Page 13 of Deadly Ties

“Miss Ferrier, I’m Mrs. Lewis, and it’s an honor to welcome you to the estate. Alpha Ferrier is waiting for you in the drawing room.” I think that’s all she’s going to say, but then she turns to Arben with a twinkle in her eye. “Master Arben,” she purrs, her tiny hands going out to pull him close. She looks a bit like a kitten trying to hug a bear and I’d laugh if I didn’t feel the warm wave of affection through the bond. “It’s been too long,” she tells him. “But what a lovely surprise to have you back, and looking so happy.”

She turns those dancing eyes my way. “Thank you for bringing him home to us, Miss Ferrier. Although, perhaps I should say Mistress Marku, since you’re clearly smart enough to snatch up this wonderful man.”

I’m still gaping at her as she turns to lead us through an impressive entryway. My bond mark is hidden under the collar of my cotton shirt dress, so I’m not sure how she guessed. But I’m more curious about how she knowsMasterArben so well. There was more than just friendly affection in her face, and their hug went way past an alpha-omega show of respect. But as we pass a couple more staff, I notice they both greet Arben with easy smiles. I’m so used to seeing him intimidate people with a single glance, I’m growing more confused by the second.

I’m still shooting him sideways looks as we skirt a formal staircase and enter a room with mint green walls, polished wooden floors, and a marble fireplace with angel wings carved into the chimney breast. Arben looks perfectly at home amongst the fancy furnishings, but I’m distracted by Ferrier, who’s sitting on a padded bench in front of one of those long, narrow windows. As soon as he sees us he leaps up and strides our way, his hand out. I think he’s headed towards Arben until he stops in front of me, lifting my reluctant fingers so he can kiss the back of my hand. His bright golden eyes take me in, their intensity unsettling. “He is treating you well, my dear?”

I frown. “Arben? Of course!” I cast my mate another puzzled look, but he just stares back at me with lazy eyes. “Why wouldn’t he be?”

Ferrier makes an amused sound in the back of his throat before giving my hand a pat. “Because when a man finally gets the mate he’s dreamed of for so long, he doesn’t always remember his manners.”

I have to stop myself from clapping a hand over the bite mark under the collar of my dress. I wouldn’t change a thing about Arben and my bond, but this is uncomfortable on so many levels. Ferrier is definitely not my father in my mind, and I really didn’t think we’d be getting personal so soon.

Especially since my mate has clearly left me in the dark about their relationship. Are they friends? Employer and employee? I don’t sense any awkwardness coming down the bond, but Arben is a master at hiding his feelings. “Everything is great. And Arben is always a complete gentleman.” Assuming we don’t include the part where he edged me into a soggy mess in front of his fireplace last night. “And if anyone was getting their dream mate, it was me. I’ve been chasing Arben for years.”

When his arm snakes around my back, our bond humming with satisfaction, I know I’ve said exactly what he needed to hear. But Ferrier surprises me by giving a broad smile and clapping Arben on the shoulder. “Then I’m a happy man, twice over.” He sweeps a hand towards the other end of the room where an enormous table is set with every possible breakfast dish. “Come and eat, and then I’ll tell you how I met your mate.”

The table is groaning under platters of fruit, pastries, and hot dishes, but I barely give it a glance as we sit. Arben immediately starts piling food on the plate in front of me, but I’m hungry for information. “Tell me everything.”

My mate grumbles a little but Ferrier just laughs and pours us all a cup of steaming coffee which I’m surprised to see is made in the Turkish way. Ferrier sounds French, if anything, although maybe he’s just being polite serving it in the way of his guests. “You may not know it from Arben’s sunny disposition, but he grew up in ajetimore. A state-run orphanage, back in Albania. My father arranged to have him come to this country when he was ten, and we were raised as brothers, even though I was a decade older.”

“But then you sent him to Bisha’s pack?”

It’s the first time I’ve felt a strain in our bond, but I shrug. Arben is obviously happy here, feeding me bits of buttery pastry as if he’s perfectly at home. But he either left, or was sent to New York. Which might have been for a good cause, since he was helping omegas, but at the end of the day, Ferrier is living in luxury while Arben’s in the underbelly of the worst part of our world. And then there’s the fact I’m nearly twenty-one, and this is the first time I’ve seen this place. “I’m glad your dad brought Arben here, but what about my mom? Did you ship her off to Bisha too?” Arben’s hand comes down on mine, but I push him away. “Just before she died, she talked about a contract. I know she was dirt poor, so she wouldn’t have fit in this fancy house. I’m guessing she was just a breeder you didn’t want anymore. Why else would you give her a ring, but then send her off to a man like Bisha?”

Shadows instantly darken Ferrier’s golden eyes. “No. Not a breeder. She grew up on the estate because her uncle was one of our ground staff. In the cabin you’re in now, actually.” My eyes widen at that, but I don’t spare Arben a look. We’ve obviously got a lot to talk about when we get back tomy mom’s childhood home, but right now, I want to hear the truth from Ferrier. “This house was a bleak place in those days.” He swallows hard, his hand shaking violently as he places his cup down on its saucer. “I never brought your mother through those doors, but not because I didn’t want her here. I would have left if I could, and taken her with me…”

He stops abruptly, and I expect Arben to try to distract me again, but he’s as still as a statue by my side. It’s hard sitting and watching an alpha as strong as Lucas Ferrier struggle with his emotions, but I don’t help him. Maybe he needs to get this out, too. Either way, I need to hear it, and finally he recovers enough to say, “You won’t find a single item belonging to my father - Jarvis Ferrier - in this house. Not so much as a handkerchief in a drawer, or a portrait in an attic. But when he was alive, he ruled this world with an iron fist. He was naturally cruel and ruthless to the core. As Mrs. Lewis likes to say, he was colder than any man not already in the ground. And he always followed through on his threats. Which in this case was if I ever intervened in your mother’s life, he would take you from her body – or later, from her arms – and end you both in front of my eyes.”

I sit back a little, the buttery pastry turning to ash on my tongue. “Not a cuddly grandfather, then.”

Ferrier gives a bitter sigh. “You were better never knowing him at all. And by the time he died, your mother wanted nothing to do with me or any other alpha, and I didn’t push. My family had made her life hard enough.” He reaches out to touch my cheek, and I don’t pull away. My mom might have been scarred by her time here, but I don’t think Ferrier had it much easier. “The only time I regretted keeping my distance was when those Lightning Ridge enforcers broke into your house. But Arben was there to chase them off, and for that, I owe him an immeasurable debt.”

I look at my mate, wondering at the contented look on Ferrier’s face. But a slight tremor through the bond tells me Arben never told him the full truth about what happened to me that night. “Me too,” I tell him quietly. “Even if Jarvis was an asshole, at least he brought Arben here to us. At least he did one thing right in his life.”

I have so many more questions about him and my mom, but I push them down. Talking about her isn’t easy for either of us, and I guess if this is Arben’s home, we’ll be spending more time here, anyway. And then Ferrier turns the conversation back to our bond. “Do you intend to go public with your happy news?”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Clearly, we’ve been too busy cementing our relationship to talk through the tricky parts. “I don’t think so…” I say carefully, watching Arben’s face.

But he’s already nodding his agreement. “I don’t like to hide it, but Bisha won’t be pleased by the news. Until I can ensure Elvi’s safety, we’ll need to keep a low profile.”

He’s right, but my wolf ispissed. She’s a possessive bitch who’s insanely proud of her mate, and ready to howl it from the nearest mountaintop. I have visions of her staking her claim somewhere more visible than his butt cheek, and decide to try for the middle ground. “We need to be careful, but I’m not keeping it a secret forever.”

Arben gives me one of those rare smiles that light up his dark eyes. “The day will come, princeshë, when the whole world will envy my good fortune.”

I want to roll my eyes at that, but I’m too busy picking my swooning heart off the floor right next to my wolf.

Ferrier rubs his chin like he thinks this is all very cute. “We can always announce you as part of the Ferrier family, with all the associated protections. The identity of your alpha mate can be left unconfirmed for the moment.” He smirks at me, a look I’ve seen plenty of times in my own mirror. “Give the old bastards something to gossip about.”

I’m surprised by the prickle of excitement at the idea. It would definitely kill off the Bisha’s baby bullshit, once and for all. But this isn’t something I have to decide now. What’s more important is using Ferrier’s reach and connections to help other omegas. “I think maybe I should just stay incognito for now. I like the idea of putting Bisha behind me, but Arben’s told me what you’ve been doing to help omegas in trouble. It’s more important that I can be part of that.”

Ferrier taps the table thoughtfully, but doesn’t look insulted by my refusal to broadcast our relationship. “You want to help the Omega Underground?”

I let out a slow breath. “Omegas need to stick together. Arben says I was safe at the auction, but I saw how easily it could have gone a different way. Those other omegas…” I shudder, remembering their blank, broken stares.

“They’re safe, I assure you.” Ferrier’s hand comes down over mine, while my mate strokes the bond between us. It’s a strange feeling being comforted by these two men, and I realize how little I’ve had this in my life. It also reminds me that some omegas might never feel this safe again.

“But if we could make it work, I’d like to go to the ball at the Crouch Estate with you.”

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