Page 47 of In Their Arms

I watch him closely, searching for cracks in his confidence, for the place where the lie starts and the truth ends.

“We didn’t fucking steal her from anyone,” Kai snaps, his posture shifting forward, protective, defensive, something more than just irritation.

I ignore the dig. “I know Leia wasn’t stolen.” I pull a photo from the file tucked beside me, flipping it onto the coffee table and sliding it across. It stops just in front of him, face-up, the edges slightly bent from the way I’ve been gripping it too tight. “I know they probably gave you some information about her previous Alpha,” I continue, watching every flicker of emotion in Kai’s face. “Maybe even enough for you to pull together your own story. To stay out of his way. To keep Leia protected.”

Kai doesn’t move for a second, his gaze flicking down to the photo. He stares at it longer than I expect, long enough that something inside me twists.

“Would that have been her previous Alpha?” I ask.

Kai’s brow furrows slightly, confusion flashing across his face before he schools it again, clearing his throat. “No.”. He lifts the photo slightly, examining it like he’s seeing something for the first time. “That’s not him. That’s their counselor. The one who helped them get to Hearthstone.” His fingers tighten around the edges of the picture. “Hudson Ellis.”

The entire fucking room feels like it drops ten degrees as we let that name settle, the weight of it sinking in, pressing against every question we came here with.

Kai leans forward, placing the picture back on the table, his fingers tapping once against the glossy surface before he looks back at us. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to accuse him of. Are you trying to make yourself feel better about what you did, Luther?” Kai exhales sharply, shaking his head as he stands, gesturing toward the door. “I think it’s time you leave.”

Luther rises slowly, his movements calm, measured. I follow, my muscles coiled tight, waiting for something to snap. And then Luther steps forward, right into Kai’s space, his voice dropping low, a rumble of power coating each word. “What if everything you knew was wrong?”

Kai’s eyes narrow, moving between me and Luther before he exhales, shaking his head like we’re wasting his time. “I’ll bite,” he mutters, arms crossing over his chest. His entire demeanor screams skepticism, but there’s something else too—curiosity, maybe. Or the kind of wariness that comes when someone suspects they’re about to hear something they don’t want to.

Luther doesn’t hesitate. “We found Luca with an infected bite, terrified and underweight,” he says, voice steady, too calm for the anger I know is simmering just beneath the surface. “Hudson had been abusing him for nearly as long as they’d been together. Luca was locked in a nightmare he couldn’t get out of.”

Kai’s expression darkens, a deep frown settling into his features as he shakes his head. “That’s not possible. Hudson is so soft with them. You should see him at the center.”

Luther lets out a sharp breath, a sound that isn’t quite a laugh, but close. “Sure,” he says, shaking his head, his lip curling slightly. “That’s what drags them in. That or the money. Luca’s parents fell for it. They handed him over, convinced that Hudson was the perfect Alpha, that he was safe. And yeah, we broke a few laws to make sure Luca was safe, but if we hadn’t? He would have been handed off to a new pack. Or worse.”

I take that moment of silence to press. “Did you pay for Leia,” I ask, watching his reaction carefully, “or did she pick your scent cards out of a pile?”

Kai falters for a second. It’s quick, but I catch it. A small hesitation, barely noticeable, but enough to set something inside me on edge. “We never paid. They gave us an opportunity to include our scent cards. We had certain criteria we were looking for and Leia checked all the boxes.” His eyes narrow slightly, suspicion creeping into his expression. “Why is that important? Nothing I’ve done is a crime.”

Luther tilts his head, considering him. “No, you’re right. You gave that woman a better life than she had. When did you put in your request?”

Kai exhales, frustration creeping into his voice. “I don’t know,” he mutters. “Just over three years ago? We were looking for a place to donate and came upon Hearthstone. It was perfect because we were wholly prepared to give one of those Omegas a better life.”

“And when did she show up at the center?” He asks.

Kai lets out a heavy sigh. “I don’t see how any of this is important.”

Luther just smiles, that slow, knowing smile that makes people nervous. “Just humor me.”

Kai exhales through his nose, glancing toward the closed door like he’s debating whether or not to end this conversation. Finally, he mutters, “She showed up not too long after we made our first payment.”

Luther raises a brow, pats Kai on the shoulder like they’ve just wrapped up a casual business deal, and walks right out of the office. “That’s all I needed to know.”

As soon as we’re outside, I finally let myself relax, glancing toward Luther as we move toward the car. “You think he knew?”

Luther shakes his head, sliding into the passenger’s seat as I sit behind the wheel. “Not at first,” he mutters. “But I think he’s starting to realize that everything he thought he knew? It’s a fucking lie.”

The road stretches out ahead, the low hum of the engine the only sound between us for a moment, but my mind is turning, piecing together the fragments of something ugly, twisted, bigger than we thought.

I glance at Luther, my grip firm on the wheel. “Are you thinking Hudson’s feeling out for packs who want specifics and then gathering them up?”

“That’s exactly what I’m thinking,” he mutters, his jaw pulled tight. “My problem is that I don’t understand why he treats them like that. Most families I know would want someone fresh and untouched.”

Luther shifts in his seat, already pulling out his phone, scrolling through something as I focus on the road. The tension in the car thickens, his silence dragging longer, heavier, before a low growl rumbles out of his chest.

“Fucking hell,” he mutters, thumb moving quickly over the screen. “We forgot a very specific place to check. All the donations. They’re public record. And they’re all campaigning for better lives for Omegas.” He lets out a rough laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “The packs part of this would happily accept a battered Omega for their image without contest.”

“We need to compare that list with the Omegas we know passed through Hudson,” I say, gripping the wheel tighter. “No wonder no one asked any questions if they thought he was a counselor or sponsor or anything else. How the fuck did we not know this?”

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