Page 8 of Found (Mate Rejected #8)

8

MACK

“ D on’t you have a pack to lead?” My dad glowers at Douglas Boone across the kitchen dining table.

Fortunately for us, the table is too small to fit all of us on, so they’re not sitting at it together. But that doesn’t mean the kitchen doesn’t suddenly feel a lot smaller than it did a second ago. Instantly, a wave of exhaustion pours over me. I was tired before, but I can see where this is going and I’m already sick of it.

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” Douglas smiles and eyes Ivy knowingly. “Or perhaps your role in the pack is nursing the babies while Ivy?—”

“No,” I growl.

Heads swivel my way as I look first at my dad, then at Douglas. “My priority is getting Aerin back. If you want to waste that time arguing, get out of my house and don’t come back. I’m not interested.”

Douglas meets my eyes steadily, then nods once and sits back in his seat. “I’m also here to get my daughter back.” He shrugs. “And perhaps I’ll win some favor with some of the other Alphas when I rescue their omegas as well.”

“It’s always something else with you, isn’t it?” my dad mutters.

Douglas narrows his eyes at him. “I thought you Raleighs had killed each other off.”

My shrugs. “I don’t know who is behind this.”

“Lester, but he wasn’t the one in charge,” I tell my dad. “Do you remember him?”

“I do,” he responds. “And you’re right. He would not have been in this alone.”

“Why do they want Aerin?” Moses asks. He is Douglas’s softly spoken beta, and the closest thing Aerin had to a father growing up.

“Dad believes they want me to lead them. We think they’ve rebuilt in Michigan,” I explain.

Douglas nods. “I gather they have no interest in Connall after what he did, but history is important and they’ve seen what you’ve built for yourself here. That makes sense. When are we leaving?”

I blink at him, surprised at his willingness to drop everything and come to Winter Lake. And he must have to have gotten here when he did. “I called you early this morning. Minnesota is hours away. How did you get here so fast?”

“We flew,” Moses explains. “Then we picked up a hire car in the airport.”

“And how was the flight?” I ask, sensing I already know the answer.

“Terrible, of course, but it had to be done.” Douglas gets to his feet. “I’ll drive with Moses. The rest of you can travel in your own vehicles.”

He’s walking out of the kitchen when Bennett calls after him, “But your pack?”

“They can manage for a couple of days.” Douglas pauses in the kitchen doorway. “And they have someone capable watching over them.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask.

“Exactly as I said,” he responds.

He sounds vague, which, for Douglas Boone, is unusual. Every time I’ve spoken to him in the past, he’s been blunt. Or manipulative.

But evasive and vague?

Something is going on that he doesn’t want me to know about.

I glance at Moses, but his expression is unreadable, which isn’t unusual. Moses could win a game of poker with anyone. That’s how closely he keeps his cards to his chest. If Moses wasn’t here, I’d assume he was the someone capable Douglas was talking about. But it’s not. So who does he mean? His enforcers?

“But a plane would be faster,” Clary says, frowning. “Leah might need me now.”

“It’ll be faster to drive. Winter Lake is closer to Michigan and there’s no guarantee we’ll get a flight right away when we get to the airport,” Douglas says, studying Clary. “I don’t remember you from before. Who are you?”

“Clary. From New Mexico,” he introduces himself.

“They took his mate and he’s trying to get her back,” Bennett adds.

Douglas eyes him for a little longer. “Do you have your own vehicle?”

Clary nods.

“Leave it. You’re driving with Moses and me.” Douglas walks out of the kitchen and calls from the hallway, “I’ll wait in the car.”

We all glance at each other as, after a brief pause, Clary trails Douglas from the room.

He was a neglectful father, Aerin would say, and he rarely ever made time for her. But lately, every time she’s gotten into trouble, he’s been here, trying to help.

I hadn’t expected he would drop everything to come to Winter Lake to help Aerin. He’s still cool and distant on the surface, but beneath that hard to read exterior lies the heart of a man who must love his daughter to shrug off his responsibilities for a two hundred strong pack within seconds of hearing she’s in trouble.

After hearing Aerin talk about her childhood of being ignored and isolated, I hadn’t believed I would feel any warmth toward Douglas. But he’s here, right when she needs the most help, to get her back.

I appreciate that.

“We were working out who would stay with Chris when you turned up,” I tell Moses when he moves to follow Douglas out. “He was injured.”

“Then I will stay. Lucy is the healer, but I can call her if I need her. And I can fight if any more trouble rears its head here,” Moses says.

I glance at the door Douglas just walked out of. “And your boss?”

“He will understand. And he won’t be making the drive alone. He has Clary,” Moses says.

“Can I assume whatever is happening with the Dacres has resolved itself?” Bennett asks.

Days ago, Moses called to say they were fighting each other. The fighting hadn’t spilled over from Dacre territory to the Boones, but it was the reason Moses told Aerin that he couldn’t come to see her like he’d planned to.

“Not completely, but we have enough enforcers watching. They know what to do,” Moses says.

Packing up to leave doesn’t take long.

Moses, Helena, Zoe, Gregory, Jude, and Adela stay with Chris. Aerin’s grandparents are sleeping upstairs, and I leave them that way. Adela can explain what’s going on and why.

Warren and Tina had wanted to come, but just in case someone does attack, they agree to stay and keep an eye on the house and the rest of the pack. They’ve been together for a long time, and they fight well together. I have no doubt they can handle whatever trouble rears its head.

Before we leave, I hug Adela. “Tell them I’ll bring Aerin home, okay?”

Adela returns my hug and gives me a pointed look when we break apart. “And bring yourself home safe as well, okay?”

“I’ll do my best,” I promise her.

To prevent arguments, we take several cars.

I drive with my dad. Ivy, to my surprise, decides to go with Penny and Bennett in Colton’s car. Douglas takes the news of Moses staying in Winter Lake surprisingly well and seems content to drive to Michigan with Clary.

I don’t understand why my dad was so insistent about making the drive with me alone until we’re on the highway.

“We need to talk,” my dad says.

“About?”

“Ivy.”

I nod. “I gather you’re ready to have something permanent with her and want to make sure I’m not creeped out by you having sex with Aerin’s aunt?”

When he curses long and loud, I smile. I thought I was all out of smiles with Aerin gone, but seeing my dad flustered is a surprisingly enjoyable experience.

“You were very insistent about shoving Bennett in another car,” I say, still smiling.

He grumbles a bit more, then falls silent.

“What?” I dart a rapid glance at him.

“You’re not upset? What with your mom…”

I sigh when he trails off. “I am upset that you treated mom so poorly, and I’ll never stop being upset about that, but that is something you have to live with. If you want to move on and build a new life with Ivy, I won’t begrudge you for it. Everyone deserves to be happy.”

“Including Shane?”

I growl. “Everyone but him.” My amusement fades. “How can he be wrapped up in this? He gave up Aerin. Why now?”

Dad shrugs. “I gather not everything was right in paradise between him and Bree. What’s that saying again…? Ah, the grass is always greener on the other side.”

“Well, he can choose another grass. This grass is taken.” When dad laughs, I shake my head. “Shut up. You know what I meant.”

He’s silent for the next couple of miles.

After what happened with mom, I didn’t believe I would have any sort of relationship with my dad.

We drive for the next several miles in silence.

He’s not usually so quiet, so that sets off alarm bells. When I look at him, he’s serious. “What is it? You look like you’re thinking hard.”

“It’s nothing.”

But his expression doesn’t change.

An hour later, when we’re both hungry, I pull into a drive-thru and drop everyone a text to find out where they are.

Keeping track of everyone on the long drive was impossible, so before we left Winter Lake, we agreed to check in a couple of times on the way to Karson, Michigan, and meet up there to regroup and consider our options.

It’s there we’ll find somewhere to stay and hopefully get close to find out if the Raleighs have rebuilt before we decide how we’re going to get Aerin and the rest of the omegas out.

We’ve demolished our burgers, fries, and shakes, and I’m reaching for the door to go dump the trash when my dad says quietly, “I didn’t mean what I said.”

I twist to face him, confused. “Didn’t mean what?”

“About your mom being weak. About Aerin being the same. I just…”

“You just…” I prompt.

He stares ahead at the traffic, and his jaw is tight.

“Dad? What is it?”

“I’m not much of a talker,” he eventually says.

“Yes, I know.”

He glances at me. “No need to take that tone with me.”

I release a sigh of frustration. “Look, you’re the one who started this. I have no idea why or what this is about, but either tell me or don’t tell me. I’ve tried getting you to talk before and soon realized the futility of my actions.”

He’s silent for several seconds.

“I just meant to say that I was sorry, okay?” he eventually says.

I nearly ram the car ahead of me. “ What ?”

He’s still staring straight ahead. “The way I treated your mom and Aerin wasn’t right. And leaving you behind… It was a shit thing to do. That’s what I wanted to say.”

This is the first time he’s voiced any sympathy or regret about what he did, and it’s a surprise.

I don’t know how to respond, so I say nothing.

It would be a lie to tell him I forgave all because I’m not sure I can. Not for everything. And not just like that.

“Can you forgive me?” he asks.

My fingers tighten around the steering wheel. “I don’t know, dad. I don’t know.”

He nods.