Page 61 of War Games

“Oh…” Olivia seemed thrown by that. “Isn’t she engaged to a werewolf?”

“She’s my aunt, through three adoptions. She’s engaged to my Alpha, Heath Everson. I have a mate bond with Landon Everson, Heath’s biological son. We decided to get married, and today was the wedding,” Dirk explained, not sure why he caredto explain it all. Maybe it was the not-very-subtle way she had implied he was married to Jacky. He found the talking good, though. It helped him in a way he hadn’t thought he needed.

“Three?”

“My father adopted me. He’s adopted by his parents. Jacky is adopted by the same parents. If any one of those adoptions wasn’t there, she and I would have no relation,” he further explained. “Most people in my family are adopted. Sometimes, it’s weird to call them my family. They’re werecats. I’m a werewolf now. I was human when I was adopted. Being a werewolf wasn’t part of the life plan anyone had for me.”

“You’re… a member of the werecat ruling family?” Olivia clearly hadn’t expected that.

“If you ask the matriarch of the family, yes… and she’ll be in the country tomorrow morning. She’s coming to help Jacky.”

Olivia looked pale and faint, so Dirk stopped talking and focused on driving.

It didn’t matter how many adoptions were between him and Jacky.

She’s my aunt, and I’m her werewolf. She’s not allowed to fucking die on me, not after everything she’s done for me.

He ignored calls to his phone, knowing Landon would strangle him for that later and knowing Heath would be pissed, and he was the last person to upset in their current situation. Dirk drove, knowing he was taking a risk and knowing he was taking it for Jacky.

He didn’t think of anything except avoiding accidents after that. Once he pulled in front of her house, his tires screeching at his hard stop, he felt like he could breathe again. He grabbed her bags for her, able to carry them much easier.

“Follow me. Move fast.”

He jumped out with her bags and ran to the front door. He was glad Landon and Heath seemed to be somewhere else. Hegot her inside and up the stairs, knocking on Jacky’s room before opening it as well.

“Dirk, where have you been?” Niko snarled. “Landon and Heath are pissed. You’ve been avoiding their calls. Andwho isthat?”

“Help. Olivia, this my father, Nikolaus, son of Hasan, member of the werecat ruling family, the youngest son actually,” Dirk said quickly, getting her into the room and kicking the door closed. He put her bags down. “Niko, this is Olivia Kesslar. She’s a vet and a healer. She has training and has already been cleared of being involved in the other shit. I told Heath we needed help.”

“You’re insane. You disappeared for over four hours and brought a witch back? Heath might kill you when he finds out,” Niko hissed. Then he turned, and Dirk followed to see Teagan, his eyes wide as he took in the scene in front of him. “And he’s going to find out unless you want to kill the over two-thousand-year-old werewolf over there.”

“Killing me won’t stop him from finding out,” Teagan said quickly. “You should contact Landon, tell him you’re back and about this first, though. Olivia, I’ll be watching over you. Come here and start looking over our patient. Get as much done as you can before you’re found. Try anything funny and… well, there are three moon cursed in the room who can and will kill you.”

“Uh-huh,” she whimpered, moving toward Jacky in the bed and starting to do stuff. Dirk didn’t pay attention after that, texting Landon about where he was and how he needed to talk to him without Heath.

It took Landon a minute to get into the room, his nostrils flaring. He would have smelled the newcomer by Dirk’s truck and followed it as well as getting to Dirk. Before Landon could do anything more, Dirk was in front of him, holding his mate’s arms.

“Do you trust me?” Dirk asked quickly.

Landon leaned back, his eyes narrowing for a moment.

“Landon, I need an answer right now.”

“Yes,” Landon finally forced out. “But Pa is going to be?—”

“I’m her wolf,” Dirk said with conviction. “I’ll fight him over it. I’ll leave the pack if I have to. I’m her wolf. This is for her. We needed more help, and we needed it faster than Subira can get here. We don’t know when the next injuries will start. She’s a healer, and Heath told me to prioritize Jacky. I am.”

“Then I’m with you,” Landon said, his shoulders relaxing. “He’s interrogating Shamus right now. Ranger has been cleared, and he’s doing your work right now, looking into everyone’s accounts. Arlo and Benjamin are both in Carey’s room on the floor, watching movies on her computer with her. He’ll be here any minute. He would know why I ran out and will show up the moment he knows Shamus is on our side.”

“How bad is this?” Dirk asked, knowing the basics of everything.

“He’s certain this was orchestrated as a hit on him by Callahan and Corissa. The fact that Jacky was the one who ended up like this was probably not their intention, but it doesn’t matter whether it was intentional or not. She’s there. They might have led to the moment it happened with their meddling to remove a rival.”

Dirk released his own shaky breath, moving to sit down on the end of the bed.

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, it’s bad,” Landon said, shaking his head. Right then, they could smell magic, and everyone looked at Olivia.

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