Page 91 of Secrets and Ruin

“Don’t give me excuses. The next thing out of your mouth better be an apology. Then you’re going to take a walk and won’t come back until you are ready to accept that Dirk, that young man back there who just went through hell to help his father, is one of thebestof us. And he’s mated to an amazing man who is loyal to a fault to the people he cares about. Landon will walk through fire for the people he cares about, and right now, you are the fire. He won’t be alone, though. If I have to fight you to go home with them and go back to our lives, Iwill. I just killed one monster in disguise! I’ll go for a second!”

“You could never win, daughter,” Hasan said, stepping closer.

“Winning isn’t the point,” I snarled. “If you’re going to destroy everyone and everything I care about, you’re going to have to kill me to do it.”

Hasan took another step closer, his chest heaving as he approached, each step as slow as the one before.

“You want to throw away Dirk for surviving something you never thought he could, but you forgot that you should have given him something tolivefor,” I continued, refusing to stop now. “You gave him hopelessness. That werewolf back there? He gave Dirk something tolivefor. Landon and Heath have been better to that young man than you have ever been, then you toss him aside like he did something wrong. It’s notDirk’sfault you never cared about him.” I stopped for a second, breathing hard as another thought came to me. “It’s notmyfault you never cared aboutme.”

He stopped his slow approach, jerking back.

“You never cared about my thoughts or feelings. You never cared about what I wanted in life. You indulged me when itsuitedyou,” I said, blinking back tears as the truth rushed out of me. “I was an indulgence of a daughter, like adopting a pet, another member of the prized collection.” I swept a hand over my siblings. “But I don’t want to be part of your prized collection. I don’t want to spread your ideals all over the world at the expense of my own. I don’t want to live with your hate. Werewolves will never be part of your family?” I scoffed, wiping my face. “Fine. If Dirk doesn’t have a place in this family, then—”

“You are mydaughter!I made you!”

“I don’t have a place in this family,” I finished. “I don’twanta place in this family. Jacqueline, daughter of Hasan, is no more.”

“Stop this right now!” Hasan roared over me.

“I will be Jacky, daughter of—”

“Everyone down!” Zuri screamed over us.

The room rocked as debris flew.

37

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Icovered my head as a wave of power ripped through the room, destroying every piece of furniture. The moment the last piece fell, I turned to see if Landon and Dirk were okay, to find them and Niko standing shell-shocked in the middle of a clean circle. Something had circled them and stopped the debris from hitting them.

Looking for the twins, I saw Zuri lower her arms, a staff suddenly in one hand. Her breathing was labored as she turned to check on those around her. Makalo was checking on his mother, who was paler than normal. Amir started to cry, shattering the silence, and Kushim took the young boy, bouncing and cooing to him, rubbing his head and whispering the saddest thing.

“I’m sorry, my little man. I’m sorry. Never again, I promise,” he murmured to his son.

Zuri closed her eyes, though that didn’t stop the tears from escaping.

I pulled my eyes off her, feeling the guilt, only to find Jabari near her. Jabari was holding a staff as well, his eyes on me, and he nodded.

“I will pick you over him.”

Those words came back to me as I stared at him.

Trying not to think, I saw Mischa was on the ground but not bleeding. Hisao was still in the back of the room, also not bleeding.

Finally, I looked back to Hasan.

He was standing there as though the room hadn’t just exploded around us.

He was bleeding.

A thin red line was forming on his cheek, along with dozens of others. He ignored all of them as the blood hit his white shirt and tan pants, staining the fabric.

He looked over my head, and I saw a flicker of relief.

“Subira, are you finally going to help me talk some sense into our children?” he asked.

“I will get to youlast,” she said. There was no hiss or growl in her words, but the rage made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

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