Page 74 of Vicious Luna
As if one explosion wasn’t enough today, that news had the same force as the detonation in the road. Everyone here in the Goldenleaf packhouse whodidn’tknow about Cam’s existence before now is collectively losing their goddamn minds.
Listen, hindsight’s a bitch and I now realize that I should’ve probably at least told my parents about him. At that squad meeting after he was brought in, though, my captivity was still so fresh. I was still reeling over Cambeing both a secret shifterandmy fated mate, and I was still processing how to handle it. I didn’t know how I was gonna do that, but one thing Ididknow was that I wanted to figure it out before getting the council or my parents involved. So, I played the kidnapping victim card on my friends and convinced them to keep it all under wraps until I decided I was ready to deal with it. Except now, that decision has been taken from me, thanks to fuckingAres.
“Why would you keep this from us?” my mom demands, her expression equal parts angry and hurt.
“It was squad business!” I say defensively. "We were handling it.”
“It wasalliancebusiness, and at the very least, the council should’ve been informed," Alpha Reid states, calm and collected as ever.
I can’t say the same for my Uncle Theo. He looks like his head’s about to explode, his face turning redder by the second. “Where is he?” he demands, striding toward my brother. “Is he in the holding cells?”
“No,” Madd replies flatly, miraculously keeping his cool for once.
“Then where is he?” Uncle Theo snarls. He suddenly flinches back in realization, narrowing his eyes and sweeping his gaze around the room. “Is hehere?”
Madd darts me a glance that inadvertently confirms our uncle’s suspicions, and all hell breaks loose again, everyone shouting over one another to be heard. This has all just turned into a big clusterfuck and my anxiety is through the damn roof.
After the attack, a meeting was immediately called to debrief the six-pack council, so there wasn’t enough time to stop off at the squad complex and return Cam to his cell. Instead, I just brought him back to the Goldenleaf packhouse with me, shoved him in a guest room, and told him to stay put. I mean, it’s not like he’s a flight risk. Any suspicions I had thathe was working as a double-agent for The Guild were put to rest as soon as I saw the hunters shooting at him and vice versa. The guy is on team werewolf now, whether he likes it or not, and as far as I’m concerned the guest room is just a cushier cell.
Except now everyone knows he’s here, and that flimsy door isn’t going to protect him from a house full of pissed off Alphas.
I lock eyes with my twin, silently pleading for his help in diffusing this situation.
“We made a judgment call,” Madd barks out, his deep voice cutting through the dull roar of bickering. The room slowly quiets down as the others turn their attention to him, and he sweeps his gaze around the crowd gathered in the living room, frowning. “If anyone has a problem with it, then you can come to me directly.”
Ugh, why does he have to try to play the hero right now?As much as I appreciate Madd’s willingness to fall on the sword for me, I can’t let him shoulder the blame for something he didn’t even want to agree to in the first place. In fact, he was the one who took the most convincing to keep this under wraps. I heave a sigh as I step closer to my brother, throwing up a hand. “It was my fault,” I announce.
“No, we all agreed,” Madd growls, snapping his head sideways to shoot me a hard look. In that one look, though, I see everything he's not saying out loud.
Let me handle this. I've got it.
I give him one of my own back that says I can take the heat, but we don’t get the chance to finish our silent conversation.
“I don’t care whose fault it was, I’m going in there,” Mom huffs, her long blonde ponytail whipping behind her as she spins on a heel and takes off for the guest wing.
“Mom, stop!” I shout, chasing after her as she stomps toward the hallway. All the doors in the corridor of the guestwing are standing open except one, so it’s a pretty easy guess as to which Cam is holed up in. I hear my dad’s heavy footsteps thudding against the floor behind me in pursuit. He tries calling out to his mate, but she’s on a damn mission. Once the barbie beast sets her mind to something, there’s no holding her back.
“Just wait!” I yell, catching up to her as she approaches the sole closed door and trying to shoulder her out of the way as she reaches for the knob. She’s braced for impact, though, and as soon as she gets her hand on the knob, she flings the door open and goes charging into the room.
I’m right behind her, my dad close behind me, and Cam looks completely bewildered when the three of us spill into the room, my mom marching right up to him and stabbing a finger into the center of his chest.
“Soyou’rethe one who kept my daughter locked up?” Mom spits, glaring daggers at my warden.
“He’s also the one who let me go!” I counter, catching up to her and trying to put myself between them. I don’t even know why I’m standing up for Cam right now- I should just let my mom have at him for all he put me through- but some desperate, naive part of me is still clinging to the idea of fate having some master plan here, and as far as first impressions between parents and mates go...this one isn’t great.
I cast my dad a pleading glance to intervene, and thankfully, the man doesn’t disappoint.
“Fallon,” he calls in a low voice.
Her head whips around, their gazes locking.
“Let Avery have a chance to at least explain before you go throwing punches, huh babe?”
Mom’s brow’s draw together, her lips pursed tightly in anger. For a second, it’s like time freezes as we all look on warily, wondering how this is going to play out. Then my mom’s shoulders droop as she begrudgingly relents, swivelingin my direction and giving me a pointed stare that says to hurry up and explain myself.
Shit.
I rock back on a heel, pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. “I didn’t want you guys to find out like this,” I sigh, shaking my head as I mutter, “fucking Ares and his big fucking mouth.”