Page 40 of His Treasured Mate

“The fact that Oscar exists at all says otherwise.”

“Madelyn said you’d respond this way. That’s why I wanted to tell you before he shows up and you cause a scene we’ll all regret.”

“Hell yes, I’ll cause a scene. This is insane.”

“And you’ll hurt Oscar. I know you love that boy as much as I do. Do you really want to hurt him over this? Jack is not his father. He’s not Dad. But he is Jack, and he is a part of his life. And his children are a hundred percent Oscar’s siblings. Not to mention the fact that Tessa is Jenna’s identical twin sister. Their Klaw has disowned both women. King Lockhardt of the black panthers has literally turned his back on his only daughters.”

“You’ve given them asylum? You let them live here?” I yelled.

“Yeah, I do, at least when they’re in town, which is usually most of the summer and occasional holidays. If they wanted to live here full-time, they could. They know that. Mostly, they choose to live away from my territory. Honestly, he’s not a bad guy, Thomas. He just did a really bad thing, but he was young, and they drugged him, too. Maddie claims he was as much of a victim as she was. She doesn’t speak up about a lot of things outside her mate and children, but this she asked—no, demanded—because it was what was best for Oscar. He could be a tiger. We don’t yet know, but if so, he’s going to need Jack to navigate that side of him.”

It was a lot to take in, and I knew I needed some time alone to really let it sink in.

“I think I’m going to need a few minutes to absorb this one,” I told him.

“Just make me a promise.”

“What?”

“You won’t do anything stupid at the picnic. If you have to have it out with Jack, fine, but do it away from the family, and if I were you, I’d pray to God it doesn’t get back to your sister. But you should also know that he has given me his allegiance, even if he chooses not to live here full-time. So don’t kill him or I will be forced to intervene.”

“I promise to try not to kill him. But first, I really need to talk to my sister.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that. Just remember, she’s been through a lot, and this really was her decision to make.”

I nodded, muttered an awkward goodbye and left to find Madelyn and shake some sense into her.

She was in the backyard picking some fresh herbs when I caught up to her.

“Thomas,” she said, sounding genuinely happy.

I gave her a hug and held onto her just a little longer than was normal.

“What’s the matter?”

“We need to talk.”

Her entire body deflated before me. I hated that I was causing that.

Maddie and I had a rocky relationship. After Liam found her and brought her and Oscar home, things had been tense for a long time. We’d made progress to repair things, or at least get to know each other again. If nothing else, we did it for our mates. But that wasn’t entirely true. I had wanted my sister back.

It had taken some time to realize the Madelyn I knew since birth was not the same woman she’d grown into. With that knowledge, I was able to put most of the past behind us and get to know who she was now.

“What’s wrong, Thomas?”

“I spoke with Kyle. He told me about Jack.”

She sighed. “I guess I’m glad for it. The last thing I wanted was for you to run into him blindly.”

“That would not have been a good thing.”

“No, I imagine it wouldn’t.”

“You can’t seriously be letting this guy into your lives, into Oscar’s.”

“I can and I have.”

I could see the stubborn set of her jaw and the way her arms crossed defensively over her body. But I pressed on anyway.