Chapter 4

Keva-

“No!”

A scream echoed in my mind as I suddenly woke up and sat up straight. It took me a moment to realize that I was the one who had screamed, as remnants of my nightmare raced through my mind. Taking in my surroundings, I came to the unsettling realization that it hadn't just been a nightmare; it had been real.

“Kev, how are you feeling?” My father's voice was filled with intense emotion and profound sorrow.

“Daddy.” I sobbed and launched myself into his arms.

His warm embrace filled me with an even deeper sense of regret. Hiding my face in his chest, I let my tears flow freely. It felt as if it had been a lifetime since I was held by someone who truly cared for my well-being.

“You’re safe now.” My father’s tone was soft as he rubbed my back like he did when I was a child.

My tears slowly dried and I calmed down. After sniffling a few times, I lifted my head and pulled away from him. Using the back of my hand, I wiped away the tear stains on my face. Glancing around the hospital room, I smiled at seeing three other familiar faces.

My eldest brother Silas sat beside me on the bed, opposite my father. My other brother, Carter, stood by the foot of the bed, with the same heart-wrenching expression on his face, as Silas and my father. Aside from them, my eldest brother’s best friend was in the room.

Daxton Cruz was standing next to the large window in the room, leaning against the frame with his arms folded over his chest. I couldn’t read his emotions, but he had a solemn expression as he peered out the window. Although I hadn’t heard his voice in a long time, I still remembered it. Daxton was the one who had saved me.

As happy as I was to see everyone, there was one person I didn’t see. “Where is mom?” My attention fell upon my father.

My father didn’t say anything, as he exchanged looks with Silas. The sadness in their eyes and the hesitation I sensed, made me feel that something was wrong. Fear gripped my heart as I grabbed my father’s hands and squeezed them tightly.

“Where is mom?” I repeated my question with urgency.

“She passed away last year.” My father sighed after a minute more of silence.

“What?” I demanded. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“Your mother has been sick for a long time. She thought you were happy and didn’t want to upset you. She tried calling before she passed away, but you hadn’t been home.”

“I never received any calls. If I had known she called, I would have called back or come home to see her.” My chest tightened and I gasped a few times, trying to catch my breath.

“She had passed a few minutes after she tried calling. She hadn’t planned to ask you to come home, she simply wanted to hear your voice one last time.” My father rotated his hands, to hold mine.

“I know I messed up and left home, but you could have called me to let me know.” I pulled my hands from his, feeling upset at him and myself for how things turned out.

“I tried, but I couldn’t get through. A few times I talked to Ethan, but he told me that you didn’t want to talk to me, but that he would let you know I called and that it was up to you if you wanted to talk to me. I told him to pass along the message that your mother died.”

The pain in my chest was so intense, I was struggling to breathe. Ethan never told me anything about anyone trying to contact me. Looking around the bed, I searched for my phone. When I remembered I lost it, my shoulders sagged and I stopped looking.

“This is all my fault. If I hadn’t left home, she would have been able to not only hear my voice, but I would have been beside her.”

“None of this is your fault. If anyone is to blame, it is me. I shouldn’t have made you choose between your family and someone you thought you loved. I have regretted my choice for a long time, but I was stubborn. I should have believed you were still mad at me, I should have known that something was wrong when you didn’t call me back.”

I didn’t have the words to express my feelings or thoughts at that moment. My emotions were running wild, and I couldn’t process anything. From the moment I learned about Ethan’s betrayal to now, there was only one thing I knew for sure; I hated Ethan.

“Mom did get to hear your voice one last time.” Carter announced.

“How? I haven’t talked to anyone since the day I left, until when Silas called and told me that I could return home.” My eyes lifted to meet Carter’s.

“When she called, Ethan said you weren’t home. Before he hung up, she heard you ask Ethan who was on the phone, but the call ended. A few minutes later she passed away, but she was smiling.” Carter explained.

I tried to think back to a time when Ethan answered my phone. As far as I knew, he never touched my phone. Also, this past year he hadn’t been home very often. Thinking back to when Ethan was living at home regularly, I recalled a time when I had been taking a shower and overheard Ethan on the phone.

I had heard him mention I wasn’t home, so I had called out to him to ask who was on the phone. He had mentioned it had been a telemarketer. Later, when I checked my phone, my call logs had been deleted. At that time, Ethan and I were happy and it was likely before Natalie had come into the picture.

I thought that things had changed after Natalie arrived, but now I realized that Ethan had been up to no good likely from the beginning. Perhaps he had been telling the truth about never loving me and only wanting to keep me like a possession.

I personally never deleted my call logs, but now I could remember a few times when Ethan had been home, my call logs were deleted. If I had verified it sooner, maybe I could have known that something was off about Ethan.

My gaze fell to my hands, which were clutching my blanket. My knuckles were white and I silently vowed that Ethan would not only regret his choice, he would regret ever meeting me. Lifting my chin, I looked at my father.

“I thought I found true love and was willing to fight for it. Now, I realize I was blind and foolish.”

“You were young and spoiled. I am to blame as much as you were. I was the one who pushed you to your decision due to trying to force my will on you. From the moment you were born, you have been stubborn. I am just glad that you are safe and now understand that he isn’t worthy of you.” My father pulled me into his embrace, which made me feel a little better.

“I want to know what has happened to you since you left home.” Silas said after my father released me. “I knew you would change a bit but I never expected it to be this extent.” His gaze roamed over me, taking in my appearance.

“Can we talk about it later? I still need time to process everything.”

“You can tell us whenever you are ready.” Silas nodded as he placed his hand over mine. “The only thing that matters now is for you to get better. I will make sure Ethan pays for what he has done.”

“Don’t leave me out of it. I want to crush him until he is buried ten feet under.” Carter declared through clenched teeth.

“No!” I shouted loud enough that my father and brothers flinched. “Since I am the one who built him up, I want to be the one to tear him down.” I spoke softer and my fists gripped the blanket tighter.

“At least let us help you.” Silas rubbed the back of my hand until I loosened my grip.

“If you really want to help, then I want you to help Ethan keep growing.” My eyes narrowed but I didn’t look at anyone, as my mind started processing how I would make Ethan pay for everything he had done.

“You want us to help him get stronger?” Carter asked.

“Yes.” I nodded. “The higher he gets, the harder he will fall.” My eyes twitched a few times.

“Then we will continue with the banquet in a month, to have his pack become a recognized pack. What do you need us to do before then?”

“Ethan’s new mate is pretending to be me, so have someone assist her so Ethan doesn’t realize that she is a fake. Don’t make it easy for her, because I want to see her struggle to keep up with her lies.”

“I could get try to go personally.” Carter suggested.

My eyes focused on my second-oldest brother. “I don’t think you will work. Everyone knows who you are. If you go, she will likely know that you are up to something if you recognize her as your sister.”

“Maybe, but it is worth a try. I am curious how she will react when she thinks her identity is going to be exposed.” Carter smirked.

“If that doesn’t work, I can send in someone else. Depending on what happens when Carter goes, the other person could either pretend to be our enemy and be willing to help Natalie because they want to ruin us. Other than that, they could also go in and assume that Natalie is you because I sent someone to help the pack, but they could make her believe that they have never met my sister and only knew that my sister was mated to Ethan.” Silas proposed.

I considered that and thought that perhaps it was better to send Carter in first to see how far Natalie was willing to go to cover her lies. He might even be able to find a way to send a spy to Natalie’s side. I wasn’t sure if Silas’s ideas would work, but sending Carter in first could help us determine which route to take.

“I want you to wear a hidden camera. I want to see what happens.” I told Carter.

“Leave it to me!” He grinned and saluted me.

For the first time since waking up, a smile formed on my face. Silas and Carter were polar opposites. Between the two, I was closer to Carter than I was to Silas. Not because I loved Carter more, but because we were closer in age and Carter was not as serious as Silas.

Carter was a bit of a goofball, but he was extremely protective of me. He usually had a smile on his face and never seemed to take anything seriously. The only time I have ever seen him take anything seriously, was when it came to me.

Since Carter and I went to school together, he had been my protector. If anyone ever said anything about me or bullied me in any way, he was the first to react. He was the type to throw his fist first and ask questions later.

Silas was a lot more mature and usually processed everything before he opened his mouth. There were times he had a temper and was just as bad as Carter, but as the future Alpha King, he had to keep himself composed.

“I also set up a banquet in three months, to recognize Ethan as my son-in-law, since I had hoped you would return home by then. Do you want me to proceed with it or cancel it?” My father spoke.

“Keep it. That will help Ethan think he has reached the pinnacle. Since I want this to be a slow process, I can give him his final blow at the event.” A wicked smile appeared on my lips as I thought of many different ways to make Ethan suffer.