chapter 24

The group lets out a few snickers at my response to Ryan's alpha bullshit. God, some time's I wonder if men really are worse than women. I look over the men hovering in the corner. The snake shifter gremich I remember vaguely stares down at me, Locking eyes with me. He gives me a small smile on the corner of his lips. He would be most 20-year-old women's wet dream. Tall, Blonde, Handsome, and charming. But I could tell by his scent something lurked underneath his charming exterior. My eyes drift over to Marx; he is dark-skinned with a thick braid of his hair thrown over his shoulder. He was much shorter than the others. His eyes laughed as he took the piss out of gremich. His scent told me he was a bear shifter. They were such an unlikely group, Wolves, snakes, and bears; most shifters never came in contact with each other. Let alone become friends.


"Stop acting like this is a fucking game. Em, This is serious. It's your life, and Jeremy's at stake, do you realize that?"

I stay quiet for a minute as he turns his temper towards Marx.
"Any update?" he growls.

Marx's playful attitude immediately disappears.
"The pack seems to be surrounding the outer quadrant of johnny's parkland. So far, they have been smart enough just to border it, not making any futile attacks on the pack directly on itself since the attack on the house, from what I could find out from the remnants of the house crime scene. It looks like two betas, an alpha, and three omegas took part in the crime. I don't believe many are taking part in this hunt. But I did smell anothere alpha presence at the scene and on the box."



"What?" I ask, "Two alphas are you sure they never work together?" No one answers me, but Ryan's face darkens. I knew there was something that he wasn't telling me.


“Gremich?” Axel continues.
"omega's names are Ariel, Karla, and echo. The betas are from two packs Named Jay and peter. No last names are found in any medical database." He looks at me with sympathy, unsure whether he should continue. He looks up at Ryan, who nods before continuing, "The alphas were your father Jackson and a woman that seems to be having an affair with him from 2014 when your mother died, From what I can tell from the medical records. I believe her name is Evalianglia Telpaliski," He continues.
That threw me for a loop. Wasn't she married to Ryan? What am I missing from his past?

"Ryan, Isn't that your..." I start
"Em, look at me," he says, "Trust me to take care of this." His face softens as he stands up, reaching for me.

"NO, You don't get to play white knight after all this time. Do you get it? You wanted answers. You got answers. Yet you want to shrug off my questions, Thinking there will be no issues? It's way too late for that shit. I'm not stupid and recognize that you are the best for this, but I won't be blind to everything. You are meant to be my mate according to the stupid mate bond, but every damn step, you hiding shit from me; I want to know everything or I will go at it alone and reject the bond. Do you hear me now, Mr. Jackson" I say right up against him. I was angry now, Absolutely everything poured out, and I could feel my wolf sitting under the surface growling.

Stepping away, I can see more than his pride was wounded as he says, "Jesus Christ, you are a pain in my ass. I can't tell you, Em." He turns around, lifting up his shirt to show me the curse on his back. He wasn't lying; he really couldn't say anything. The curse would kill him before he even tried.

"So why is this information even important?" I ask, not sure I like where this is going.
"If they step into the territory, There going to be a war." gremich says.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You want to be free, and you want them to leave you alone, right?" He asks.

"I think that would be pretty obvious," I say sarcastically
"Well, we only have one way for that." He says. I look at all the men; they all have the same look.


"I don't think so; no, you can't; he'll kill you, Ryan. Johnny, don't I swear to God? Do not get your pack involved because of me." The last thing I want is for a war to break out because of me. I've already lost my family once, and I couldn't lose them again. I knew it wouldn't end well, and that would not end well.
"We'll see, Em. Leave it alone for now." Johnny says, giving me another hard look before brushing me off.


"Johnny, tell me about the setup at your packhouse," Ryan asks, entirely ignoring my complaints.

"Full system with every upgrade. There is no getting in unless you are wanted there. Wanting you there."

The conversation continues around me, Ryan dishing out more duties and them talking about the next step in the plan for freeing both me and Jeremy from Ridden's sadistic pack. It seems to be agreed that someone needs to personally go and give the warning if they step into the parkland, That they would regret it.


"No, not happening." I say, cutting off Ryan, "You don't know what he's like; he will kill you." I say I wasn't sure that Ryan would make it back alive if ridden got his hands on him.


"Baby girl, he stopped chasing you for five years. What makes you think he will automatically wake up in the morning and stop chasing us, Em, I love you, but he won't stop till we are dead. Your his trophy remember?" Jeremy asks, grabbing my hand.

Of course, I remember watching my father die, and my pack is gone. I glare at him snatching my hand away.

"Shut up, Jeremy." I spit back at him.

"I'm serious. I don't want a war. No one talks to them." I hold his eyes until he breaks contact and looks over at Johnny.
"Fine," Johnny spits back at me.
**My stomach turns; God, this is going to be a nightmare.
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It's been over two months since Ryan pulled me away from the tattoo parlor. Two months of constant hovering and demanding bullshit from Ryan, johnny, and Jeremy. I am sick of it.