Page 91 of Scapegoat

“And no one would want her if it got around that she was the product of an illicit encounter between a woman like your mother, and another woman’s fated mate. Kids who are like that, they’re seen as tarnished goods, the taint of their parents being passed on to them. She was only fourteen.”

“And I was only eight when my mother started beating the shit out of me for not cooking dinner just the way she wanted it.” She stepped back then and we followed her, always ready to stand up and protect her. We needed to be more aware of what it was we had to protect her from, because it wasn’t just individuals. It was attitudes that had let her come to harm, as well. Kai found my eyes and stared at me. “We don’t need this place.”

“You’re right,” I told her.

“We can go somewhere else, to another pack, if we need that kind of protection,” she insisted.

“No other pack is going to tolerate a new omega being introduced into it. It would’ve been a difficult process if our omega was still alive,” Mike said.

“Then we’ll just go.”

Kai’s tone was almost begging, but she needn’t have worried. I was with her one hundred percent of the way. I stroked her hair as she spoke, listened to her, heard her.

Because it was becoming clearer and clearer that being heard was a rare thing for Kai.

“Wherever you want,” I said. “Whenever you want.”

“You can’t.” Jack frowned at my words, muscling forward. “You went through the choosing. We accepted you as our heirs. You were born in this pack and you need—”

“Kai can never rule here as the omega,” Xavier said, the skin around his eyes creasing. “Abby might not be here anymore, but her poison is. The pack won’t accept Kai—”

“In time they will,” Brock said, his tone deliberately optimistic. “They’ll get to know her and—”

“It’s your fault they didn’t in the first place.” Jay was like Mum in some ways. His temper didn’t come out that often, but when it did? He smirked then, even as his eyes danced with silver fire. “You let this shit fester, when you were the only ones who could have stepped in and stopped it. You can’t expect our mate to put up with the shit that you were responsible for.”

“We’ll never stay in a place that doesn’t respect Kai in the way she deserves,” Xavier said, his tone forbidding. “She’s all that will ever matter. Find yourselves other heirs, because we won’t be sticking around.”

“And put the fucking word around that Kai is our mate because, I’ll tell you what, if one more dickhead says a fucking thing about Anna—” I snapped.

“You’ll do what?” Brock looked frustrated, realising that their future hopes had been destroyed. “Leave? You’re going to do that anyway.”

“I’ll tell the whole pack how fucking piss weak you are,” I shot back. “You didn’t step in and do something about Abby because you were too fucking scared to.” My eyes narrowed. “Fuck knows why.”

Nelly tried to say something as we left, but the four of us just walked the fuck out. I was more than done with this place. All of the good things I remembered, like how hanging out at the milk bar had been our haven, had turned to shit. And all the bad things? They just seemed to have gotten worse.

“We can go to fur and live in the forest for a while,” I told Kai, grabbing her hand when we got to the car. “Go and live like ferals.”

“We can petition other packs,” Xavier added. “Just because the alphas say it isn’t possible, doesn’t mean they’re right.”

“Or we could fuck off up north, go and live somewhere in the middle of the Centre, or up to Arnhem Land.” Jayden’s grin was lazy. “They’re the last places you can run to in Australia without jumping on a ship.”

“We could do that, too. We’ve got enough money.” Xavier was warming to the topic, eyes shining. “Could piss off to New Zealand or further away. Most countries need shearers.”

“Not yet.” Kai nodded. “I’m not that desperate. Another week of people telling us you’re my sister’s mates might put me over, though.”

“Well, if that’s the problem.” Jayden held out a hand for the car keys, which Xavier slapped into his palm. “Get in. I know just what to do.”

Chapter 52

Growing up, I learned all about fated mates. From reading about them in books, to learning about the bond in sex ed, I knew the lore. Your mate was the perfect person for you, just as you were the perfect person for them. But it had never seemed as real as this moment now.

When Jayden tore through the streets, I had a feeling I knew where we were headed. He stared at me in the rearview mirror far too long, smirking and then taking a corner at speed. But when we pulled up in the town square, some of the anger and adrenaline pumping through me dissipated.

We hadn’t been back here since that day. The guys had taken the long way around to get to their parents’ house, avoiding this spot. But Jay seemed determined to rip the band aid off as he drove right into the middle of it.

It looked pretty empty, with only a few people sitting around and chatting on the benches, who looked up as the truck pulled up, the tyres squealing. But as I slid out of the car, I realised Jayden was about to change that. He jumped up onto the stage with the kind of athleticism that I’d always envied in him, then grabbed the silken cord of the old brass bell.

When we were kids, we used to dare each other to touch it. Getting caught ringing the bell for no reason came with severe consequences. Not only would your parents ream you out, but the alphas would get involved. I felt some of that repressive instinct now. But Jay didn’t have any of those concerns as he stood there ringing the damn thing.

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