Page 32

Avery and I had been as close as two people could be, while my father and I had been one or two steps away from full estrangement.

The time we’d spent together, I’d tried to keep the shifter part of my life private and isolated, and she’d never learned about some of the subtleties that came with it.

She’d never heard about the power of an alpha’s aura, and the influence they could enforce on others.

Nor had she learned about the unbreakable bond a promise made to an alpha entailed.

That you could die if you broke that promise.

A look of horror crossed her face as I explained it all.

She stared at the floor, brows knitted as though trying to understand. “Your father hated me that much?” she finally asked, lifting her eyes to mine.

On instinct, I reached forward and took her hand in mine.

“It wasn’t you . Not really. He tried to make it about you being human and me being an alpha, but I think it was mostly the fact that he’d convinced himself that love was the worst and most damaging thing a person could subject themselves to.

He wanted to sever any ties I had to another woman, and this was his best idea.

“Granted, Dad did have some very old-school notions about who an alpha should be with, but I think that was secondary to everything else. He was a fucking broken old man who wanted everyone else to be equally as broken. I don’t want you to keep blaming Farrah for something that was out of her control. ”

Avery pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’ll do my best. I’ll be cordial if she is. But if not, I make no promises. She wasn’t a fan of me even before everything happened, and you know it.”

“True,” I admitted. “But I promise you, she’ll be on her best behavior.”

Ashton came rushing into the den, a big smile on his face, forcing us to cut our conversation short.

“This house is so cool,” he said.

Avery forced a smile. “Glad you like it. Maybe you can come hang out with Cole this week sometime.”

Before he could answer, the front door opened. Trent came walking in, Farrah right on his heels.

“What was so urgent, bro?” Trent asked.

“Yeah,” Farrah added. “I had an appointment?—”

My sister froze at the sight of Ashton and Avery. Her face fell, warping under a mask of regret and grief. She flicked her eyes toward me.

“Does she know the truth?” Farrah asked, her voice tight with emotion.

Trent looked uncomfortable standing between everyone. He knew what had happened, but I doubt he’d planned on being here when the initial showdown happened.

“She does,” I said. “We just talked about it.”

Farrah nodded and took a deep breath, steadying herself. She stepped around Trent and went to stand in front of Avery.

“I’m sorry, Avery. I can’t take it back, and I know I played a part in ruining your life.

I know I fucked up. I lied to you at the store the other day, too.

I wasn’t nice to you when we were kids, and that never got any better.

I was too overprotective of my brother, and that made me treat you like shit. ”

Pride surged through me as Farrah spoke. My sister had always been strong-willed with a powerful personality. Apologizing wasn’t normally in her repertoire. The look on her face told me—and Avery—that this was sincere and heartfelt.

Farrah glanced at Ashton, then back to Avery. “I hurt you, and even though my father forced me to do it, I wish I could take it back. I spent years wondering if I had a niece or nephew out there somewhere. I hope you can eventually forgive me.”

Farrah knotted her hands together, obviously preparing herself for the barrage of insults, curses, and accusations she expected Avery to lob at her.

The muscles in Avery’s jaw worked as she gritted her teeth. But rather than yelling, she gave a single nod.

“Apology accepted, Farrah. There are bigger things happening than what you and I said or did in the past. I can look past it if you can.” She cleared her throat.

“And if you’d like to get to know your nephew, then I’d be fine with that as well.

” Her words were clipped and measured, like a politician.

She still needed time to get over the hurt.

Ashton raised his hand slightly and smiled at Farrah. “Uh, hey, Aunt Farrah, I guess. I’m Ashton.”

Farrah’s eyes widened at first, then she clamped a hand to her mouth, her eyes swimming with tears. She let out a single sob, then swallowed back the emotion and waved at him.

“Hey, buddy. Umm, It’s nice to officially meet you. And holy crap, do you look like your father.”

Ashton, Trent, and even Avery laughed at that. It was true. The resemblance was uncanny.

“While we’re on the subject of family,” I said, steering the conversation back to what we were really here for, “I spoke to Dallas earlier. That’s why I called you two to come up here.”

Farrah’s shoulders sagged, and her smile faded quickly at the mention of our brother.

The news of Dallas’s existence had hurt her the most. She’d been angry at Dad for cheating on Mom, but she was also pissed that the young boy had been left out to dry.

I felt a bit of shame at the fact I’d cared more about my father’s actions than about the results.

I’d attempted to befriend Dallas, but Farrah had always tried harder.

Mom had taken the news like a bowling ball to the head.

In the years after, I’d learned that she suspected Dad had been running around on her, but the visible and physical truth of it was too much.

It had confirmed all her worries, sending her swiftly into a pit of despair that had eventually killed her.

Even through our mother’s misery, Farrah had fought for Dallas to be part of our family.

In her mind, a brother was a brother, regardless of where he’d come from.

Dad had eventually cast Dallas aside in an attempt to ease our mother’s pain, but she died, anyway.

Dallas had returned a few times, but his visits had become fewer and fewer until they stopped completely. Farrah had tried to find him when we were in our late teens, but Dallas didn’t want to be found. He’d vanished, and now I knew where he’d gone.

I sat everyone down and gave them a play-by-play of what Dallas had told me, ending with the pronouncement that Kyle was now expecting his first payment within seven days.

“So, Dallas has been running with these scumbags for years?” Farrah asked, her mouth twisted in disappointment.

“It seems so,” I said. “That’s likely how Dad got in contact with Kyle in the first place. Probably heard through the grapevine where his illegitimate child was hanging out and used that connection to garner the original loan.”

“What do we do about the money?” Trent asked.

“I’m going to have to give it to him,” I said with a shrug. “I don’t see another way.”

Trent and I had been business partners since he got out of the military. We had many streams of income, so we had options.

“I’m thinking we sell some of our rental properties we have back out west. Might be the only way to get Kyle his money and get the pack back on track,” I said.

“But we’re partners. Losing those properties is gonna be a hell of a financial hit to both of us.

I won’t pull that trigger unless you’re on board. ”

Trent nodded. He rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought. Trent and I were not millionaires by any stretch, but we’d built up a fairly successful portfolio of businesses and rentals before our return to Harbor Mills.

Trent looked up at me, his eyes dark with malice. “I have a better solution. One that’s final and unequivocal.”

He didn’t need to say more. When he got out of the service, Trent wasn’t the happy-go-lucky person I’d known since birth.

He’d had shadows behind his eyes, memories of things he’d done.

Trent hadn’t been content to serve his eight years doing nothing more than changing armored vehicle tires or changing oil on tanks.

No, he’d ended up in the special forces.

Killing was nothing new to him, and by God, he knew how to do it.

“I can take him out,” Trent said, upper lip curling in disgust. “Fucker threatens people I care about? In my eyes, that means he signed his death warrant.”

Trent was a terrifying man when he needed to be, and his eyes reflected that part of him now. All I had to do was say the word, and he’d handle it.

“Thanks for the offer,” I said. “But I don’t want blood on your hands, Trent. That would be the very last and desperate resort.”

“Have you killed guys?” Ashton asked Trent in a mix of awe and shock.

“You don’t have to answer that,” Avery said to Trent. “Ash, you can’t ask a person if they’ve killed people!”

Trent sighed. “I’ve done a lot of stuff.

I’m not proud of all of it, but it was always things that had to be done.

I’m prepared to do even more to keep you all safe.

” Trent pointed at Ashton. “You’re in my pack now.

That means we’re brothers. Not by blood, no, but in all other ways that matter.

You and I are family. And you. ” He leveled a finger at Avery.

“I’ve known you since you moved here when we were kids.

I’ve always looked at you like a sister.

We’re family, too, and damn it, I protect my family. ”

Ashton stared back at Trent like Rambo himself had just stepped out of a TV.

“Yeah,” Ash said, then turned to me. “I want to protect Mom, too. Can I learn to fight? Like Trent? I bet you can fight, too.”

He looked so eager. I remembered those days.

Not a child, not yet a man. Any time you saw someone bigger or better than you, a desperate desire filled you.

You wanted to play sports better, be stronger, be a better fighter.

It was part of why boys idolized action movie stars, bodybuilders, and professional athletes.

“I’ll make sure you learn,” I answered. “I promise. Trent and I will give you some pointers.”