Gannon POV
It was hard explaining everything but she demanded to know and I was done keeping secrets from her. She knew about Sia, knew about her grandmother but not the full extent so i told her what she wanted to know.
“It‘s fine, it will be okay.”
“No, it won‘t,” she murmurs. I know she was worried about Azalea knowing her family‘s part in it, worried about everything including me. “You won‘t do that again,” she murmurs. My brow furrows at her words as I watch her walk toward the bed.
“Do what?
Try to change me, you stole my choice. Just like everyone else did,”
“I wasn‘t going to watch you die,“
“I was ready to die!” she tells me. Her words made me sick to my stomach.
“No, you promised me and Azalea, you promised us, Abbie. More than my life, remember?” she rubs her eyes that were red raw from crying.
“I know I know but everyone decides for me, I don‘t. I don‘t want my choice taken Gannon and that is what you did You tried to force me to live, to live with everything,” she tells me.
“I won‘t promise that, Abbie,
You will or we are done, I won‘t try it again. Whatever Azalea did helped, but I won‘t live with you if you are just going to force me to change, I can‘t sleep wondering if I am going to wake up to you trying to kill me,‘ she says I swallowed, remembering the look of fear on her face.
1 don‘t want to fear you, so promise me,” she pleads and my eyes go to Tyson.
‘Gani?‘ My heart beat in my chest hard as I glanced at her.
“Please‘ i stare any head I can‘t lose her, I need her, I love her. I don‘t want to be here without her yel i found myself saying what she wanted to hear to risk not losing her
I promise I won‘t try to change you.” I tell her and she exhales
“But you have to promise to come to me when you‘re upsel, don‘t bottle that shit up,” I tell her and
s ew her lip
*Abte
Fre, promise‘ ste says, appug her han and i sit down on the couch watching her as she settles next to your
She now knew everyoung everything was out in the open I had her back but I worried for how long I watched her lay on the bed with Tyson I was too scared to leave her side Yet a knock on
the door had me pulled from my thoughts. Getting up I quickly answer it to see it is Liam. He looks past me into the room at the bed.
“Is she okay?” he asks and I sigh glancing over my shoulder to peek at her. I nod before stepping out the door and shutting it slightly, leaving it open just a bit so I could see her where she slept.
“Are you okay?” Liam asks me. I shake my head. Her words haunt me.
“She made me promise not to change her,” I tell him not liking that part of the deal. Yet she felt betrayed by me, I could feel that much through the bond that was slowly forming after I marked her.
“You‘re worried she will try it again,” he said, gripping my shoulder. I look up at him and nod before glancing back into the room.
“I will handle it, you won’t lose her again,” he says and my head whips to the side.
“What do you mean, if you change her and she would never forgive me,” I tell him.
“Not what I said, but you don‘t need to worry. She will be fine, I will ensure it,” Liam tells me.
“What do you mean?”
“Best you don‘t know, she can‘t catch you out on a lie, if you don’t know what it is,” he tells me before walking off.
“Liam!” I hissed, worried he was going to find some witch to perform some ritual on her.
“It will be fine, Gannon. The less you know the better, I won‘t let you lose her,” he says before walking off. I grit my teeth regretting saying anything to him when I hear arguing. Damian‘s voice reaches my ears and I turn to give him some privacy while he dealt with his mate.
Fuck me it was drama after drama around here and I was about to lose my head. Yet as I went to close the door I heard Tandi‘s voice.
“Oi, what a face,” I freeze looking back into the hall to see Tandi pass hunter to Damian.
“What are you doing?” he demands reaching for her arm.
“Getting fuck away from you, watch your step son!” she snaps at him.
“Tandi!”
“Fuck you, call me a whore and think I will play nice,” she snaps at him and I bristle. Yep I will stick with Abbie. Damian had his hands full with her. He can have her!
I quickly go to duck inside not wanting to get involved. “Gannon right?” Tandi says and I internally groan. She was Damian‘s problem why she suddenly gotta become mine.
“Yes!” I growi turning around the face when she barges past me. “Good, I am stealing your mate!” she says, slapping my chest before moving toward the bed. I glare at Damian out in the hall before rolling my eyes, “Fine,” I mutter knowing he wants me to keep an eye on her. She rips the blanket back and grabs Abbie‘s arm making her wake up startled.
“Tandi?” Abbie murmurs.
“Yeop get up, I need a drink and away from all these fucking men!” she snaps tugging on her arm.
“I have Tyson.” she says quickly and Tandi looks back at me.
“Nope, the man beast standing in the door can watch him, now get up. Let‘s go find Azalea. Time to let loose,” Abbie‘s eyes go to me and my shoulders drop but I see the ghost of smile grace her face. She loved Tandi, loved her confidence and no fucks given attitutude. I just hoped it didn’t rub off on her too much.
“Go!” I tell her and Tandi yanks her out of bed hurrying her to the door.
They take off and Damian glares at me.
“What the fuck!” he says, glancing down at Hunter in his arms. The boy begins to wake and he rocks him.
“You‘re letting them just leave?”
“It‘s fine, I will make one of the guards watch them,” I tell him before mind linking Liam and tasking him with the job.
Damian growls and I sigh. “Coffee?” I ask him. His shoulders drop. “Yeah fine,” he says moving toward my room and I believe half the reason was because he had no idea what the fuck to do with the kid in his arms
Azalea POV
Opening the door, I find Abbie and Tandi. Tandi peers past me to look at Kyson asleep before reaching in, grabbing my wrist.
“Ah, you said you needed to speak to her, not kidnap her!” Trey hisses at her.
“Either come with us and shut up or stay behind. No party pooper‘s allowed” Trey looks at me, and I shrug.
“Where are we going?” I ask as I nearly stumble down the steps.
“To raid the liquor and find the deserts,” Tandi tells me. Abbie giggles and shakes her head.
“I heard her giving Damian hell in the halls and went to see what the commotion was and was kidnapped too,” she shrugs.
“Tyson? And Hunter?” I ask the girls, though I was glad to see a smile on Abbie‘s face after yesterday.
“Hogging the bed. Gannon is with him,” Abbie tells me. “And Damian is playing Daddy daycare,” Tandi says as we reach the bottom of the stairs. Tandi scouts the hall before jumping in fright when Liam comes around the corner.
Liam glances around before ducking behind the corner of the staircase with us. He peers down, then peeks around the corner toward the kitchen. “Who are we hiding from?” he whispers, and Tandi giggles.
“Idiot, we are raiding the kitchen!” she snaps, pushing past him.
“I could do with a midnight snacky poo,”
“This is a girl‘s breakout only,” she tells him.
“Then why does ferret face fuck get to come? And him?” Trey huffs at Liam, calling him names, and Tandi looks over her shoulder at Dustin and Trey dressed in the typical black uniforms, looking every part of my guard.
“Dustin, don‘t count. He is one of us.” He huffs as if to say he is not a part of this escape. “And he is the fun police that decided to tag along,” she growls.
“Well then, count me in as the corruption! I know where the hard liquor is kept. Besides, I am her guard,” he says, pointing to Abbie.
“Since when?” Abbie demands.
“Since you did a jailbreak on my best friend in your rainbow pajamas and bunny slippers. You look like you‘re up to mischief.” Liam tells her, sending her a wink. Tandi sighs loudly.
“So much for keeping this a small gathering,” Tandi says, stomping off toward the kitchen. We flick the light on to find no one down here, and I can‘t help but laugh as Liam makes himself at home, raiding the pantry and coming out with a huge armful of sweets and chips that he dumps into Trey‘s arms. Trey shakes his head but says nothing, accepting his role in our escape.
“Do you girls drink?” she asks, and Abbie and I shake our heads.
“Oh, Clarice made Mudcake!” Liam states, spotting it on the top level of the fridge.
“Dustin, grab some glasses while I steal this,” he says.
“Clarice will murder you,” Trey tells him while Liam kidnaps the cake.
“Shush you! You saw nothing, and don‘t you snitch,” he tells Trey.
“So why are we doing this again?” I ask, and everyone stops looking at Tandi.
“Ah, because we can! You‘re the Queen. You can do what you want!” she shrugs, and I giggle. She had a point, kinda. I doubted any of the guards would step in unless I was putting myself in danger.
We sneak down to the ballroom where the orphanage was initially set up, but it is now clear since only a handful of children remained and were on the servant‘s floor with Clarice and the other servants so they could be watched over.
“So, what did Damian do that you made you ditch him?‘ Abbie asks, accepting a glass of wine from her. Liam sips his bottle of whiskey, not bothering with a glass.
“Nothing really just irritated me.”
“Fascinating. Tell me more about your domestic squabbles,” Liam says, and she rolls her eyes at him.
“I wanted to go to the archives and find my daughter. He wants me to wait.”
“Why?” I ask, thinking it was a little odd of him. He knows Tandi wants her daughter back, as any mother would after learning they were alive all this time.
“He wants to be sure. He said he is worried Larkin is lying and she is dead. He wants to check it out himself first,” she sighs.
“Yeah, I would say he is just looking out for you,” Trey tells her, coming over with a blanket. He drapes it over my shoulder, eyeing the wine glass in my hand that Tandi gave me. I sip it, finding the taste somewhat bitter.
“What about you and Gannon after last night?” Tandi asks Abbie. The room fell quiet at her question, and I definitely didn‘t want to think of the state we found her in. Abbie leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder.
I‘ll be fine. Though I learned a lot about Sia, who was Gannon‘s real mate,” Abbie tells us, and I had questions of my own about this woman. Liam clears his throat awkwardly.
“Liam was with Sia when Gannon was,” Abbie says.
“Damn! And you think I am trouble? First, the Gamma‘s mate and then the Beta‘s mate. I’m starting to see a pattern with you,” Tandi laughs.
“So what about Sia?” I ask Abbie.
“She was my aunty,” she tells us, and my brows furrow and Tandi stares at her before downing her glass.
“I‘ll get more wine than, shall l” she says, about to get up and retrieve the bottle off the small Lego table leaning against the wall.
“I’ll do it,” Liam says, plucking the glass from her fingers and wandering off.
“Dead. Gannon and Liam killed her,” Abbie answers.
“And you are still with him?” she asks. “I don‘t remember her. It was before I was born. All i know is what my mother told me about her.”
“And what was that?” Tandi asks curiously.
I had hardly any memories that I could recall of Abbie. In fact, I could scarcely remember a time without Abbie.
“I don‘t remember you ever leaving?” I tell her, confused. “What?” Abbie asks, looking at me, just as confused.
“You and Marrissa came with us a few times. My grandmother! She had curly red hair and always wore those bone things around her neck. You told me she looked like the wicked witch,” Abbie laughs. My brows pinched together as I tried to recall this memory.
“She used to have the giant tire swing out the back under the banyan tree?” Abbie tells me. I shake my head.
I looked at Liam, swearing I could smell blood, but he looked fine. I shake my head, believing | imagined it, and sip my glass of wine that I still hadn‘t finished. Abbie sips her glass and pulls a face at its bitterness.
“Wait, your grandmother was a witch?” Trey asks, sounding curious. “That‘s what Gannon said. Why?” Abbie answers him.
“Nothing, just the name Sia sounds familiar to me for some reason” Trey tells her but offers nothing else.
“Dead. We killed her seven years later when she came after Gannon for killing her daughter,” Liam says matter–of–factly as if Abbie wasn‘t sitting across from him. “Woah, hold up! You killed her grandmother too?” Tandi asks, shocked. “Yep, and...” Liam‘s words suddenly cut off when the door opened. The lights flicker on, and we turn toward the doors.
“Okay. I was woken up by a guard saying someone was messing around in my kitchen only to find my Mudcake gone, along with half the pantry!” Simultaneously, everyone points at Trey, who throws his hands up, and I giggle.
“Fuck, I needed that! Those kids have been running rings around me all damn night,” she states before falling into our little circle on the floor. She hands the bottle back to Liam, who smirks and rolls onto his back on the floor.
“If you‘re going to raid my kitchen next time, an invitation would be nice, girls. Now, where is that cake?” she says.
“I‘ll get it,” Trey says, wandering off. I watch everyone get wasted while I remain nursing the same wine glass. They looked like they needed to let loose.
It didn‘t feel right, and I was still sober along with Clarice when the sun came up. Who, I think, was sticking around to supervise, so we didn’t cause trouble. Meanwhile, Abbie could barely walk and was in fits of giggles, and her face was bright red from all the wine. She had also lost a slipper.
Tandi is dancing on top of a table with Liam, while Dustin is on the verge of having a heart attack every time she gets too close to the edge. Liam was singing about some made–up song and kept calling Dustin his sweetpea, which ended with him being snapped at by Dustin.
Tlaughed, watching them make fools of themselves while sitting with Trey and Clarice.
“Always fun watching. Reminds me of when I was young,” Clarice says, sipping her glass of wine.
“How old are you?” I ask. As far as Clarice was concerned, I didn‘t know much about her. Only now had it occurred to me.
This was just before your parents‘ deaths. The hunter attacks were quite frequent, but they usually hit the packs. It was as if they used the packs for training when they hit them. Anyway, when we learned of the attacks, he wanted to help protect them, that they were his people, and he had family there. I refused at first, but he snuck off. Kyson found him dead and brought him home for me. He is buried in the cemetery by the river,”
“And you never thought to find a new mate?” I ask her. “No, I loved my mate. After that, I focused on helping here. Put all my time into this place.”
“When I first came here. I was hired as a nanny. I raised Kyson, Liam, and Gannon all here. Damian, 100, I love all the staff as if they were my own. Then, once the King was older, he kept me on, and I stayed Then I found my mate, then lost him a short time later, and all I had was this place, so I moved back into the castle.‘ she tells me.
‘No, but I am hoping one day I will get to help you raise yours. When you‘re ready, of course, to try again she tells me isinile sadly and nod.
A short time later, Clance nises to her feet and says she had to check the boys. Yet moments after she left the fun abruptly stopped when Damian burst through the doors furiously
“lake it back Trey is not the fun police My male is!’ Tandi says, flailing her hand at him. Yet I had to agree with her because the look on his face was furious,
“You! Darntan snarls, and i glance between the table Liam and Tandi were dancing on and Damian However, he was not looking at landi but at Liam. Liam looks over his shoulder before looking at Darruan ‘Me? He says. Domling at himself when his eyes widen as Damian snarls and
shifts. Tandi screams, flying off the table as it is upturned when Damian crashes on top of Liam.
The air expelling from Liam‘s lungs was audible as he hit the ground with the angry Lycan‘s weight crushing the air from him. Tandi tries to separate the pair of them as they pummel each other, and Liam is far too drunk even to shift.
“Damian! What has gotten into you? Get off him! Tandi screeches, ripping on his back. Abbie giggles as she drunkenly stumbles over to me with her bunny slipper in her hand, clutching it as if it was some prized possession.
“Get ‘em, Tandi!” she squeals loudly beside me.
“I don‘t think Damian is playing, Abbie,” she looks at me before looking at them when Damian punches Liam so hard his nose breaks. “Woah! Not the fucking face! Body shots only prick!” Liam spits at him. Just as Tandi hauls Damian off him, Trey strolls over to me, sitting next to me.
“Not unless you ask. Or they get too close to you” Trey yawns. I look at Dustin, who also just shrugs. “Liam can handle himself,” he says.
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