Chapter 37: Rhys
I stared at the kid in disbelief.
“Grace doesn’t have a brother.” I said dumbly. “Let alone a twin. She was the unwanted daughter of the last Alpha. Her only family is Luna Kinsley.”
But the more I stared at him, the more I saw how similar he looked to Grace. His skin was a bronze color, and his hair was a bit darker, but they had the same striking blue eyes and the same facial shape. I also realized that I had compared him to Grace multiple times without even realizing it.
“Luna Kinsley is only her half-sibling.” The said brother told us.
“Okay, let’s back this up a moment. I’ve never heard of a Lycan. So, what exactly is it??” Sawyer asked as I got lost in my thoughts for a moment.
“It’s like half-man, half wolf.” The guy explained.
“That’s a werewolf.” Sawyer answered dumbly.
“No. A werewolf is a man and a wolf sharing the same space, a Lycan is half wolf and half man, one in the same, that’s why I can stand on two legs. I don’t fully become a wolf.”
I stared again. What kind of nonsense was this? I had never heard of a Lycan before. But here I was facing one. I had seen it with my own eyes. I knew what he was capable of. I had seen him grow his limbs, fur and claws.
“That’s... interesting.” Sawyer said slowly.
“The whole Red Blood pack is Lycan, not that they act like they should.” He muttered the last part under his breath.
“So do you follow the Moon Goddess or do you have your own beliefs?” Sawyer asked, looking fully fascinated by what was being revealed to us, and I should have known that his science brain would be intrigued by all of this.
“Well, yes, but also -”
“Seriously?” I rolled my eyes. “That is not what is important right now.”
“Well, it might be...” Sawyer mumbled. “We should know about them.”
“He drops that he is Grace’s brother, and you think I care about what they are and who they worship?” I growled back. “I want to know why this random thing thinks he’s Grace’s brother.”
“Listen this is fun,” The kid said trying to feign bravery. “But I just need to know if Grace is okay, and I’m not talking till I know.”
“Grace is fine.” I said after a long moment, staring him down and to my surprise, he met my eyes and didn’t back down. “She had a bit of a rough day, but she’s tough, and she’s just resting right now.”
“Why did you take her back there?” The guy asked with worry in his voice.
“It was a necessary part of the plan.” I said after a long moment, trying to decide if I should give him any more information, but figured he would be more likely to divulge information if I gave him some scraps, especially about Grace. “Should I be worried about them coming to track you down?”
The guy had the nerve to laugh.
“No,” There was laughter still in his voice. “They think I’m dead.”
“I’m sorry?” Sawyer asked in surprise.
“I’m Grace’s twin, but I didn’t grow up with her. She doesn’t even know I exist.”
“What’s your name?” I asked with a frown.
“Ethan.” The kid answered.
“And why didn’t you grow up with Grace?” I asked.
“I’m not exactly sure where to start... Kinsley grew up as the ‘legitimate’ daughter of our father, and she is really our half-sister. My dad and had an affair though and ended up with Grace and I. I was the Alpha’s only son, and even though I was illegitimate, I still posed a threat to Kinsley and her mother, so they got rid of me shortly after I was born. I was rejected from the pack and declared a rogue. Now, obviously, I don’t really remember this, but I did once have a friend in the pack who tried to keep me safe then and continued to keep me updated on Grace until he was killed by Alpha Adrian a little while ago.” He paused for a moment and tried to contain his grief. “I was left outside the pack lines for death, but I got lucky. Not all rogues are bad, and I was lucky I was found by one of the good ones.”
I growled a little at he ‘not all rogues are bad, but I let him continue.
“The man who raised me had once been a part of the Wolf’s den pack, but he been known to do business with the Red Blood pack. He heard rumors and with the help of the ally in the pack, we were able to piece everything together.”
“Why didn’t you get Grace out?” I demanded.
“I knew things were bad... I just didn’t know they were that bad. Also, where would I have taken her? I was a rogue, was that really better than what she was experiencing? I might have had some help, but it was still hard, and I had to protect myself. I couldn’t protect her too.”
“And why were you in Red Blood pack that day?” I asked still skeptical.
“I knew you were taking her back there, and I didn’t know why. I wasn’t going to let her go back to them, not if I could help it. I couldn’t save her back then, but I could now. I had to try at least.”
“Well, I wasn’t returning her. She is safe and out their control. But Sawyer, come on, we need to go.”
Ethan looked faintly discouraged by my abrupt decision to leave, but I didn’t care. It was like everything I thought I knew didn’t matter anymore. I knew nothing at all.
Sawyer followed me out of the cell, locking it behind us.
“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” I asked Sawyer once we were out of the dungeon and back in the house.
“I don’t know.” Sawyer answered, his face thoughtful. “But he does share a lot of Grace’s features, and they have the same eyes. And the Lycan thing makes a lot, if not total sense. Grace said that she didn’t think they could mindlink or that she had never heard anyone talk to their wolf and them being one in the same would make that make sense, but I think we need more information.”
I nodded, accepting his answer.
“Get some sleep, and tomorrow you and Leon can interrogate him. But no violence! If he is Grace’s brother, he’s been wronged just as much as her, and I don’t want to add to it.”
Sawyer headed off to bed, but I made my way to the office. My brain was too wired to sleep even though it was getting late.
I opened my office door surprised to see Grace in my chair, writing.
“Hi,” I said slowly.
She looked up, her face determined.
Written on her board were the words, “Can I stay if I give you an heir?”
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