Page 92 of This Fate That Guides Us
I roll my eyes and bat her hands away. She might be right. I’m not the best cook around, but that doesn’t mean I’ll back down when she could use the help. “You’re practically swaying on your feet, Hannah. You’re as likely to burn the food as I am.”
We’re both saved when Shepherd and Foster walk into the room. Both sleep ruffled and shirtless, something my sister doesn’t miss. Her cheeks turn as red as a tomato. She quickly turns away from both men and goes to fuss over her daughter. I turn my laugh into a cough and turn back to the stove.
“Nope, no way. Hand over the spatula.” Shepherd stops me with a hand wrapped around the utensil in my hand. I frown but relent. He’s much better in the kitchen than Foster and I ever were. In our friend group, only Bea can compete with his skills.
“Good morning, sweet girl,” Foster coos to my niece.
The pet name sends a wave of misery through my heart, but I force the feeling aside. I’m surrounded by people I love, who love me in return. With them, I can overcome any obstacle in my path.
“Did you have a good sleep?” Kaitlin ducks behind the edges of Hannah’s floral sundress, shyly nodding. Foster only smiles at the awkward little girl before turning to help Hannah sit at the small table. “And you? Did you sleep well?”
Hannah still won’t meet his eyes, or Shepherd’s, but she responds politely. My sister spent her entire life in New Hampshire. She was married off at the age of nineteen to a man she’d met once in passing. I don’t think she’s ever had someonelook at her the way my friends are. She’s clearly out of her depth with these two.
I kind of love it. Foster and Shepherd are both great men and I know they would care for my sister and her children as if they were their own. It may be too soon for my sister to move on from a loveless marriage, but maybe one day.
“Good morning everyone!” Donovan calls cheerily as he steps into the open doorway. We all mutter some form of greeting as we move around. Making coffee or pouring juice, grabbing plates and silverware.
Soon we’re all crowded around the small space with plates in our hands. A tension that hadn’t been there earlier creeps in as we get closer to finishing our food. We all know whatever Hannah has to say today won’t be good news. She wouldn’t have run unless she was in danger.
“I’ll get the dishes later,” I promise when everyone is finished. I’m ready to face the conversation ahead, at least as ready as I will ever be. Hannah gets Kaitlin settled in the corner with pillows, a blanket, crayons, and a coloring book before joining us on the couch.
“The last time we heard from you was when you told us you believed your family had discovered your sister’s identity,” Donovan starts. I’m sure he’s recapping this part so I’m caught up with everyone else. I send him a small but grateful smile and he continues. “What happened after that?”
“When I reached out a few weeks ago, I was certain they knew where you were. Our sister-in-law Jacqueline was adamant she had found her, something she boasted during a visit to my home. She’s had a vendetta against you for years. Even before you presented. I never discovered the reasons behind her hatred of you, I only knew the threat she posed to your safety was real.”
I frown thinking back on the few times I’d interacted with Ben’s beta wife. She was one of the worst followers of my father’s edicts. Very vocal in her hatred of designations and packs. She was also a stuck-up bully. Someone who believed they deserve the world simply because she was born a beta. How that relates to me I have no clue.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but we discovered it was her who paid one of my staff to slip the black market heat inducer into our drinks the day you presented. There’s no evidence to back my suspicions, but I believe she was working alongside Doctor Harrison and that’s where she got access to the drug.”
Hannah’s explanation leaves me reeling. My own sister-in-law was the one who drugged me the first time? Who forced my presentation? Even worse is hearing she might be working alongside New Hampshire’s own mad scientist. How she can stand to work alongside someone so heartless, I can’t fathom. Thinking about the doctor is enough to make me tremble with fear.
“Wait, if she said she knew who I was hiding as that early, do you think–”
“Yes. It is very likely Jacqueline Montgomery is the one who attacked you from the crowd at the festival in Boston,” Donovan confirms solemnly.
Surprisingly, as shocking as it is to hear she hates me enough to put my life at risk with black market drugs, it’s also a little relieving to know who was behind both instances. At least now I know who this unknown threat is.
“Three days ago, Jacqueline approached our father to speak privately. From the sounds of his screaming and the shattered glass we had to clean from his office, it was easy to realize she admitted she had found you and confirmed you were an omega.” She pauses when Kaitlin waddles over to show off her picture and ask for a cuddle. The little girl climbs into my sister’s lap, herhead resting against her chest and her little hazel eyes watching us all cautiously.
If anything good has come of this situation it’s that this sweet girl and her unborn sibling will finally get to live a life free of the abuse I’m sure they suffered in Whitlan.
“They were the ones who leaked the article revealing your identity to the media. Their goal is to force you to run. If you’re fleeing the life you’ve built out of fear, it’s easier for you to make a mistake and get captured by one of the teams they’ve sent out to track you down. Father wants you brought back so he can make an example of you before the congregation.”
We both shudder knowing the hell he would unleash if he ever managed to get his hands on me again. On both of us really as I’m sure he’s already realized Hannah betrayed him.
“I wasn’t able to get more information on where the teams were headed, but I do know he sent one to follow the band you were working with for the rest of their tour.”
My teeth sink into the inside of my cheek hard enough to draw blood. The coppery taste helps to settle the panic quickly welling inside of me. I knew from the start being connected to me would put my mates in danger and now, even when they’ve rejected me, I’m responsible for placing them in my birth family’s sights.
“We’ll alert the security company both bands use, as well as Ridley and the label themselves. We won’t take any chances with any of their safety.”
I nod mindlessly at Donovan’s spoken promise, but it does little to calm the overwhelming guilt swirling in my stomach. I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to anyone working the tour because of my father’s followers.
“They have something big planned. Something related to Adam Pierson’s campaign for the presidency. Father’s been meeting with both the Senator and Doctor Harrison more oftenover the past two months. Without access to his office at the church, I wasn’t able to find any clues as to what their goal is.”
My mind whirls as Foster tries to reassure my sister, her expression downtrodden with the weight of what she considers a failure. Breaking into the Pastor’s office at the church is a fool's errand. My father is a very paranoid man who has equipped the space with motion sensors, security cameras, and even round-the-clock guards walking the church grounds. No one would ever fault Hannah for not being able to access the space. She’s done enough helping the DAU in the ways she was able to.
An idea forms deep in my subconscious. The barest glimmer of a plan. A last resort if my health starts to decline at a pace I can’t fight.
