“Niece?” Ethan scoffed. “We’ve been dealing with you for weeks now. You didn’t think we needed to know this?”
“At the time? No, you didn’t,” Williams shrugged, disregarding the identical fury in the twins’ faces.
“What about you?” Kieran snapped, his eyes narrowing on Sebastian. “You didn’t think your daughter had a right to know?”
“Let’s not blame my half-brother,” Williams smirked at Sebastian, who scowled in response. “We’ve been estranged for quite some time. The poor man can hardly stand to be in the same room as me. Nevertheless, we’ve shared a common goal for some time.”
Sebastian’s scowl turned outright deadly. He bared his teeth at Williams and spoke in a low voice, “She doesn’t need to know right now. She already has enough on her plate without you adding to it.”
Before I developed my gift, I would’ve assumed Sebastian was his typical selfish, conniving self. While I didn’t appreciate the lies, I could sense the sincerity behind Sebastian’s words. He genuinely cared for my well-being. I still didn’t trust the man, but feeling his emotions showed me a side of him I hadn’t known existed.
“She’s accepted what she is. The sooner she knows, the faster she can prepare,” Williams snapped at Sebastian, who rolled his eyes in response.
It seemed this conversation wasn’t new territory for them. Judging by Williams’s impatience, they’d had this argument countless times. I knew Williams had won when Sebastian clenched his jaw, the muscle in his cheek twitching with anger.
“I’m not sure how familiar you are with our customs, but there are a few things we need to discuss. As you know, you will be taking over Sebastian’s pack. Your mates will assume the role of Alpha, while you will take on the position of Luna. The two packs will merge into one larger pack,” Williams’s grunted, his distaste palpable.
For some reason, Williams didn’t want Sebastian’s pack to merge with Ethan and Kieran’s. Judging by Sebastian’s similar emotions, he felt the same. I couldn’t entirely blame them; Sebastian’s pack would essentially be controlled by Ethan and Kieran, and there was clearly no love lost among the three of them.
Williams cleared his throat and continued, “Our customs are ancient and strictly followed. As I am unable to have children, tradition dictates that my pack will go to my closest descendant. Not only will you be responsible for Sebastian’s pack, but you will also inherit mine.”
The room fell silent, all eyes fixed on me. Ethan and Kieran stared at me with equal surprise, their expressions mirrored. Their emotions were my anchor, shielding me from Olivia’s seething anger. Their awe and affection steadied me, giving me space to process Williams’s words.
Olivia’s rage felt like a stifling, hot blanket. Her face flushed the same shade of red as her lips. Her nails, painted in crimson, reminded me of blood, and I instinctively moved away as her slender fingers curled into a fist.
“Not only will this bastard child inherit your pack, but two others,” Olivia hissed, each word dripping with venom as she turned her furious gaze on Sebastian, who winced under her scrutiny. “Because of your stupidity, your daughter will inherit nothing. She will be nothing. Our only hope for her is that her mate is an Alpha with his own pack. I hope you’re satisfied with what you’ve done, Sebastian.”
Krystal seemed to shrink in her seat. While I sensed her disappointment, there was no resentment directed at me. Her strongest emotion was embarrassment, aimed at her furious mother.
“Enough,” Kieran snapped, his voice ringing through the dining room.
His eyes blazed with an onyx fire as he glared at Olivia, his jaw clenched. I could feel the slight tremor in his body and winced at the intensity of his anger. Olivia’s anger lashed out like a sharp whip, while Kieran’s simmered like ice, directed solely at her.
“This might be your home, but this is our pack,” Kieran snarled, slamming his fists on the table. The silverware and plates jumped, settling back with a rattle. “Speak ill of our mate again, and you won’t leave this pack alive.”
Olivia whipped her head toward Kieran, her face paling as she took in his rigid stance. Her eyes darted to Ethan, who watched her with a cold, emotionless gaze.
“Don’t bother seeking help; you’ll find none,” Ethan snapped.
I could sense both their anger-similar yet distinctly different. Kieran’s anger was like an ice storm, while Ethan’s was like a crackling fire: intense and consuming, yet conflicting.
Beneath their anger, I felt their fierce protectiveness toward me surge like adrenaline. Since they first arrived at Marcella’s house, I knew they wanted and accepted me. They never forced me to return home or to accept my fate. They always gave me a choice, no matter how painful it was for them. Until now, I hadn’t fully grasped what I meant to the twins. I had grown on them, just as they had grown on me. We couldn’t be complete without one another-I realized that now. This realization changed something inside me; the faint whispers of doubt faded. They would never abandon me or let me down. They always prioritized me, and I would do the same for them. I wanted this-I wanted to bind myself to them in every possible way.
Rather than saying something regrettable, Olivia bowed her head and left the room. Her anger trailed behind her like a thick cloud, leaving an uncomfortable atmosphere in the dining room. Krystal rose from the table, giving her father a weak smile before turning her eyes to me. ‘Sorry,’ she mouthed. I nodded gently, watching her leave with her distraught mother.
I still wasn’t sure how I felt about Krystal. I knew people couldn’t change overnight, but beneath it all, I sensed she wasn’t entirely bad. I couldn’t blame her entirely for how she turned out-if I had a mother like that, who knows how I would have ended up.
“I believe we should continue this conversation another time,” Williams suggested, shifting in his seat and casting a wry glance at Sebastian. “Give Olivia time to process this. She may never come around, but she’ll learn to live with it.”
“I’m not looking to you for advice,” Olivia snapped, though his face betrayed exhaustion.
I could feel the guilt and pain echoing within him and tried not to let it affect me. It pained him to hurt his mate-I understood that feeling and knew I would react similarly if I ever hurt Ethan and Kieran the way Sebastian hurt Olivia. Sebastian and I might never have a normal relationship, but he was making an effort. He had abandoned me, and I would never forget that, but no one is purely good or evil. Forgiveness, however, was still a long way off.
Sebastian stood from the table, smoothing his suit jacket before clearing his throat. “Thank you for coming tonight. It was… nice having you here, Sophia. We’ll speak again soon.”
The three of us left shortly after, the weight of the meal heavy in my stomach. I had a nagging feeling that I was missing something important, that Ethan and Kieran had connected the dots where I hadn’t. The car ride home was shrouded in silence. Just as we pulled into the driveway, I couldn’t bear it any longer.
“Are they serious?” I exhaled. “I mean, we’re going to be in charge of two other packs?”
“If you’re sure about this-about us-the packs will merge into one. We’ll absorb the territory and people,” Ethan frowned, glancing at his brother.
They both radiated shock, but beneath it, nervousness simmered-a harsh anxiety that set my teeth on edge.
“Why are you both so worried?” I asked, my gaze darting between them.
“Once you turn eighteen, the packs will officially be transferred to you,” Kieran grimaced. “There’s a hierarchy among packs in the United States. Our status is ranked by the size of our pack and the territory we control. Larger packs become targets. If Ethan and I were to be killed by another Alpha, they would have every right to claim our pack.”
“What’s your point?” I asked, fighting against the queasiness in my stomach.
“Once our pack merges with Sebastian’s and Williams’s, we’ll be the largest pack in the country,” Ethan replied, his eyes burning with worry. “It’s like painting a target on our backs. Keeping your wolf a secret will be harder than ever.”