Page 70 of The Forbidden Wolf

Sebastian swore, answering my question.

Max returned to his mate’s side, and I moved back to the TV, trying to give the family I wasn’t really part of some privacy in this nerve-wracking time. Damian had slid onto his side, hands and feet twitching like a dreaming wolf. I half-expected him to shift, but the silver seemed to be doing its job in that department. The fact that it had done almost nothing to dampen his mental abilities sent another shiver down my spine.

Betas were only supposed to be able to use their powers on humans and wolves of lesser rank. If he could control an Alpha Heir in his prime in a room full of silver, then imagine what all he’d been doing to Father and Kiana with nothing to restrain him. Had they figured this out by now with him not around? Or had the deception run so deep they couldn’t separate Damian’s desires from their own? Was it possible they didn’t really hate me as much as he’d made them make it seem on Monday?

The nurse arrived, and Sebastian came to my side. He neither touched nor looked at me when he said, “I don’t know if apologies or congratulations are in order.”

I bit my lip. “Neither do I.”

“Kenzo is going to make a stronger batch of serum this week. We can try to get more out of the Beta…” Sebastian trailed off, and then his voice reappeared inside my head. “Was he there when you were presented to your father?”

“Yes.” I scrunched my eyes shut. “If the story he told us was otherwise true, then I was left alone in his care while my sister was delivered.”

“I believe he must have recognized the Mark of Chann, as your mother did, and knowing what it meant, decided you must never hold power in case you built yourself an army of dilutes.”

“He hates humans,” I said, remembering the stupid conversation we’d had in the limo. “Especially females. This is about culture, Sebastian, not just blood. He doesn’t want me to make wolves like Evan who weren’t raised with our… values.”

Sebastian inhaled deeply and folded his arms. “Forgive me, Elyse this question may seem cruel, but earlier today, when you said they ripped your mother open to remove you—or rather, Kiana—were you being literal? They just…?”

I winced even though I was no longer the culprit. “Yes. The midwolf used her claws.”

Sebastian released a gravelly sigh. He swept a hand through his hair and then inched closer to me, head bowed. “My mother lost consciousness during my whelping. I was delivered via proper C-section.”

“My pack doesn’t go to the hospital,” I said bitterly.

“Neither does mine,” he said softly.

I looked up, startled.

Sebastian’s golden brown eyes radiated compassion. “The midwolves of the Five Thrones train together on the neutral ground of Roosevelt Island. They are all taught how to surgically remove difficult pups. Perhaps your midwolf mated into the pack from somewhere less sophisticated, but…”

He let the insinuation hang in the air. My mouth instantly filled with so much bile that I doubled over, gagging. Sebastian’s strong hands held me up, one on the small of my back, the other on my roiling stomach. Their warmth paradoxically cooled the fire raging within me.

“I need to see my father,” I blurted out loud. “Now.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Alpha Max made the call, but Sebastian and I crossed the Third Avenue Bridge alone, just as we had done last Friday night, only this time we barely spoke. The rain had finally stopped, but the pavement continued to shimmer, and a mist oozed between the steel trusses overhead, blurring the lights of the Bronx skyline. The Harlem River smelled especially fishy, and somewhere in Manhattan, Charlie’s body had been packed inside a freezer.

“There were a lot more cars last week,” Sebastian observed as we neared the point where we’d parted ways before.

“It wasn’t three a.m.” I yawned.

“There are no cars,” he said, scanning the five empty lanes of traffic to our left. “That feels wrong.”

“Maybe it closes for a while at night? In case barges need to come through?” I shrugged. “The Bronx doesn’t have a Beta anymore, so it’s not like they’re rerouting traffic.”

“They could have just put up some roadblocks,” he said. “I know your father seemed eager to reconcile, but stay on guard.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve never not been on guard around my family.” I stopped walking and stared at my shrouded borough up ahead. “No. That’s not true. We were happy once.” I shoved my hands into my pockets and lowered my gaze. “As much as we could be.”

Sebastian turned to face me. “When did it change?”

“When we turned thirteen.” I looked out on the river I couldn’t actually see. “Damian sat us down and told us his version of how we were born. Kiana hated me after that, and Father withdrew… He had us moved out of his place and into our own separate apartments downstairs. We rarely spent time together. Kiana’s life became more and more about training to be Alpha, and mine… well…”

Sebastian touched my elbow. “When did you meet your human friends?”

“A little over four years ago.” I hunched over, folding my elbows on top of the railing. “I ran away from home because my sister caught me reading Little Women and tore it up. I ran all the way across this bridge and kept going.”

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