Page 146 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

That drew a bigger rumble of voices, though they settled themselves quickly after a few quick whispered conversations.

“The accounts are dry; the deeds to most, if not all, of the businesses and houses the pack owns have been signed over to someone else. All this happened because a conman named Kyle Alexander threatened and tricked my father into signing away everything to another party.”

“What?”

The word exploded from the crowd. People rose to their feet and called out panicked questions, their words tumbling over each other until I couldn’t make out any individual question.

Avery’s eyes were wide with worry as she glanced around at the chaos descending around her.

I raised my hand, saying nothing.

To my surprise, it worked like a charm. As soon as they spotted my raised hand, those who had jumped to their feet sat down, and everyone fell silent. I had to suppress a smile. This was going better than I’d thought it would. Maybe everyone was right. Maybe I was destined to be a pack alpha.

“Many of you may know that my father had secrets—some open, some less so. Over the years, I’m sure there have been rumors and speculation about his extramarital affairs. I am here to tell you that it’s true.” More murmurs. “He fathered a child. Dallas Garrett. He’s a couple of years younger than Farrah and me, and that is who my father signed everything over to. Unfortunately, it appears that either on his own, or through threat of violence, Dallas is working for Kyle. Which means that Kyle Alexander is basically the theoretical owner and alpha of Harbor Mills.”

I raised my hands again to keep the silence because the crowd seemed ready to explode with questions.

“We believe that this can be fixed. I don’t want you to worry about it too much. In the meantime, I’ve tapped my own personal accounts to pay off a bit of the debt and pay the bills. I’ve even sold some of my holdings to ensure we stay solvent. I say all this to prepare you for the worst news. Something darker and more dangerous than everything I’ve already laid out.”

“Worse than that?” a man called from the back of the room.

I looked through the crowd until I spotted him. He was an older man in his late sixties, and despair was written all over his face. I nodded grimly.

“Unfortunately, yes.” I took a deep breath to steady myself. “Kyle kidnapped my son, Ashton—yes, I have a child,” I added before another barrage of questions could come my way. “During the process of that kidnapping, Chuck Gaynor, a respected member of our pack, was murdered in cold blood by Kyle Alexander while Dallas took my boy.”

The gasp that filled the hall sent goosebumps up my arms. Eyes wide with shock and horror stared back at me. In the back, I could see Chuck’s mate, Maria, sobbing into a tissue. She’d kept silent about what had happened at my behest, but now revealed her heartbreak and grief. Several women moved to her side, embracing her and murmuring their condolences.

“Langston Meadows,” I said, gesturing to the man behind me, “is a dear friend of my son and his mother. He has come here to help us and will be acting as pack enforcer until this crisis is over. He and his friends, Porter and Zayde—” I pointed at the two men out, who both raised their hands “—will be assisting mein getting my son back. I’m here to apologize for keeping you in the dark, to tell you that I will do everything I can to save and maintain this pack, and to ask for volunteers to help save my son and take Kyle down. There’s really not much more to say.”

I swallowed, my mouth dry, and waited for the blowback. All around the room, people stared at me in disbelief and horror. Maria’s sobs cut through the silence, and I tried not to let the guilt weigh too heavily on me.

Jacob, one of the pack elders, raised his hand.

“Yes, Jacob?” I said. “Have your say.”

He stood and glanced around. He had the look of a man who’d suddenly found himself in a strange palace and had no idea how to get out.

“Cole,” he said with a sad shake of his head. “I’m sorry about your boy. I truly am.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“Did you really use your own personal money to pay the pack bills?” Jacob asked, a hint of awe in his voice.

“Um, yes,” I admitted. “I thought it best to?—”

“Wait, you said you sold some of your stuff, too?” another voice called out.

“A small business Trent and I had, yes,” I said. “I used that money to pay off one of the loans Kyle Alexander gave to my father.”

A mutter of approval went through the crowd. Many people nodded their heads, and a few appreciative smiles cropped up from the audience. I struggled to keep my expression neutral. I’dassumed they’d be angry or enraged at my news, but they were thankful for all I’d done up to this point.

Avery gave me a quick nod to go on.

“Anyone else?”

A younger pack member named Brianna Morris stood.

“Bri? Go ahead,” I said.

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