Page 70 of Haze

“Really?” Dinah scoffs before getting loud. “Lena, that’s all you have to say?”

I slump against the hospital bed in resignation. “There’s nothing more for me to say. We always joked that our birthdays being a week apart was more than a coincidence. Our parents clearly must have planned it. It wasn’t hard for me to figure out where I probably belonged, genetically speaking. Hazel eyes, brown hair... Wolf genetics are a lot more complex than Punnett squares make genetics seem. When you factor in my wolf’s disposition: being a submissive, the differences between us... Dinah and I...” Fuck. It’s hard to push out words. “My slight build and more round features are easily explained. Submissives are smaller, weaker, and... But it is what it is.” I shake my head at her.

The confirmation of my lineage, at least tying myself to Dinah and the Alloways by proxy, doesn’t hurt as much as I thought. I had always imagined this moment feeling differently. Instead of being angry, scared, or sad, I feel nothing.

Dinah shakes her head in disbelief, her eyes going glossy. She chokes on her words, putting her stethoscope back into her scrub pocket. “So, how long have you known?”

Cade puts his hand on Dinah’s shoulder, rubbing it gently, comforting her. I drop my eyes, not wanting to look at them. They’ve always been close, and I’ve always been jealous.

“About me, Cade, and Deacon? A while. I found out that none of the Aldens were siblings four years ago during my biology class.” I shrug. Trying to soften the blow, I add, “About you? It’s always been an assumption.”

Silence descends on the room, eyes watching me before the crinkling of a bag breaks the stillness.

Deacon snickers, “Hey, on the bright side, you could be me.”

Turning my head, I see my brother with his nose stuffed into the bag of salty sausage biscuit goodness, drawing deep breaths.

Talking into the bag, he continues. “I’m not related to any of you. Go fish! Though, it totally explains why your wolves look like they were rolled off an assembly line that makes those nesting dolls. One bigger and one smaller.”

“I can’t talk about this right now.” I shake my head.

I don’t have the energy to pretend to care. It’s out of my hands. Cade will decide what he wants to do with me now that he’s no longer obligated to care for me as his blood family. Which, I mean, technically, now that Finn and I sport matching mating marks, his decision doesn’t matter anymore. I haven’t been his problem in who knows how many days since the bond started.

Cade doesn’t let us dwell. He squats down to get on my eye level.

When I meet his eyes, he smiles. “Let’s get you home. Thalia is anxiously waiting for you to get back.”

I try to stand, but my legs are wobbly. Dinah and Cade hold me steady until I get my balance. Walking is hard. It takes a long time and a lot of effort to make it through the lab to the loading dock, where Cade backed his tank, I mean SUV, into.

I’m exhausted by the time I get my seatbelt buckled.

Deacon goes immediately into caregiver mode. He sets up a lap tray before pulling my portion of food from the to-go bag. From Cade’s cooler, he pulls out a bottle of water, and when I wrinkle my nose at it, he tilts his head toward Dinah in the front seat.

“Deacon, if you hand her a soda, I’ll kick your ass,” she growls.

“You know, last time I checked, you’re addicted to caffeine too,” I quip. Rude.

Dinah snorts before answering, “Yes, but I’m mostly healthy, and you’re mostly dead. No stimulants until you’re more... chipper.”

Cade mumbles something to Dinah, which sounds like, ‘does Lena have a chipper setting?’ but I can’t be sure. I know whatever he said wasn’t exactly nice because Dinah whacks his shoulder with the back of her hand.

“Cade, I don’t have any of my school stuff out at the house. Can you swing by my place?” I can only imagine the barrage of communication updates.

“I’ll have Finn bring it out. I have a feeling he doesn’t make it through the workday.” Cade looks at me through the rearview mirror.

Closing my eyes, I decide not to argue. This isn’t the hill to die on. Deacon stretches his arm out across the entire back seat and pets my shoulder.

Pity party is over. Biscuits and a nap.

* * *

My nap is really good most of the way home. I settle in and curl up with a pillow and blanket that Cade keeps in his vehicle, and the only time I remember waking up was when we stopped to fuel. The sounds of my family’s voices helped lull me back to sleep.

As we pull up through the gate to the house, it’s surprisingly good to be here, until I remember my bedroom is on the second story and the elevator is on the opposite end of the house from my room.

Deacon shuffles the hair on my head. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you upstairs.”

Getting out of the car wasn’t as hard as I was expecting, but now making my way into the house, I’m burning off all the fuel that I had gained from breakfast. When my stomach gurgles, Deacon steers me off course from the staircase to my room and into the kitchen. He helps me onto a stool before walking around the kitchen island.

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