Page 161 of Conner's Luna

"Lydia was bringing him to my father," Trey says. Suddenly, he keeps talking, like a dam that finally ruptures. "He knew about Mikko and never told me. Nikki was never supposed to have my pup. It was for Lydia and I... I thought I prevented that."

"You don't want a pup with Lydia," I say slowly, confused.

"I thought..." he laughs, a little hysterically. "I thought she was depressed, a little sick, ya know?" Trey shakes his head in an abrupt motion. "I've been tested for fertility, for Lydia." His eyes dart to mine. "I thought I was protecting her," he says, laughing again.

"Why would your father want you to have pups with a crazed female?" Dad asks him.

"He didn't know. Thought she was the perfect luna because she was supposed to be mated toyou. I hid it from him. Her family begged me to hide her fucking insanity from my fucking father, but it just got worse and worse." He sucks in a deep, shaky breath. "Then... she came here. She's fucking beautiful, you know?"

"I really hope," I say in a harsh, grating voice, "that you aren't thinking about my mate."

Trey laughs coldly, smirking at me. "You better get used to men looking at her. You have any idea how many fucking dicks I chased away from her?"

His smile falls. "Lydia hated it. She knew I was... preoccupied with Bailey. I can't Claim a human luna. My father would have killed her. So I let Lydia and her fucking bitchy friends bully her, isolate her on campus. I wanted her to leave before I fucked up and Marked her."

"Too late," I snarl. "You should have-" I start to rise, but Dad's hard hand claps down on my shoulder. "It's too late," I repeat.

Trey glares at me balefully. "If you ever hurt her-"

"Not a chance," I snap.

"Pups," Dad rumbles out the warning. We both fall silent for a beat.

"Then, Lydia grew obsessed," Trey says, "with Bailey." He sucks in another shaky breath. "She wanted to kill her. She's crazy. Fucking insane. She ripped Nikki's pup right out of her."

"How do we know it was Lydia and not you or your father?" Dad asks.

"I'll show you," Trey says. "After we deal with my father. What is the plan for him, anyway?"

Dad stares steadily at him. "You show me Lydia first and I'll decide if Xander gets another pack, or you get to fight to keep it."

Trey's jaw flexes, but he agrees with a silent nod.

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Bailey

I bounce Mikko in my arms as he gurgles happily. I'm not sure how I got the job of holding Trey's baby, but Mikko is a cute little thing so I don't mind.

ClearHowl is on lockdown. I feel like the entire pack is here, including Dad, who is polishing his shotgun in the corner while everyone else gives him a wide berth.

I never got the chance to tell him about my brand-new pregnancy. I didn't have to; word really does travel fast in a wolf pack. When I arrived back I was immediately greeted by dozens of packmembers, all congratulating me on my baby.

Dad is not happy. I think he was finally warming up to Conner, but now my new hubby is going to return to me and get a buttful of buckshot.

I hand Mikko to Mina, Conner's mom, who is waiting with a new, warm bottle of formula. I rub my hands over my tummy absently but drop them when I hear a few women squeal excitedly from a few feet away.

"Why do we all congregate?" I ask Mina and Velia in a hushed voice.

Velia rolls her eyes a little. "So we can watch Mom and Papa greet Dad with waaaay too much PDA when he gets back. Like a conquering hero with a harem of exactly two."

"Ew," I wrinkle my nose at her in commiseration, but secretly I know I'll greet Conner the same way.

"Hey!" Mina laughs and swats her daughter with the back of her hand. "That's how you came to be, daughter-mine."

I smile, but then a swell of emotion hits me. Oh, God, I miss my mom. She won't ever get to hold her grandchild. I bet she and Mina would have gotten on so well, too.

"Oh, sweetie, don't cry," Mina soothes me. "Conner is a big male. He'll be fine."

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