Page 15

Leanna Avery

I’m running in the forest. The monsters are chasing me. I can see the Veil. But I’m too far away. And the monsters are gaining on me.

“Mom! Mama!”

I hear Finn shouting my name. I have to hurry! I need to get to him!

I feel a burning sensation on my back before I smell the hot, wet scent of my blood in the air.

I’m falling.

He’s screaming for me. “Mom!”

I can barely walk, crawling now. I have to get to my baby. I have to protect him.

But I’m surrounded. They’re approaching me now, vicious-looking monsters with terrifying faces and teeth so sharp, they’re the stuff of nightmares.

“Mom!”

I can barely move.

“Mama, help!”

The terror in my son’s voice has me jolting upright, my eyes flying open. “Finn!”

A wave of dizziness hit me, and I would have slumped back down had someone not caught me. “Easy.”

I’m lowered to the bed, and I look around with a pounding heart. I’m not in the Misty Forest. I’m home. I’m in my house, in my bed.

But where is my child?

“Finn,” I mumble.

“He’s in his room,” comes the familiar voice.

This time, I recognize it, and my heart nearly stops in my chest. My head lifts so I can see the foot of the bed, and there is a large, looming man sitting there. As I stare at him, the events of the night come flying back to me.

The attack. Cedric showing up.

“You,” I breathe.

“You could be a little more grateful, Leanna,” Cedric says arrogantly as he pulls his chair closer to my head. “I did just save your life.”

My body hurts, but I manage to scowl at him. “And I’m sure you want something in return.”

“Have I ever asked you for anything in return?” he asks coolly, and I open my mouth, but I have no answer.

“Why were you there?”

“I was following you,” he answers shamelessly.

I close my eyes, astounded by how he considers stalking me to be no big deal. I finally glower at him. “Why? Didn’t Erik tell you to stay away from me and his son?”

“You mean our son, don’t you, Leanna,” Cedric says quietly.

I go still, panic filling me. No. He’s just testing me. He can’t know for sure.

“He looks just like me.” Cedric holds my gaze, his own unwavering. “And I conducted a blood test.”

“You made my son bleed?!” My voice rises in fury, and his eyes narrow at me.

“Our son, Leanna. And I didn’t do anything to hurt him. I pricked his fingertip. It’s an age-old ritual, one that didn’t even leave a mark on him. But it confirmed my suspicions. Finn is mine. Mine and yours.”

It’s over. He knows. My heart sinks as I look at him.

How could I be so careless? Why didn’t I just leave Finn at the palace? What was I thinking?!

Cedric is smiling. In fact, he looks proud. “He’s a strong, strapping boy. Handsome, too, just like his father.”

I blink, taken aback by his reaction. I’ve never seen Cedric look so pleased.

“He—I won’t let you do anything to him.” My wolf paces inside me, worried, tense, protective.

Cedric’s smile fades. “Do anything to him? He’s my heir. Why would I do anything to him?”

He reaches for me, and I bat his hand away, my eyes flashing. “Don’t touch me! And don’t you dare touch my son!”

Cedric freezes at the venom in my voice.

“He’s the same child you would have killed for having tainted blood! Bella told me as much!” I snarl at him. “So, you stay away from Finn! He’s not yours. He’s mine! He’s only ever been mine! I won’t let you do anything to him! You—”

Cedric grabs both my arms, his upper lip curled in fury. “I would never hurt my child! I don’t care what Bella said to you. That woman lied! I never ordered your execution! I never wanted you dead! If you had stayed—If you hadn’t become so impatient and left that hut—If you had just waited for me, Leanna—” The anger fades from his eyes, replaced by a bewildered agony, and he sinks off his chair to the floor, still clutching me. His voice is hoarse. “You were never replaceable. No matter what I said, you were never replaceable, Leanna. If you had just waited, I would have proved it to you.”

My heart trembles at his words. “Proved it to me?” The wound that I have been covering up for years begins to bleed once again. “How? Would you have made me your mistress? Or would you have taken my child from me and raised him yourself, stashing me somewhere far away? Tell me why I should’ve believed that you would have spared my life when you had the real Princess Vivian. You always told me I was a substitute. You always told me that my worth as a fated mate was nothing in your eyes. Did you really expect me to believe that you were not going to get rid of me the moment you found the true princess?”

Cedric’s jaw tightens, and his eyes are filled with anguish as he looks at me. “The true princess? I still see you in every room of the castle. I closed up the greenhouse because it belongs to you. I have not taken that woman to my bed. I denied her access to my chamber because that was your rightful place.”

His words reach out and grab something deep and vulnerable inside me, twisting it. He releases my arms and cups my face. Seeing this proud man bend in front of me has my stomach in knots.

“I admit I made mistakes, Leanna. I was harsh. Perhaps I was cruel. But I have never had eyes for any woman but you. Everything Bella told you was a lie. I should’ve trusted you and listened to you back then when you felt uncomfortable with me leaving her in charge. It was my mistake, and I paid dearly for it.”

I push him away, not wanting to believe his words. “You sent her a letter. It had your seal on it. You told her to get rid of me—”

“Bella had my seal!” Cedric explodes. “She forged that letter, and she admitted as much. I was going to kill her. If the pack elders had not intervened, she would have died in the same manner that she had planned for you. Both her and the princess. Vivian is not you, Leanna. She can never be you.”

My wolf wants to believe him. But my heart has become so jaded that I find the idea difficult to believe. What if this is another trap? What if he’s just trying to get me and Finn to go back to the North with him, and he’ll hurt us there?

I shake my head at him. “No. I don’t trust you. Bella told me that if I had slept with you on the night of the full moon and conceived, she would have enjoyed killing our child. How could she possibly have said something like that without your backing? How can I be sure you’re not just saying all this so that you can harm us and get rid of the impurity in your bloodline?”

I ignore the way he flinches.

“I can’t trust you, Cedric. You never gave me a reason to. I was a prisoner back then, and I will not be one again.”

The way he looks at me makes me want to weep. It’s as if I’ve broken his heart. As if I said something so utterly cruel that he can’t wrap his head around it.

“Tell me how to prove it to you,” he finally says. “Whatever it is you want—”

I shake my head. “I just want you to leave us alone. I want you to leave me and my son alone. I want nothing to do with you or the Northern Kingdom. Finn and I live among humans now. My son will never have to suffer for having my blood running through his veins. He will never have to worry for his life because his father and his father’s people think he’s not good enough.” Each word is another slash on my already battered heart. “You have the real princess now, your pureblooded woman, Cedric. Go to her. Go to your queen. She’s waiting for you. Have a child with her. Make that child your heir.”

“If you think I’m going to walk away from you or my son—” Cedric begins.

I give him a hard look. “I accepted Erik’s proposal, Cedric. I’m going to become his mate. My son will be his heir. I will protect my child from you and the people around you at any cost to myself.”

“Erik’s mate?” He gives me a dazed look. “How can you be with another man when you have a fated mate? You can’t accept another man’s mating mark!”

“Can’t I?!” I demand fiercely. “What would you have me do? Skip hand-in-hand with you back to the Northern castle where you imprison me and kill my son? Where you let Vivian exact her twisted revenge on me? You want me to trust you?”

He stares at me, speechless, and I let out a bitter laugh.

“I’m finally free, Cedric. I no longer have to let you humiliate me just so that I can survive. I no longer have to live in a world where my only worth came from being a substitute for another person.” Hot tears spill onto my cheeks as I grab him by the front of his shirt, my voice breaking. “Nobody calls me worthless here. Nobody treats me as if I have no dignity. I work hard in this world. I’m respected. I have built a life for myself. And most of all, Cedric, I’m free. From everyone. I don’t have to lean on you to survive. I don’t have to worry about what I might say to piss you off and make you finally get rid of me. For the first time in my life, I’m free. I’ve never going to give this up.”

I don’t know why I’m crying. Maybe it’s my wolf. The devastation inside me at knowing what could have been.

“Do you know what it’s like to suffer your whole life and then find your fated mate, only to be told that even they don’t want you? Do you know how small I felt when you said such cruel things to me? I can’t even put it into words. I can’t explain to you what it did to me knowing that I had no value as a person. Erik’s not going to mistreat me. I know his people won’t harm my son. I want to give Finn everything I never got. Starting with love. I didn’t even know what love was because I never experienced it, but I know the love I have for my son. He will never go without. I’m going to make sure he values himself, that he knows he’s important and cherished, and that the purity of his blood doesn’t matter.”

“Leanna—”

I hold up my hand. “Thank you for saving me, Cedric, but it doesn’t change anything between us. I want you to go. I want you to leave me and my son alone. Stay away from us.”

“Why won’t you believe that I never—”

“I don’t want to believe it!” I snap at him. “I’m not going to give you a chance. I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but I won’t let you succeed. I have my child to protect!”

Cedric gets to his feet, and I feel both relief and a flicker of disappointment. “Finn is my heir, Leanna. I have just as much right to him as you do, if not more—”

My head whips up to look him in the eyes. “If you even think about taking him from me, you have no idea the hell I will unleash upon you. You will never take my child away from me. He’s my son, not yours. Finn is going to be Erik’s child and his heir. Erik gave me his word that he will make it happen.”

“Gave you his word, did he?” Cedric stares at me, his voice hard. “And you trust him so much because…?”

“He doesn’t look at me and see a substitute, Cedric.”

“Do you love him?”

His question takes me aback. “What if I do?” I demand. “What if I do love him? It’s got nothing to do with you. It has been eight years, Cedric. I owe you nothing. You have your princess. Go home to her.”

“You love Erik.” He says the words out loud as if he needs to hear them. “Why? What does he have that I don’t? I can give you everything. Status, wealth.”

“Can you give me back my pride? Can you erase what Bella did to me? Can you go back in time and heal my wounds?” I glare at him. “Till the very end, I believed in you. I thought that maybe, just maybe, she was lying. But the seal on the letter—Rothan confirmed it. And how could Bella have done everything she did to me if not with your consent? No, you were complicit in it. And even now, you want me to pay for daring to give birth to your child and tainting your bloodline, don’t you? That’s why you’re here. You’re angry I didn’t die the way you wanted me to—”

“That’s enough!” he roars. “Enough! I never did anything—Yes, I admit I was a bastard to you in the beginning, but I was changing. You changed me! I cared for you, and if you still can’t see that, then that’s on you!”

“You called me a tool!” I scream at him, agony sweeping through me. “I heard you tell Bella I was nothing but a tool. So, why the hell are you standing here, Cedric?! You have the real thing now. Go to Vivian! Fuck her! Have your children with her!”

“She is not you!”

We stare at each other, our chests heaving.

My body trembles with rage and grief. “I won’t—I won’t let you hurt me again. I have far too much to lose this time around. Just get out of my house.”

I don’t know if I expected him to argue with me any further, but he doesn’t. Getting to his feet, he gives me one last look. “Eight years, Leanna. I’m willing to accept my blame in everything that happened, but I’m not going to let another man take you. If Erik so much as looks at you—I don’t care if I have to wage war against the Human Wolf Kingdom, I will not hand you over to him. You can fight this all you like, but you’re still my mate. That’s never going to change.”

With that, he walks out the door, leaving me trembling behind him. How dare he make a threat like that?! Who does he think he is?

I hear the front door close, and I struggle to my feet, only to collapse with a pained whimper. My abdomen hurts.

Curling up on the floor, I groan loudly.

There are hurried footsteps, and Maya rushes in, her face white. “What are you doing down there? What did he do to you?!”

“N–Nothing,” I gasp out. “Help me up!”

She supports my weight, and when I’m finally sitting on the bed, I ask, “Where is Finn?”

“He’s sleeping again. Your ex didn’t want him to see you like this. Cedric kept him occupied for a while till he fell back asleep. That brute has been by your side since then. What did you ever see in a beast like that?”

I ignore her question, trying to think past the pain. “What time is it?”

Mays checks her watch. “Three in the morning. I’ve been napping with Finn. I didn’t want to leave him alone.”

You left him alone long enough for Cedric to figure out that Finn is his son, I think bitterly. There’s no way I can undo that damage. I don’t think Maya realizes what has occurred.

“What are you even doing here?” I look at her weakly now, all the anger and excitement drained from me.

“It’s a long story.” She sighs. “Healer Jerry is on his way, though. I just got a call from him.”

As she catches me up on what happened, I’m only half listening. If Cedric is serious and decides to wage war against the Human Wolf Kingdom, I don’t think Erik will go to bat for me. What am I going to do? How do I get out of this situation? I could take Finn and run. That’s one option, but now that Cedric knows about his son and the fact that I’m alive, I have a feeling he’s not going to give up. He’ll track me down to the ends of the Earth if he has to.

I close my eyes. What have I gotten myself into?

When Healer Jerry arrives, he’s not alone. Erik looks pissed. “Tell me it’s not true,” he says.

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” I mutter as Jerry studies my wound and gives Maya an admiring look.

“That’s excellent bandaging,” he tells her.

Maya smiles at him, clearly pleased.

Erik doesn’t pay attention to them, his eyes on me. “You were ambushed?”

“It must’ve been some angry client,” I begin, but he clicks his tongue.

“Don’t be an idiot, Leanna. Your attackers were shifters and highly trained assassins. If Cedric hadn’t shown up when he did, I don’t think you would be sitting here talking to me right now. Did you recognize them?”

I frown, thinking back to the events of the night. Suddenly, the whole situation seems odd. “They knew exactly where I would be. Almost as if I had been set up.”

“What do you mean?”

I ignore Erik’s question and look at Maya. “Can you get my tablet from the living room?”

Maya fetches it, and I feel Jerry’s healing energy flood me as I flip through my records.

“Here.” I show Erik my latest consultation. “Two days ago, I received a call from a woman who claimed her brother was spilling secrets to a rival company, and she needed proof of it. She told me the time and place. But she also told me to let her know when I would start my investigation. I wasn’t going to start until next week, but she called me again this morning and told me he would be at a specific location tonight. That’s why I went. But I didn’t manage to find anything. It was a waste of time, and as I was leaving, I realized I was being followed. Two of them were on the rooftop of the building I was standing next to, and the others started coming from all directions.”

“You never met this woman in person?”

I shake my head. “It’s not uncommon to have clients reach out to me through a phone call. Not everybody likes to reveal their face. But this was definitely a setup.”

Erik looks furious. “Cedric came to the palace right as Jerry and I were leaving. He told me where to find the bodies of the men who attacked you. The smell of blood was strong there, but somebody had already removed the corpses. Leanna, I believe the intention behind the attack was to kidnap you.”

I’m shocked. “Kidnap me? If this is because of the task force you’re setting up, Erik, I can’t—”

Erik gives me a sharp look. “The information hasn’t been revealed. Your name is going to be confidential. You will only be working with one person who will act as the liaison between you and the task force. I am protecting your identity, Leanna.” He sighs, deflating and releasing some of the tension in his shoulders. “We’re lucky Cedric saw you when he did. Who knows what would’ve happened if he hadn’t come along at the right time?”

Jerry clears his throat. “Okay, I think that’s enough. She needs to rest, and getting her excited isn’t going to help anything. The pain will go away in a couple of hours, Leanna. In the meantime, I want you to sleep and eat. Focus on consuming meat products. They will help you. The injury is quite deep, but your friend managed to do a good job keeping your insides together.”

I wince at his crude depiction. “Can you not?”

He gives me a wry grin. “I’m not exaggerating. You’ve got a good eye, Dr. Sorin. We should talk sometime.”

Never one to miss out on a potential business opportunity, Maya digs into her pocket and brings out a business card, which she hands to him. “Feel free to call me anytime. I’m always available, day and night.”

Jerry beams. “I like your spirit.”

“If you two could flirt elsewhere…?” Erik says. Maya leaves the room first, and Jerry follows. Once we’re alone, Erik turns to face me, his expression serious. “Keeping your identity secret is important for the task force to succeed. It will also help you investigate more easily. The face of the task force is going to be Jerry’s nephew, Cassian. He’s reliable, and he’s someone I trust. No one else knows about the task force, not yet. So, this attack on you had to be purely coincidental. You were probably just a random target.”

My heart sinks. “But why me? I keep a low profile. I—”

“I wish I had an answer for you, Leanna.” Erik sits down on the edge of the bed, facing me. “You’re not going to like this next part, but Cedric had a lot more to say to me when he showed up, including threatening to declare war and to pull out of his collaboration with the Human Wolf Kingdom.”

My mouth turns dry. “Because I agreed to be your mate?”

“No, because I didn’t provide adequate protection to you and Finn.”

This surprises me. “He said that? So, he’s not mad about the whole mating thing?”

“Oh, he’s pissed,” Erik replies cheerfully. “He threatened to cut off my balls if I even look at you funny.”

I don’t crack a smile. “I already agreed to be your mate, but are you reconsidering your offer, Erik?”

Erik gives me a lopsided grin. “It’ll take more than that to make me back off. But you should be prepared that Cedric isn’t going to give up without a fight. And now that he knows he has a son, it’s going to be even harder. You’d best be prepared.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

He sighs. “You and Cedric are fated mates, Leanna, and I can’t afford a war breaking out. However, that doesn’t mean he gets to walk out of here with you. I swear, I’ve never seen him so rattled. The man was all over the place.” He tilts his head and studies me. “You know, you’re the first woman to get him so worked up. Cedric Raine is known for being levelheaded and cold. You have him stumbling over his words.”

I look away. “He was just angry.”

Erik doesn’t seem convinced. “I’ve seen him angry, Leanna. This was not it. Are you certain of your decision?”

My head whips back around to meet his eyes. “What do you mean?”

He shrugs. “He is your fated mate. He hasn’t given Vivian the mating mark. He hasn’t impregnated her. He has never moved on. I do believe he cares for you.”

I press my lips together to hold in my anger. “If I give Cedric a chance, Erik, I have no guarantee of what he’ll do to us. Cedric cares more about his duty to his kingdom. He and the rest of the Northern Wolf Kingdom are obsessed with the purity of the royal bloodline. Finn is not a pureblood. They would never tolerate him. And Princess Vivian is the queen now, isn’t she? I have no place there. The only reason he would take me back to the North is if he wanted to get rid of me permanently. I’m not going to be a fool.”

“You sure are acting like one, though,” Erik comments. “If he were obsessed with the purity of the bloodline, he would have had a child with Vivian already. He would have given her the mating mark. You were dead, as far as he knew. There was no point in putting off any of it. No, Leanna. The man wants you.”

“He also wants to use his mating with Vivian as a bargaining chip with the East.” I hold Erik’s gaze. “Where do you think that will leave me? She will still be the queen. Will he make me his mistress? Will he hide me like a dirty little secret? Because that’s what I’m afraid he’ll do. I understand politics better than you think, Erik. Even if he doesn’t want her, he needs Vivian as his queen. There is no place for me at that castle, and as long as she is there, there’s always the chance that he will have a child with her. The elders will put that pressure on him. Where will that leave my son?”

Erik’s silence makes me sigh.

“He will never let her go, and I will once again be a substitute. Only this time, my son will pay the price, as well. It doesn’t matter if Cedric is my fated mate or not. It doesn’t matter whether he cares for me or not. His priority is his kingdom, not me or my son. And I know enough about royal families to understand that he will throw me to the dogs if he thinks his kingdom will benefit from it. And I know the same of you.”

When Erik looks away, I laugh bitterly.

“See? You can’t refute that. This is why I want no part of wolf society.”

When he leaves minutes later, I lower myself back down on the bed and stare at the ceiling, dry-eyed.

“You can fight this all you like, but you’re still my mate. That’s never going to change.”

Cedric’s words make me curl up on my side.

That’s the whole problem, isn’t it? The fates tied me to a man who will always break my heart if it conveniences him and his kingdom.