t seem to be any harm in telling the truth.

“We didn’t know that Werewolves existed until we each went through the change. Michael went through it before me. I met him later on, when I found the pack who kidnapped my girlfriend and her family.”

This was the first time he saw any overt reaction in Knox. His shoulders stiffened and he turned slowly, silver eyes flashing as he looked them over. “Kidnapped?”

Alex nodded. There was no other word for it. “They lured her there under the guise of a job and then they tricked her into thinking she’s their king’s mate. He’s holding her and her family hostage. He even gave her sister to his brother.”

Knox’s expression never changed but his eyes were locked on his, intense with an emotion Alex couldn’t seem to recognize. “King?”

Finding it odd that that was what Knox chose to focus on, he nodded. “Yeah. They have a king. But he’s not the real one. He stole the crown from the male who’s helping us get my girlfriend back.”

Knox didn’t speak, simply continuing to watch them in silence. When his eyes moved to Michael, Alex felt him stiffen next to him. “How is the crown passed down?”

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