"Whether you agree with me or not, he can't stay in the dark forever."
Bartholomew shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Forever, no. But right now? He actually has stability and structure...the moment you tell him, you risk breaking that. It's not just the knowledge, my Queen...it's the years of silence from his mother, and that it was kept from him. He'll see betrayal before he sees anything else."
"He'll see it all," Ann snapped back. "But I'd rather deal with his anger than let him keep carrying this grief like it's carved into him. At least anger can be burned out. Grief just festers."
Adam leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "And what happens when that anger isn't directed at the Lycan King anymore? What if it turns on us for keeping the secret? He might not forgive that."
Ann arched a brow. "You think I can't handle Greyson's temper?"
"It's not that, I just dont want us to underestimate what it will mean to him," Adam said carefully. "You don't grow up thinking you're an orphan and then take kindly to the news that half your life was a lie."
Maeve snorted from her corner.
"Depends how you tell it. If you dump it on him like cold water, sure, he'll rage. But if you let him stew too long, he'll boil over anyway. Either way, someone's getting burned."
Bartholomew sighed heavily. "This is why I waited. His anger can be volatile and he's worked hard to keep the lycan side of him under control. And don't forget, he has Lexi now. His mate shares his fire."
Ann's lips twitched.
"Lexi's fire is what makes her Lexi, and I wouldn't change her for the world itself."
"Still, as much as I am fond of her, the combination could be dangerous," Bartholomew countered. "Both her mother and father blood runs in her veins and both of them carried tempers, and she's got that doubled. With the mate bond her reaction could tip his even further."
Maeve rolled her eyes.
"He's making her sound like some rabid hound."
"She's not unstable," Ann snapped, "She's just… got sharp edges."
"Sharp enough to cut," Bartholomew muttered.
"Sharp enough to keep Greyson from drowning in his own misery," She shot back. "She has stood by my side through everything Bartholomew and I wouldn't havegiven her the Queens Beta position if she wasn't capable. She's no different to any of us under her fire, besides, if f I'd had a childhood full of the crap that she went through instead of...well…you know..." Ann tapered off as she waved a hand vaguely in the air in front of her.
Ann rubbed her temple as the beginnings of a headache began to pulse angrily and she sighed heavily.
"My point is,yes, she bites. But she bites the right people."
Adam's frown deepened.
"Are you forgetting that mates amplify each other? Greyson is supposed to be the balancing force against her powers, if he explodes, then she won't calm him...she'll explode too."
"Or she'll steady him," Ann said firmly. "You've seen it yourself, Adam. He listens to her in a way he doesn't listen to anyone else. She grounds him when he's on edge. Do you think that's an accident?"
"She grounds him now," Adam said. "When he's dealing with threats that are obvious. But this? This is personal. Family. Blood. That's a different battlefield."
"You're completely discounting Allen in all of this." Ann shot back throwing her hands up in exasperation, "All three of them are a perfect balance for each other. Allen keeps Lexi steady and he most definitely is the most rational out of the three of them. Even if there's a little anger at the beginning, I'm confident that he'll come around with the help of both Lexi's and Allen's influence on him."
Silence met her argument and she could feel her frustration building to a point that if they weren't careful, then she was going to explode on them too.
"These hormones are a wild ride, aren't they?" Maeve sniggered.
"Not helping," Ann glowered back.
She sighed heavily and reached for the drink that coral had brought them, wanting something to occupy her hands so she didn't throw herself across the room and strangle them both.
"Not good for the pups," Maeve murmured and Ann took a deep breath to calm herself, knowing she was right.
"So your solution is what...say nothing?" She asked as she watched them both over the edge of her cup, "Let him keep believing his mother died screaming, that his brother never saw another sunrise?"
"No," Adam said with a shake of his head, adjusting his tone to try and soothe the angry aura that Ann was spilling all over the room,. "What I'm saying is that timing matters. If you tell him too soon, it'll break him. If you tell him too late, it'll break his trust. We need to find the fine line between the two."
"And when exactly would that be?" Ann asked coolly. "Because last time I checked, the world doesn't wait for us to pick the perfect moment."
Maeve chuckled.
"You tell 'em Queenie,"
Bartholomew rubbed his hand over his face.
"It is not just a matter of timing. It is a matter of control. Once the truth is out, none of us can predict what he'll do. Do you understand that? He might run to them, he might hate me for the separation, he might abandon the work he's done here..."
"He won't," Ann cut him off.
Bartholomew blinked at her, almost incredulous.
"You speak with such certainty."
"I do," Ann said, tone leaving no room for doubt. "Because Greyson is many things, but he is not faithless. He will rage, yes. He'll lash out, probably at you first. But he will not abandon us OR his mate. He'll stay and fight if needed or he'll be the hand that helps negotiate. He clearly hates his father too much to walk away."
Adam shot her a look.
"That's not exactly comforting."
"It doesn't have to be comforting," Ann replied. "It has to be true and I know that Lexi can handle him better than anyone else."
Maeve smirked.
"You know what else is true? The first words out of Lexi's mouth when she hears this will probably be something like, 'You're telling me I've had a mother-in-law this whole time and no one warned me?'"
Despite herself, Ann snorted and her mouth curved into a reluctant smile.
"Exactly. She'll curse us, she'll throw something probably, but then she'll get over it and help us steer him through it."
Bartholomew shook his head.
"You place too much faith in her."
"No," Ann said softly,. "You don't place enough in her capabilities. Greyson, Lexi and Allen were fated to be together and that tells me everything I need to know."
That silenced the room for a moment.
Finally Adam spoke, his voice low.
"So you intend to tell him yourself. The moment he returns."
"Yes." Ann's answer came without hesitation.
Bartholomew leaned forward.
"Then promise me one thing. Do not tell him in anger. Do not tell him like it is another test of loyalty. If he feels cornered, it will undo everything I've tried to build."
Ann's eyes softened, just a fraction.
"I'll tell him as his Queen, yes. But also as his friend and someone who knows what it's like to grow up in the shadow of lies. I won't rob him of the truth just because we're afraid of what he'll do with it."
Maeve stretched and yawned.
"Well, this is going to be fun. Greyson with family secrets, Lexi with new ammunition, Bartholomew with guilt up to his ears. Remind me to stock up on wine for drowning our sorrows once the pups are here and the fallout begins to settle."
"You're not helping." Ann hissed again.
"I'm always helping," Maeve said cheerfully. "Sometimes it just doesn't look like it."
Ann ignored her as her gaze fixed firmly on Bartholomew.
"He deserves the truth. He'll get it...from me. And when he does, I expect all of you to stand with him, not against him. Is that clear?"
Adam inclined his head slowly and Bartholomew nodded.
Ann leaned back in her chair, wanting nothing more than to lay down and close her eyes.
"Good. Then it's settled. I'll make arrangements for when he, Lexi and Allen returns." she murmured with finality, her tone closing the discussion, "You're welcome to stay and help with the library Bartholomew, and I believe Adam has some matters that he wants your input on as well. But for now, I think Im going to have to go and lay down. Pregnancy is tiring business it seems."