Page 109

Nate

I stared at the men, still reeling from everything. My father had been the last alpha’s brother? I was related to the people who’d ruled the Toronto-Ottawa pack for nearly forty years prior to Alec taking over as the interim? It was almost impossible to believe.

The first emotion that flooded through me was not relief or happiness, but bitter rage.

It roiled inside me like a storm, but I kept my expression carefully neutral.

All the times I’d been looked down on, turned out, and pushed away came back to me.

I wanted to scream, curse, or break something.

All my life, most shifters had acted like they’d rather spit on me than talk to me, all because I was a lone wolf.

I was a pack wolf, and always had been .

It gave me an even more bleak outlook on how outsiders were treated.

So many wasted years. My life would have been so different if only these fucking people weren’t so bigoted.

Cameron gave my hand a gentle squeeze, pulling me from my thoughts.

As I looked into her eyes, the anger and hate coursing through my blood faded.

The emotions didn’t vanish completely, but something more important surged forward.

What I experienced when I looked into her eyes was hope beyond measure.

If I was really and truly a member of the pack, then we could be together.

She wouldn’t have to leave her family and live a lonely life with me.

She could continue the career she loved.

We could both have a normal life, and that was something I desperately wanted for her.

A smile crept to my lips. Some things were more important than anger and bitterness.

“I think…” I hesitated, running my thumb over her hand. “I think I’m okay. It’s a lot .”

“Maybe you two need a minute?” JC asked. “Head outside. Me and the guys here have some details to iron out. Stuff you don’t need to worry about.”

“Sure. Yeah,” I said vaguely, my head still spinning.

We stepped outside and took a seat in the chairs lining the hallway. Cameron put her hand on my thigh, her dark eyes penetrating deep into my soul.

“I thought you’d be happy.”

Snapping myself out of my daze, I leaned forward, taking both her hands in mine. “I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head as though to clear it. “I am happy. Truly. You were amazing in there.”

“Awe-inspiring” was a more accurate term, but I didn’t want to lay it on too thick and make her think I wasn’t serious.

“Then why don’t you look happy?” she asked.

“It’s the past. When you and JC said all that”—I waved at the door—“it brought back a ton of old baggage. Knowing that I had always been a member of the pack, but having so many people treat me like shit ever since I was a kid… it hurts. That’s all.

It almost would have been better if I’d been born to some outcast lone wolf family.

It would make it easier to take somehow.

That sounds dumb, I know,” I added with a little grimace of distaste.

“It doesn’t sound dumb. It sounds human.” She rolled her eyes. “Even if we aren’t technically human.”

A small chuckle burst from my lips, easing some of the tension that had built in my chest. This woman was amazing.

I couldn’t have asked for a better person to share my life with.

Now that I was part of the pack, I could take care of her.

I wouldn’t have to force her into a miserable life of wandering.

Even the thought of doing that hurt me down to my soul, and the relief was something that washed away a lot of the pain inside me.

“How did you know who my parents were?” I asked. “Not their names, but them being connected to the pack?”

Cameron blushed and looked away. “Oh. That.” She glanced back up at me.

“It was an accident. I had a theory that they might have been pack members. Or at least one of them. There was the possibility that you all were just driving through the Toronto pack territory on your way to somewhere else, but I thought the better explanation was that your family lived in the pack lands. I asked JC about it, and you should have seen his face when I told him who your parents were.” She grinned brightly.

“It was like a bomb went off in his skull.”

“He wasn’t upset?” I asked.

“No. He was elated. He really likes you, Nate. I wanted to find a way to get you into the pack even before he found out.”

Sighing in relief, I sat back in my chair. “That’s good to hear. He could have viewed me as a threat to his standing.”

“He asked me if you’d want it,” Cameron said.

My head jerked toward her. “ What ?”

She shrugged. “He said that, given your family background, and the fact that you were an alpha, the leadership of the pack is yours by right.”

“No way,” I said. “He’s a stronger alpha than I am. Even if I wanted that, which I most certainly don’t , it wouldn’t be right.”

“That was sort of what he said, but more subtly. He was completely serious. He really would have stepped aside to let you take it, if you’d wanted it.

I guess your uncle, grandfather, and father were highly respected in the pack.

JC only knew your uncle for a couple years before he died, and he still looks up to him.

” She ran a hand up my thigh. “I’m sort of excited for you to learn about them. ”

JC would have done that? Stepped aside? As I glanced at the door again, I realized once more that he was a good leader. He wasn’t power-hungry like Lincoln and Rick. He had everyone’s best interests in mind.

I had no desire to ever be a pack alpha. Even if I’d grown up in the pack, I doubted I was cut out for that type of position.

“JC doesn’t have anything to worry about from me,” I said, still feeling dazed. “He’s a stronger alpha and much more capable at leading a pack than I ever would be. I’m trying to figure out how to live in this world.”

“You mean inside the pack?”

I nodded, gritting my teeth. “I’m still angry. All the years I lost. Years I could have been building a real life. It’s bullshit that these people and others in different packs were bigoted toward me, and others like me.”

Cameron slid her hand up my arm. “I get that. I really do. You’ll need to give them time, though. JC is changing things. We witnessed the start of it.”

With a sigh, I did my best to shrug off the old bitterness. There were other things to be thankful for.

Grinning at Cameron, I said, “One good thing is, you’ll never have to worry about where to sleep when it’s raining, or where your next job or meal will be.

I know you said you’d come with me and be a lone wolf, but I can’t tell you how happy I am that you can stay here with your family.

With me. If you’re with me, then I’ll stay.

I’ll become a member. It will be difficult, but I’ll do whatever it takes as long as I’ve got you by my side. ”

She leaned forward and kissed me, a gentle and loving touch that sent waves of warmth through my body. When she pulled away, there was a sadness in her eyes that didn’t match the passion of the kiss.

“What’s wrong?”

“Um, I managed to get my hands on the police report for your parents’ crash,” she said hesitantly. “There’s something I thought you should know. It’s both really good and heartbreaking. I didn’t want to hide it from you, but I wasn’t sure if you were ready to know yet or not.”

“This is my life,” I said. “My history. I don’t care how bad it is. I need to know. What did you find out?”

Cameron settled back in her chair, smoothing out the wrinkles in her pants and looking down. Whatever it was, she didn’t know how to start.

“The medical examiner’s report was included, along with crime-scene analysis. It had detailed reports on how they died.”

“Go on,” I muttered.

“Your father was killed instantly,” Cameron said, then licked her lips.

“Your mother did not die on impact. When the car was dredged up from the river, she was…” Cameron hesitated, then cleared her throat to go on.

“ She was found in the backseat. Her cause of death was drowning. The child’s booster seat in the back was discovered unbuckled and empty.

The lead detective theorized that the mother—your mom—unbuckled herself, crawled into the back seat, and unstrapped you from your car seat as the vehicle sank deeper into the river.

“Somehow, she managed to get you out through the busted rear window. She must have used the last of her strength to push you toward the surface.” She met my eyes. “She sacrificed herself to save you, Nate.”

The back of my eyes burned like acid. Tears threatened to spill over.

A mother’s love. I’d never experienced it.

At least, I had no memory of it. All the years I’d cursed my parents, and now I found out they weren’t who I thought they were.

They loved me. My mother had loved me enough to use her last breath to save me.

It filled me with a deep shame, even though I never could have known.

Biting down hard on the inside of my cheek, I forced the emotions back. It would spill out, but I didn’t want it happening now.

The door opened, and JC stepped out with Ollie and Alec. Standing, I blinked the tears away.

The alphas filed out, each glancing at Cameron and me in turn. To my surprise, none of them looked upset or angry. Some looked dubious, sure, but there was none of the disdain I’d come to know from most pack wolves. Most nodded respectfully as they passed.

JC grinned when we were alone. “Well, it looks like we have more information for you two.”

“What’s that?” Cameron asked. “Good news or bad?”

JC glanced at Alec, then back to her. “Did your mother ever say why she chose to move you all to Toronto?”

Cameron blinked back at him in confusion. I probably had the same look on my face. What the hell was he getting at?

Cameron shook her head, narrowing her eyes at JC. “My mom? She, uh… no, she only said it wasn’t safe anymore in Zamora. That part of Mexico was pretty sketchy. She wanted a better life for me after my father vanished.” She narrowed her eyes even more. “Why are you asking about this?”

Ollie cleared his throat. “I got off the phone with Anita a little while ago. She’s sent me some more info on the stuff that happened back in Detroit.

” There was an excited gleam in his eye.

“Cameron, did Anita tell you anything about a pathologist being brought in to help her partner analyze the drugs?”

“Yeah,” Cameron said. “Why?”

“That specialist was a Canadian national. His family immigrated to Canada from Britain when he was a child. He grew up right here. In Toronto. After he graduated from college, he worked in several research facilities in Canada, the US, and…” he paused, his smile widening a bit, “… Mexico.”

“I don’t understand,” Cameron said with a frown. “What does this have to do with my mother?”

“Perhaps you should sit down,” JC suggested.

“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Cameron demanded. “I’m not sitting down until you tell me what all this has to do with me and my mother.”

I put my arms around her shoulders, hoping it would steady her.

“We’ve already seized most of Lincoln’s tech,” Ollie explained.

“A few shifter cops I know went to his place and found his laptops and files. It’s part of why Lincoln was pissed off when he got here.

Anita told me her old partner was convinced that the pathologist was still alive.

If Lincoln had the guy killed, they had no reason to hide the body.

In fact, they’d have wanted him found. Sow more fear and confusion on the streets.

So Lincoln must have threatened him—not with bodily harm, but with his family.

“Anita didn’t mention this to you guys, because it had no bearing on what you were asking about, but the records show this man had been living and working in Zamora for several years.”

Cameron trembled and inched closer to me. My heart lurched in my chest. Were they saying what I thought they were saying?

“The record shows that at the time of his disappearance, he had a fiancée and a baby daughter,” Ollie explained.

“We’re only now digging into Lincoln’s files, but we found an old email from Lincoln to one of his men.

In the email, they discuss a man named Callum Donaldson, and how to get rid of him.

” Ollie leaned forward, staring with fervent hope at Cameron.

“This man is your birth father, Cameron. I’ve already checked the birth records in Mexico.

His name is on your birth certificate. I think the reason your mother moved to Toronto is because it was your father’s hometown.

” He shook his head sadly. “Maybe she hoped to find him here. That, or she wanted to live near the place he grew up or something.”

Cameron shook her head slowly. “My father?”

JC nodded. “Alec and Ollie are going to try to find out where he vanished off to.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “He didn’t abandon you or leave because he didn’t love you and your mother. We’re certain he left to keep you safe. If he’s out there, I promise we will find him.”

Cameron tore her eyes from JC and gazed up at me. Horror, shock, hope, and excitement flitted across her face in quick succession. Neither of us had been abandoned. My parents and her father hadn’t left us willingly. It sealed the connection between us.

A sob burst free from her throat, and she buried her face in my chest. I rubbed her back as she cried. Her hiccupping and gasping cries echoed through the hallway. JC stared at her with a compassionate understanding. Alec and Ollie excused themselves.

“We have work to do,” Ollie said. “We’re going to dig into those files and emails on Lincoln’s computers. See if we can find anything more.”

“I’ll give you guys some time,” JC said, then followed after Ollie and Alec.

Cameron’s cries slowed, but her body still hitched and spasmed against mine. My chest and stomach were wet with her tears as they soaked into my shirt. Looking down, I noticed my forearm. My hash mark tattoos were slashed through and ruined where Rick had bitten me.

Maybe it wasn’t ruined, though. Maybe it was a sign. I’d inked those marks on my skin to count the years I’d spent alone. There would never be another mark to draw.

I would never be alone again.