Page 37 of Little Red and Her Creatures of Chaos
They leave without a backward glance, and I wait until Mason turns around to ask the question that’s been eating at me. “What is he talking about?”
Mason sighs. “Will you come home with us later? So we can talk?”
“No. Tell me now.”
“This isn’t a conversation we can have here, Pup.”
“So, he was right. You have been lying to me?”
“Not lying,” Bryce says in a pleading voice. “There’s just some stuff we didn’t think we should tell you right away.”
“Tell me what?”
“After work,” Nash says. “We’ll meet you out front.”
They walk out the door, leaving me staring after them. I will the next several hours to pass faster, and when I finally clock out, they’re waiting for me at Mason’s truck. “Start talking.”
Mason bows his head for a minute, but when he finally looks at me, he has a determined look on his face. “We didn’t want to have to tell you like this.”
“Tell me what? You act like this is life or death.”
Mason shakes his head. “It’s not, but when you find out, it will change the world you’ve known your whole life.”
“Please just talk to me.”
“You’re an omega, Radley.”
“How is that even possible?! I’m human!”
Nash shakes his head. “Not entirely. You’re part wolf.”
“That would mean…No. There’s no way. I know my mom isn’t, and there’s no way my dad is.”
“Your real dad is,” Mason says, and I don’t miss the emphasis on real. “Strong humans can carry wolf offspring. Very strong humans can breed an omega if it’s with an even stronger alpha.”
My mind starts spinning, and I find myself going back over my entire childhood. I was never particularly close to my dad. He’s always been busy with work and kept me at arm’s length. My mom almost acted like she resented me, and I could never figure out why. My stomach drops out when I realize that he’s telling the truth and what it means.
“You knew and didn’t tell me?” I ask, tears gathering in my eyes. “You hid this from me.”
“We didn’t know how to tell you,” Bryce answers, stepping forward. When he reaches for me, I jerk back, and hurt flashes across his face. “We were trying to figure it out.”
“You don’t hide something like this from someone you call your mate!” My voice raises with each word, and I stab my finger into Mason’s chest. “So much for my alpha taking care of me.”
“Radley—”
“No. Leave me alone.” I back toward my car and jerk the door open. “Don’t follow me. I never want to see you again.”
I slam the door behind me, turn the key in the ignition, and back out of the parking spot. I hit the gas, and when I’m on the main road, I look back into the rearview mirror. All three guys are standing there watching me disappear. My whole life has been turned upside down, and there’s only one place I know I can go. My grandma’s. When I turn the corner and can no longer see them, I let the tears fall.
That’s when I hear a wolf howl like they’re in pain.
Chapter 16
Bryce
Iwatch Radley’s tail lights until they disappear from view. I start getting that itchy feeling beneath my skin that tells me I’m about to shift and take off toward the woods. I don’t even stop to take my clothes off; I just kick my shoes off and let my clothes explode off me when my wolf takes my place. I release a howl, showing my pain, and take off through the woods, following Radley’s car behind the treeline. Her thoughts are broadcasting loudly through the bond, and I can feel her pain like it’s my own.
We never wanted to hide this from her. We just didn’t know how to tell her that she’s been lied to her entire life. When we found out that Radley was our mate, we researched everything about her and stumbled on the truth. We made a pact not to tell her until we knew she was ready, but that asshole did it before we could.
