“He didn’t act alone. Other Santo wolves helped slaughter your entire bloodline.” Varro raises a brow at me, seemingly dissecting my words and acting like he’s considering them.
“His men are mostly gone. The few remaining are slinking around in the shadows trying not to be caught. You are welcome to all of them. As a pack, we won’t stop you. As Luna, I encourage you to help free us from their burden. All we ask is that you don’t touch anyone else. That this fight ends here tonight. Place blame where blame is due and not on the innocent around them. These are my people, and they raised me and protected me…. I’m alive because of Santo wolves. Their own Luna, for a start. Reward that…. Don’t punish it.” My chest swells at my own words as Sierra flits across my mind, and it strengthens my resolve.
“It’s not easy to let go of twenty years of heartbreak. This anger didn’t build itself up overnight.” Varro is acting reasonably, even civilized, and I wonder if this is an act or if he really is the kind to compromise and listen to logic. His actions of the past say no, but his being in front of me, he seems almost sane. I guess there had to be some qualities in him that drew my mother to one of their kind, and I wonder if I am seeing glimpses of it now I’ve peeled away the reasons for his war on wolves. My mother was a good person. She would never have loved a monster.
“Then look at me and put it aside. What is it you want? A relationship? Fine…. I’ll do whatever it takes to end this. I’m not scared of you. If you do this, I’ll get to know you. Take the time to learn who you are.”
“My dear sweet child, I’m not asking for a sacrificial lamb. I never asked for you to be afraid of me either. I want my child to come to me willingly because she wants to know her father. The plan was to wipe the slate clean. Free the world of these bothersome wolves and take you home with me for a better life. Where you belong.”
I snort and half laugh, half cough, at his ridiculous idea. Did he just imagine I would up and follow him home because of who he is? It’s not what I expected to hear, but I guess delusional plans had to be part of the bigger picture.
“Not a chance. You kill the pack, and you kill me. You know how mate bonds work, and my mate won’t stand back and let you do anything to our people. Neither will I. I am not going off to live in some vampire land with you. Get real. I’m still half wolf.” My place is with my pack and nowhere else.
“So stubborn, just like your mother. Can’t you be more like your brother… so deep in longing for revenge, he will do whatever it takes, even if it kills him. He has managed to stay alive among my kind for a decade, and that was no easy task.” He seems amused at my words and pats Jasper on the shoulder in a weirdly affectionate way. A hint of pride that my brother somehow didn’t die all these years, and I squint at him. My emotions bubbling away as I try to stay on top of the chaos I feel inside.
“My mother would hate you for all of this. You never knew her if you think any different. In the last moments of her life, she was still fighting for her pack. Think about that. She lost her life while still trying to protect them. She died for these wolves, for her child. She went to war to fight against you… don’t you see that?”
Jasper shifts on his feet, drawing my attention as he turns away, and I catch the glimmer of a tear rolling down his cheek. He walks off, his posture stiff, but his emotions are caving as my truths sink home. My words have struck a chord, and he can’t bear to listen anymore. Conversely, Varro looks smug and mildly annoyed, but he stays calm and unmoved in his posture.
“You’re clever. You have her fire. Her insane logic and way with words. So, what’s the compromise then? You hand me your father-in-law and his men and skip off happily into your forest to live out your life, oblivious to what you are? Is that what you’re offering?” He smirks, a tooth peeking out to remind me I’m dealing with the devil himself.
“I hand you them, you do whatever you want with them, but no, I don’t skip off into the sunset. We came here to make a deal, and if getting to know me is part of your wish, I won’t say no. You want a bond with me; then you’ll get one.”
“Lorey!” Colton warns with a stern whisper, catches my wrist, attempting to pull me back to his side. His sudden spike of fear and protectiveness kicking in. I know he doesn’t want me to have anything to do with Varro after this, but I’ve denied our link for too long. Hate these creatures or not, this man is my father. I need to stop focusing on the venom ingrained into us all these years for these creatures and recognize his motive behind all of this. He did it for love. He did it because of loss. I have been taught to fear and despise them and let that rule all decisions these past months. I never stopped to think or feel from Varro’s point of view.
“You are willing to come back to my home with me?” Varro seems to relax visibly, his posture smoothing from standing stiff and proper to a casual lounge as he places one finger on his bottom lip and crosses his arms to support his elbow. It’s odd to see him relax as though he thinks he has this all worked out and in the bag. It disarms me a little.
“No. I said I would get to know you, but this will be on my terms. I say when, where. I need to be more careful, take care of myself from here on in.” I subconsciously splay one hand over my abdomen, that inner fierce in me needing to protect these two lives above all.
“Why?” Jasper’s voice comes strongly from behind, and he’s back faster than I can blink. Sudden concern for me out of nowhere, and he homes in on where I have placed my palm. His eyes widening, and then his brows furrow to a suspicious frown.
Colton bristles and moves right up behind me, so his body heat encapsulates me, and that low growl tells me he’s getting impatient with this whole thing. He’s wary of Jasper’s move towards me, and his mate need to protect is getting rebellious. The vampire hybrids are still lurking around the perimeter, and the pack is getting restless too. Everything is tense and heavy as the seconds tick by.
“I’m pregnant with twins.” There’s no point hiding it. It’s something that may sway the whole tone, and they would find out soon enough, should we survive tonight.
“What?” Varro and Jasper snap in unison, the shock obvious that they never expected that at all. A sudden change in both their demeanors, and Jasper’s eyes widen once more before he chokes on his saliva and then coughs. He seems to sag, his mind ticking over the fact he just gained more family and became an uncle in a blink.
“She’s pregnant. Our children are growing in her belly… so she’s going nowhere with you, ever. She shouldn’t even be here, doing this, but she had no choice. Is this how you protect your daughter and grandchildren?” Colton with an equally snappy tone, biting words, anger obvious, and I sigh and push him back. His emotions are getting the better of him, and he’s a bit like rocket fuel on a fire sometimes.
“You’re going to be a grandfather, Varro. Do you want to waste tonight standing here and arguing about the future of my pack? I won’t raise my babies away from them, and I won’t be bringing them to your people either. These are my children, so don’t make me do what my mother did. She ran because she knew her child only stood a chance among wolves. I want you to leave them alone and secure your grandkids' future in a loving and nurturing pack in a peaceful environment. That’s what I want.”
There’s strained silence as his eyes eat me up, boring into my skull before traveling down to my abdomen and back up. The air is prickly with tension and static as it sinks in that he has more than me to care about now. He takes what feels like an age to think it through and then rests back on his heels in a weirdly comfortable way. That smirk fades, and I get hints of a real smile that drastically transforms his face.
“I want to know you, and them….. I want to be a part of their future. Those are my blood too. So, you have some logic in your requests, and I’m not against this compromise. I get more out of it than killing everyone, I guess.” His request is quieter, somehow sincere in its deliverance and the glow of his eyes dulls a little as he says it with hushed tones. I get some sort of feeling from this strange being and sense nothing malicious in the intent for the first time. His brain works fast, calculating a future with three more to his bloodline.
“You stop this tonight? Call off your hybrids and send them home.” I stand firm and cast a glance at my now silent brother, who’s staring at my stomach and immersed in his own head. His eyes are no longer amber, and he looks completely lost. His emotions are unreadable now as they are chaotic, and I can see his internal struggle as he tries to figure out how to feel. He just found out he is going to be an uncle.
“I want those responsible. I will do to them what I see fit. You get no say whether they live or die.” Varro won’t budge on that, yet I don’t care. We always knew if we could find a way, we would sacrifice Juan and his loyal. The fates have made it all happen.
“Deal,” Colton answers in my place, a quiver in his voice because at the root of this is his father’s life. I can’t imagine the turmoil or his heart at this moment. I know, despite everything, his heart is in pain, even if he knows this is what must happen. He loves him, even if it’s undeserved, and this is killing his soul.
“You can never wage war against my people again, for as long as my children and I live. We bind us together. No weapons, no invasions, no more fear of being attacked.” I stand firm, pushing my chin up to meet his unbreaking gaze, and he nods. My fire is growing strong now an end is within my grasp, and elation starts to grow from a tiny ember in my stomach.
“I have no reason to play with mutts if the intent is gone. They make excellent guard dogs now I have three lives to protect. I give you my vow that once Juan is delivered to me and his loyal…, this is over. We have a future to discuss at a more pleasant time and venue. I’m bored with war and mongrels. I have a nice castle waiting for me back home.” He can’t even admit that this is a decision from the heart. For a moment, I find him amusing.
I stand and inhale slowly, my brain whirring with everything he’s saying. It feels too easy, and I can’t believe it really is this simple. That he’s willing to end it all right now, and everything we hoped for is happening. My gut says this isn’t a dream, and I shouldn’t question it. My worthless persona of many moons ago ingrained this idea into me that I would never be enough for anyone…. This just proved it all wrong.
“I want my brother left with me,” I add an afterthought, grasping quickly at one extra detail that means everything, seeing Jasper suddenly spring back to life at my request. He looks confused and then resistant.
“No. I won’t live with these…..” he blurts out, his voice husky with emotion.
“Deal!” Varro cuts him off without hesitation, shutting him down with that no-nonsense booming command, and Jasper spins on him in a flare of anger.
“What the fu……?” It’s obvious this is the last thing he wants.