Important reveal coming in next chapter.
(Addie POV)Beta Jonas was waiting for us at the packhouse when we arrived back at Moon Shadow Pack. Aiden and I were tired, grumpy, and desperately in need of (separate) showers, but it was still nice to see him. Jonas shook Aiden’s hand and then gave me a big hug.“Welcome back, Alpha and Luna. How was your trip?”“Fine,” Aiden and I replied at the same time. Jonas seemed a little taken aback by the gruffness of our response, but he let it go.“How is my sister?” Aiden asked.Jonas’s eyes darted to me and then back to Aiden. The unspoken question was obvious. Aiden waived his hand dismissively.“Addie already knows that Piper is my sister. You can talk freely.”So, it was Piper who was hurt and not Natalie? I wondered what had happened, and if Leo already knew. It really didn’t make sense that she would be here or that she would be hurt. The last that I heard, Leo had found her, and I knew that Leo would cut off his own arm before he let something happen to her.“Piper was
(Addie POV)Piper’s friend, Kade, was Aiden’s brother.Wow.I mean, I shouldn’t have been THAT surprised. A cheating, control-hungry rapist rarely only has only one victim or exploit. Still, I felt awful for Aiden. Finding out that he had yet another sibling that he didn’t know about wasn’t exactly the way that I wanted to say “I told you so.”After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, I decided to give Aiden and Kade some space to talk. Choosing to let go of my earlier anger and figuring that we could work our issues out later, I gave Aiden a hug and a kiss; reassured him that I would be around when he needed me; and then excused myself from the office. Jonas followed right behind me.I had previously planned to call Leo at the earliest opportunity, but after finding out about Kade, I decided to first make sure there weren’t any other surprises waiting for us. To that end, I went to Aiden’s and my bedroom so that I could shower and change. I then went to find Piper.I ulti
(Alpha Aiden POV)As soon as Addie and Jonas left my office, I moved to my desk and sat down in my desk chair. Kade continued to watch me as I did so. It felt like hours passed before either of us said anything, although in reality I think it was just a few more minutes. A million thoughts were going through my mind, including how I was going to explain any of this to my mother and younger sister, and how much crow I was going to have to eat with Addie later. I just couldn’t believe it. Sitting before me was tangible proof that my father had not just cheated on my mother once, but twice. How had I never known? How had my mother been willing to forgive my father and play the part of his doting, loving wife and mate for so many years? How many other secret siblings did I have out there?As the questions flooded my mind, I stared at Kade. I could see in his body language that he had just as many questions as I did. At the same time, he seemed somewhat less surprised than me.“Y
(Addie POV)Piper agreed to let me help her. Thank Goddess.You probably wonder why I was so interested in helping her. Honestly, I think it was a lot of things. She was my mate’s sister, so that was a pretty big thing. She was also a she-wolf who had managed to catch Leo Bloodstone’s attention, and that made her sort-of fascinating to me. As did the story of how she was conceived and what I had heard the Moon Goddess had planned for her.But more than any of those things, I really did feel like she-wolves needed to stick together. I was completely over females who back-stabbed one another…. especially because I had been one of the backstabbers once upon a time. In fact, I had stolen boyfriends —boyfriends, mind you, not mates— from more than one (former) friend.Surprised? Not surprised? Yeah, well. Go ahead and judge me. I’m a big girl; I deserve it. Just know that I am not that she-wolf anymore, and I haven’t been for a long time. And yes, helping Piper may have also
(Piper POV)I was nervous when Luna Addie asked me to speak to me alone. I wasn’t sure how much Aiden had told her about me. If he told her how close we were before I left —which he almost had to have done, to explain why they needed to return from their mate-moon early— I wouldn’t have been surprised if she hated me. After all, I knew that she-wolves tended to be jealous and territorial about their mates, especially when newly mated.Thankfully, she did not seem jealous of me at all. Instead, she explained why she wanted to talk and tried to make me feel comfortable. I didn’t fully trust her, especially given her connection to both Xander (who hated me) and Leo (who had spelled me). However, she seemed friendly enough during our conversation and she had a little edge to her, which I liked for Aiden. I could have easily pictured Aiden being mated to a stereotypical submissive she-wolf …and I’m sure that is what he expected too, given his prior choices in she-wolves… but I loved
(Piper POV)“Piper, you can talk to me,” Dr. Eggert said softly.I shook my head as I continued to stare out the window. “No.”“Anything that you say in this room is confidential,” she reminded me.“Even from Alpha and the werewolf council?”“Even from them. They have taken blood oaths to ensure it, and I have taken a blood oath in return.”“Just for me?”“No, we have a blanket oath that applies to everyone. Therapy would not work without confidentiality.”I turned and looked at the middle-aged woman sitting in the chair across from mine. She seemed sincere, and she seemed nice enough, but I was on the fence about whether I could trust her. Or anyone.“Why am I here, Dr. Eggert?” I asked.“You attacked a gamma wolf, Piper. Completely unprovoked. You are lucky that he was not badly hurt, and you are even luckier that Luna Lily intervened and the werewolf council decided to take pity on you. Your punishment could have been far worse.”I scoffed. “Pity? Is that what they call i
(Approximately Four Years Ago)(Piper POV)I am currently waiting in a dressing room on the fourth floor of the packhouse, studying my reflection in the full-length mirror. My hair and makeup have been done expertly, and my white wedding dress hugs my curves in all the right places. Despite my insecurities, even I have to admit that I look beautiful.My fingers begin to trace the silver and diamond locket on my neck. I find myself desperately wishing that my mother was here with me.Through the open window, I can hear various voices from the wedding guests who are gathering in the courtyard below. I can also hear soft violin music playing, and I can smell the vibrant rose and lily arrangements that have been placed everywhere. And I can feel just a hint of the bright morning sun on my back.Unable to resist the temptation, I walk over to the window and peer outside. Like a magnet, my eyes land on Leo Bloodstone, who is greeting guests. He is tall, super muscular, with dark hair
(Xander POV) My heart was pounding. We were doing this. We were really doing this. The alpha in me was excited, but the man in me was worried. I have never defied my father like this before, and Leo Bloodstone was not someone that I normally wanted to piss off. However, in this case, the risk was worth it. Piper was worth it. I just prayed that my plan worked. Piper quickly changed into leggings and a hoodie while I sprayed myself with a de-scenting spray. We then grabbed our backpacks —which I also brought with me— and left the room. After saying a quick prayer to the Moon Goddess and making sure that the coast was clear, Piper and I made our way downstairs. We “hid” Piper’s wedding dress behind a bush near the side exit, and I threw her high heels as far as I could into the field. Our goal was to make it look like Piper fled across the meadow towards human territory. That would be the fastest, most logical exit route. Once Piper’s dress was fake-hidden, it was Piper