Page 62 of Due North

All I can do is offer a tight, apologetic smile. I heard exactly how much Paxton doesn’t want to be bothered by his siblings. I feel sick over it, but I can’t fix it. All I can do is try to keep them safe. Maybe he doesn’t care, but they’re my family too now.

Peter’s already dialing his phone. As he holds it up to his ear, his eyes skim over my neck. I’m wearing a sleeveless top, so my neck is completely exposed and I know what he’s looking for.

“He didn’t mark me,” I answer the unspoken question. “I marked him.”

His eyes widen, but he can’t comment because Poppy answers. “Poppy, are you safe?” He turns the phone to speaker and holds it out between us.

“I’m fine.” She sniffles. “But the lead was bogus just like you said. These guys thought they could extort me for money but bailed as soon as they realized I didn’t have any. Now I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere with no ride, and I have all my stuff with me so I can’t exactly shift either.”

“Poppy, do you know if any of your siblings are amiable and nearby?” I ask.

She goes silent for a second. “Peter? Who is that?”

“It’s Tasha Jarreau, Paxton’s mate. She’s going to bring us all together, Pops. A little bit of a family reunion of sorts. Can you tell us what you know about who’s closest to you right now?”

“I might be young, but I’m not stupid, you all. What’s going on? I can’t imagine Paxton, of all people, would ever agree to reunite the whole family. Someone’s either dying or this is some kind of trap, huh?”

I shake my head. Peter isn’t doing her any favors by not warning her. “I think you all might be in trouble, Poppy. I can’t say for sure, and honestly, I’m only operating on a hunch. But from what Peter told me, there’s a lot of chaos between rogues right now. The safest place to be for you will be with a pack, and I can house all the Glass siblings right in the middle of one of the safest ones. My sister is the Luna of the Anchorage Lake Pack. They’re going to offer your family asylum while we all work to figure out what’s going on amongst the rogues.”

“A straight shooter, huh?” I can hear a measure of respect in her voice. “McKenna is the closest, but last I heard, no one ever gets her to leave the house. I’ll call Tobias. He won’t like coming all the way out here to get me, but I’ll lean on his guilt over not stopping things with Greg, and he’ll come. Then we’ll get McKenna, even if it means dragging her into the car kicking and screaming.”

“Who else?” I press.

“Peter can get ahold of the twins. They won’t put up much of a fight because they’re secretly desperate for pack life. I can contact Molly, Gabe, and Chaz, but there’s no guarantee they’ll come. The three of them are a lot like Paxton, and they won’t trust a pack to protect them better than they think they can protect themselves.

“Callie’s a lost cause though. She won’t leave that asshole rogue of hers she’s been pining after for years.”

Peter and I share a grimace. “Baylor turned on her, Poppy. She showed up at Leah’s a complete mess. I’ll get ahold of Leah and see if I can convince the two of them to come to stay with the group, but there might be trouble between her and Paxton. She turned on him and put Tasha in danger.”

Poppy releases a low whistle.

“We can deal with all of that later,” I insist. “Safety first. Then you all can hash out the family drama to your heart’s content. Okay?”

“You don’t have to talk me into it, Jarreau. I’ve been wanting to bring all these assholes together for years. If they fight to the death once they’re all in the same room, well that’s on them. I do have one question, though. The youngest Glass kids…”

“Peter told me you’ve been looking for them. I’ve tried scouring birth records, but I don’t have a lot to go off of. Once everyone gets here safely, I’ll let you search the book for yourself and see if you have better luck.”

“Thank you.” Her voice is thick with emotion.

“Okay, I’m getting off of here. Call Tobias, Poppy, and then let me know where you’re at every step of the way, okay? You know where you’re going?” He takes the phone off speaker as she reassures him that she’ll be fine.

I put my hands on top of my head and suck in a deep breath. From the corner of my eye, I can see Paxton watching curiously.

What are you doing?

I turn my back and ignore him. I don’t answer to any man who looks at me as a burden. I was a Beta’s mate once… I won’t be defined by my mate ever again. Paxton can stay a rogue; I’m part of a family.

18

Tasha

It takes a lot of pleading, but by lunchtime, a car rolls up the drive. Paxton, who has been pacing the living room, follows me as I dart out the front door. “Wait!” He tries to grab my arm before I can bound off toward the car, but I dodge him. I’ve kept him out of everything that’s been happening this morning, but I know exactly who Dominic’s pack has allowed up the hillside to the Sovereign House.

“Tasha,” Tess cries out my name as she throws herself out of the passenger seat even before the car has come to a complete stop. Dominic isn’t far behind her with a scowl, which doesn’t surprise me at all. Of course he wouldn’t let her out of his sight.

Tess and I collide in a tangle of limbs. I haven’t missed her this much since I first left our home pack to live with Jimmy. I cling to her as she cries, burying her face against my shoulder. I can feel her tears soaking the narrow strap of my shirt, but I don’t stop her.

“I can’t believe that cocky asshole is your mate,” she mutters loudly enough only for me to hear.

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