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C haos exploded around us.

Mallory and Michael raced down the front steps, followed closely by Mom and I. Mallory dropped down to her mate’s side, taking over assessing Zara while Remy and Michael immediately took up defensive positions, checking for any threats.

Mom fell to her hands and knees beside Mallory, checking Zara’s pulse and trying to wake her up.

A strangled cry behind us had me spinning and stepping aside as Zoe ran to her sister. Katy and the twins stood stunned in the doorway.

“Katy, get the twins back in the house!” Remy ordered, not turning to look back at his sister. “Skye—”

I growled in warning. No way in hell was I being ordered back into the house until I knew what was happening.

Sighing, Remy shook his head in frustration.

“See anyone else?” Gabe asked, his blue eyes piercing the darkness as he looked out for movement.

Michael shook his head, backing towards the house. “I think it’s just Zara.”

My eyes tracked to the car as the headlights died suddenly, plunging us into an inky darkness. The only lights were from the front porch and interior of the house.

Movement in the front seat caught my eye.

“Someone else is in there,” I murmured, trying to make out the figure. I took a step towards the car and Remy grabbed my arm, physically hauling me behind him as Gabe got up and went around the passenger side.

Michael knelt beside Zoe, who was sobbing over Zara, pulling her to his side to let my mom and Mallory work.

As Gabe opened the door, the interior light flickered on and I gaped at the person sitting there.

“Bella?” I stepped around Remy.

Now Remy growled at me. “Skye—”

I put a hand on his shoulder. “That’s Bella. She’s my cousin. Zara’s daughter.”

Reluctantly, Remy let me by him but stayed close on my heels. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck, felt his hands brush against me as if he couldn’t help himself but to touch me to make sure I was within grabbing distance if he needed to pull me away.

Gabe reached out and gently touched Bella’s shoulder. She looked like she was asleep, her face relaxed and soft. The second Gabe touched her, her body came alive. Her eyes flew open and she shrieked, scrambling away from him in complete terror. The seat belt around her kept her pinned to the seat, which only seemed to make her even more agitated. She thrashed uselessly in the seat with a screech.

Gabe recoiled back, trying to calm her, but Bella was completely out of it.

“Let me try,” I urged, moving around Gabe’s massive body. The Alpha shifted back a step and let me in.

I lowered myself in front of the open passenger door, kneeling beside Bella. “Hey, Bella? It’s Skye.”

Her screams had started to quiet into pitiful whimpers as she curled her body into herself, muttering broken words I couldn’t understand.

“Hey,” I tried again softly, wanting to reach out to touch her, but afraid I would only scare her more.

Bella wrapped her arms around her head, eyes squeezed shut. “Please. Please. Please. Please. Please.”

“Please what?” I asked gently, trying to understand her frenzied pleas. I tried to see if she was hurt, but it was too dark outside.

“Please no more. Please no more .” Her voice caught on a sob that turned into a keening cry of pain.

Zara was still unconscious in front of the car, and Bella was hysterical inside the car. Something had happened. Something awful.

My stomach twisted painfully. I turned back and gave Remy a helpless look.

His jaw was set in a hard line as he exchanged a look with his father.

“Let’s get them inside,” Gabe decided, looking around in the darkness once again.

With Gabe’s order, Michael lifted Zara and carried her into the house. I turned back to Bella, extending a hand that she shied away from.

“Bella, let’s go inside where it’s warm, okay?” I tried to coax her from the car calmly despite the serious wave of anxiety cresting in my chest.

Her gaze flickered up and caught Remy and Gabe in the open door. She cringed and cried harder.

With a frustrated sigh, I turned back to them. “I’ll get her inside, guys. Give us a minute?”

Gabe nodded and stepped back, heading for the house. Remy wasn’t as easily swayed. His gaze stayed focused on Bella, like he was worried she would turn and attack me.

“Rem,” I started softly, reaching out to touch his leg. I waited for his dark gaze to meet mine.

“Let me get her out of here, okay?”

He rubbed the back of his neck roughly, breathing hard through his nose. “Fine. But I’m waiting for you on the porch.”

I smiled up at him, happy for the concession. I turned my attention back to Bella. After several minutes I managed to ease her out of the car. Her legs shook like a newborn baby deer trying to find its footing. I wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding as much as supporting her body weight.

She froze when she saw Remy standing at the top of the stairs. He had to go into the house before Bella would lift a foot onto the bottom step.

Mallory met us at the door, her expression troubled but kind as she reached out and took Bella from me.

“Zara is awake. Your mother and the others are in the sitting room with her,” Mallory told me in a soft voice, her dark eyes full of compassion. “I’ll take Bella upstairs and have Katy help me clean her up. I think your mother needs you.”

I nodded, watching as Mallory led Bella up the stairs. Bella had gone from full blown hysterics in the car to practically catatonic now. She simply stared vacantly at the floor, letting us pass her back and forth.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I rubbed my hands over my face. None of this made any sense.

I sensed Remy seconds before he reached for me and pulled me against his strong chest.

Resting my head on the soft material of his shirt, I listened to the steady beats of his heart, letting the rhythm settle my nerves. I wound my arms around his waist, hugging him as tight as I could.

His lips pressed to the top of my head, and I pulled back so I could look up at him. My eyes flickered to his lips, my body voicing what I needed before I could form the words.

His mouth found mine in a slow kiss. My stomach flipped in all the right ways as one of his hands came up to cradle my face, his touch exquisitely gentle as his lips moved against mine.

The kiss wasn’t about passion; it was a kiss of comfort. A kiss to remind us both that we were whole and safe and together.

He pulled away, breaking the kiss and resting his forehead on mine as we took a second to catch our breath.

“You good?” he murmured, his thumb sweeping the curve of my cheek.

I nodded, my nose bumping his.

Remy took my smaller hand in his and led me into the sitting room.

Zara was on the couch and in the light, I could see the dark purple and black bruises on her skin and the jagged cut under her right eye. She was somehow sitting up between my mother and Zoe. Michael and Gabe sat across from them. Zoe was crying, Zara kept hissing in pain, and the other three adults equally looked furious. Everyone’s eyes swung to us when we came into the room.

“What happened?” I asked, dread coiling in my stomach. I dropped Remy’s hand and kneeled in front of Zara, resting a hand on her knee and trying not to react when I felt her violently shudder.

Mom got off the couch and stalked to the window, looking out into the darkness as if the answers lay somewhere out there.

“Zara, can you start at the beginning?” Gabe asked softly.

My eyes went wide. “Shouldn’t we get a doctor?”

“No,” Zara said, her voice rough. “I need to tell you all what happened.”

“Katy already called our physician,” Gabe informed her. “He’ll be here shortly to examine you and Bella.”

Zara closed her eyes, grief etched across her face. “Oh, Bella. My baby.”

“Linden did this?” Mom asked, her voice frigid and her spine stiff.

Zara started to nod and then hissed in pain, raising a hand to her temple. “He knew I helped you two escape. He was... furious. We argued. He hit me.”

“That bastard,” Zoe growled, swiping furiously at her eyes.

Zara sighed sadly, leaning back slowly into the cushions. “He locked me in the basement. In the cells.”

There were a series of cells set up in the basement of the Alpha house. A prison of sorts that was rarely used. Long Mesa pack members who violated a pack law were usually dealt with too swiftly for the cells to be needed.

“I could hear him arguing with his council in the evenings,” Zara continued. Her eyes went to mine. “Things got so much worse after you and your mother left. Worse than I think even Linden expected. His council started pushing for more things, more rights. They argued he couldn’t control two omegas, so he shouldn’t be Alpha. At one point, I thought Allan would challenge Linden for the pack.”

My eyes slid shut and I sank back onto the floor, my butt hitting the ground and absorbing all my weight as I ducked my head to my chest.

Quite possibly the only wolf more volatile and cruel than my uncle would be Allan Loomis. He would drive Long Mesa into the ground in a spectacular ball of fire.

“Instead,” Zara went on, dropping her eyes as her voice shook, “Linden decided to make an example. Of me. To show the pack he still controlled his mate, and that no one was beyond his wrath.”

Nausea churned in my gut.

Mom turned sharply from the window, her eyes wide with fear. “Zara—”

Zara shook her head firmly. “What’s done is done, Addie. We can’t go back.”

“How did you get away?” Michael asked softly, his hand smoothing across Zoe’s shoulders.

Zara grimaced. “Something happened to Bella. Linden brought me to her room and told me to care for her. He left us alone to meet with his council. She was bleeding and crying, and wouldn’t tell me what happened.” She looked up in terror and tried to push herself up. “I need to see my daughter.”

“Mallory and Katy are taking care of her,” I assured her even as Zoe tried to get her to lay back down. “She’s safe with them.”

“How did you get away?” Gabe asked, rubbing his jaw.

“Linden didn’t lock the door. I got Bella downstairs and managed to get her into one of the cars. I never stopped. The guard at the gate tried to stop us... I ran him over and opened the gate.”

“Oh, God,” Mom whispered, horrified.

“I had to get my girl out,” Zara said forcefully, grabbing Mom’s hand. “You understand.”

“Of course I do,” Mom replied, her eyes going to me.

Gabe cleared his throat. “Blackwater will stand behind you. You have our support and our protection.”

She gave him a weak, tenuous smile. “Thank you, Gabriel.” She looked at me and her eyes filled with sudden tears. “I need to see Bella.”

“I can go check on her,” I offered, getting up off the floor. “I’ll let her know you’re awake and will be up soon.”

Zoe covered her sister’s hand. “You two are coming home with us.”

“Actually,” Gabe started, his mouth set in a grim line, “I think it best they stay here. At least for tonight. Neither Zara nor Bella are in any shape to travel.” His eyes went to Zoe, his expression soft. “But you and Michael are welcome to stay here. We have more than enough room. Addie, you and Skye are welcome as well. It’s been a long night for everyone.”

I watched my mom for her reaction. Relief shot through me when she nodded in agreement.

She looked across the room to me. “We’ll stay. I want to be close in case Zara needs anything.”

“I’ll go check on Bella. It’s going to be okay, Aunt Zara.” I left the room and started for the stairs.

I realized I wasn’t sure where to go beyond upstairs when Remy came up behind me and wordlessly took my hand. He led me up the main staircase. The twins were sitting on the top step, identical expressions of worry on their faces. I was struck by how young they looked.

“Everything okay?” Dax asked seriously.

Remy nodded and motioned for his brothers to move. “Everyone’s staying here for the night. Can you start getting the guest rooms ready?”

They both nodded in tandem and stood, heading off to get the rooms prepared.

Remy led us down the other end of the hall to the last door on the right, next to the back staircase that led to the kitchen. The door was open, and I stepped inside to see Bella laying on a double bed, Katy and Mallory standing at the foot of it with matching frowns.

“How is she?” I asked, coming into the room.

Bella’s eyes opened slowly and settled on me, but then I noticed the change when they settled on Remy hulking behind me.

She started shaking, her chin wobbling as she started to cry.

Stunned, Mallory and Katy turned and looked at Remy, who looked completely confused by Bella’s reaction.

“Can I have a minute alone with Bella?” I requested. I had a feeling Bella might relax a smidge if she wasn’t surrounded.

“Of course,” Mallory said, ushering both of her children out the door and closing it behind us.

I moved slowly to Bella’s side, not sure if I should stand over her or sit down on the bed next to her. It’s not like I had a normal relationship with my cousin. We had lived very separate lives. Truthfully, I didn’t think Bella had ever spoken to me aside from passing on a message from her father the day I left. With her being a year and a half younger than me, we didn’t have classes together.

“You used to make me so angry,” she whispered, not looking at me, but I knew her words were meant for me.

I swallowed. “Um—”

Now she lifted her green eyes to me. Eyes like mine. “He was supposed to be my mate, but he was always around you.”

Oh, hell. I wasn’t ready for a conversation about Cassian.

I ground my teeth together, trying to remember Bella was currently a refugee in the Blackwater pack. “Bella—”

“I’m so sorry, Skye.”

I froze, my jaw dropping open as her soft apology registered on my ears.

She was sorry?

Sniffling, Bella lifted a trembling hand from beneath the sheets and wiped her eyes. “I didn’t understand. I didn’t know what a monster he was.”

My legs gave out, and I dropped onto the edge of the mattress.

Bella’s eyes closed, tears leaking out from the corners. “I didn’t know about... about omegas. I didn’t understand what was happening to you.”

I tasted bile in my mouth.

Bella went on, and I wasn’t even sure if she knew what she was saying. “But he said... he said one Markham was as good as another. And since the omega house was gone—”

I choked on a cry. “What do you mean, gone?”

Her eyes opened. She blinked, finally focusing on me. “They killed them. And then burned the house down.”

The world tilted around me. I fisted the plush comforter in my fingers, scrambling to stay upright.

“Maisie and Shane—”

“Maisie and Shane are dead. They helped cover up Dane’s murder. They helped you escape. They had to pay.” Her wooden voice was barely above a whisper, but it was like someone had set off an explosion in the room. My ears were ringing, my vision blurring.

“There were no more omegas,” she kept going. “Just... the council and not the council. My father didn’t even try to stop it. Why didn’t he try to stop it? Even after what they did... he said it didn’t matter. I was going to marry Cassian anyway one day.”

I was still struggling to pull my scattered thoughts into one coherent stream.

I tried to blink away the confusion and figure out what Bella wasn’t saying.

Bella was sadly shaking her head. “He said... It was my duty. Since Cassian was my mate and would be our Alpha one day.”

My stomach roiled. I was going to throw up.

“He raped you?” I whispered, horrified. I raised my hands to cover my mouth, wanting to scream. Wanting to cry.

Blinking, Bella didn’t seem to register my question. “Maybe it was my duty. But... but I was only Cassian’s mate. Not theirs.”

Theirs .

Preston and Marc.

Jesus Christ.

“Bella—”

She looked at me, her expression almost serene. She blinked slowly. “It wasn’t about me. I know that. It’s because he didn’t get what he wanted.”

I stood up slowly, shaking my head. What the hell did-

“Cassian said to tell you he’ll see you soon.”