Page 96 of Ruthless Moon

Dave’s voice cuts through Liam’s growl. “When you injured yourself at the wedding rehearsal, I took advantage and had some tests run on your blood. I’ve always been suspicious but never had the opportunity. Oliver was always very careful.”

The room whirls around me, my mind reeling from the bombshell that’s just been dropped. “Suspicious? How? Why?”

“Oliver isn’t our father, Gen. Dave is.” Lucas speaks so calmly. Like it’s no big deal.

I look up slowly, meeting my brother’s intense gaze. He’d saidour, notmy.

“Oliver lied toallof us.” Lucas shoves his hands into his pockets and stares at me, his face still unreadable.

“What do you mean?” I take hold of Liam’s hand but take a step away from his side. “All of us?”

“Oliver’s always been very good at getting what he wanted. He met Celia first and whisked her away and got her to fall for him. The marriage to her came with ties to one of the largest commercial developers in Colorado.” My brother explains our father’s intentions toward our mother like they were a well-calculated business strategy.

“Sounds about right,” I say, letting the derision I feel for my father show. “I don’t see how that makes you my father instead.” I turn to look at Uncle Dave.

My uncle releases a long sigh and for a brief moment I see how tired he is...how old, how broken. The mask of anger and resentment slides back into place. “Celia was my fated mate.”

“Fuck,” Liam mutters under his breath next to me.

“So you had an affair with my mother even after you had married Aunt Kate?” My voice drips with venom, but he doesn’t even blink at the accusation. “You betrayed your bond.”

“Yes,” he answers.

I scoff, semi-shocked he answered without hesitation. “You, more than anyone, knew your brother was a hateful man. Andhewas bonded to Celia. How could you?” I spit out the last sentence.

“And you—” I turn on my brother. “You know what he did to me. Both you and Finn watched him. And neither of you ever protected me. You may be my brothers, but you’re not my family.”

“Gen. Oliver threatened—”

“Oliver threatened what? He beat me, Lucas. Kicked me. Chained me in the basement. Starved me. Nearly killed me on multiple occasions. And you both just stand here with a folder and some blood results and excuses and think...what? That this magickal revelation makes it all better? I lived in constant fear for my life and the life of my friends. Fuck. You. Both!”

I tighten my grip on Liam’s hand. “I want to go. Now.”

Dave and Lucas both step forward at the same time.

Liam snarls a warning, quickly tucking me securely behind his body.

“I loved her,” my uncle says, his voice cracking. “She wasmymate and your father took her from me. He took her family connections and wealth and broke our pack in half. Celia said she was going to leave him after you were born. She said she’d found a way to break the mate bond.” Dave rubs a hand over his haggard face.

“And then she died.” I throw the words at him like a cauldron of boiling oil. “And if we really were your kids, you abandoned us and let us be raised by an abusive narcissistic bastard.”

“He killed her, Gen. As punishment. He found out about the affair after you were born.” My brother’s voice is raw. It’s more pain and emotion than I’ve ever seen from him. “He killed her before she could leave him. We saw him do it. And he threatened to kill you if Finn or I ever did anything to help you. He promised he’d never hurt you more than you could heal from. We were just kids. I’m so sorry.”

“You weren’t just a kid six months ago when he chained me in the basement for a week and had the guards feed me dog food because I didn’t get a rancher to sell off his land fast enough.” A brokenhearted sob tears from my chest, and I hang on to Liam to keep from sinking to the floor. “You weren’t just a kid the time before that. And the time before that!”

His eyes widen, genuine shock and disgust spread across his face. And across my uncle’s—father’s—whoever.

Liam wraps me in his arms. “Gen,” he says, like he feels my pain. And he does. He feels my emotions. He’s reliving every second of how I felt during those memories. He buries his face in my hair and squeezes my shaking body.

I continue talking. I’ve opened the floodgates and it’s all pouring out now. Might as well finish. “You weren’t a child when he beat me senseless in front of you on camera because you left town without his permission. And you never came back, Lucas. You don’t get to suddenly care about me now. You did what was best for you.”

It’s only for a moment, but I see the anger in Lucas’s eyes again. The disgust. The hatred I’ve had directed at me my whole life. The blame.I’m the reason our mother died. That’s the real truth in his mind.

“The computer files at the office are encrypted, Gen. Where’s Matthew?” Lucas’s voice is even and calm and perfectly normal now. Every shred of remorse.Poof.Any hint of brotherly love.Gone.I shouldn’t be surprised. I shouldn’t.

But it still hurts.

It was all just more manipulation.

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