Chapter 46: Ada's Mate

Reese

“What the hell is she doing?” I mumble to myself as I watch Ada walking alone to the dungeon. Sure, she can take care of herself, but Clyde can shift and she not. And Clyde is one sneeze away from crazy. He would not think of the consequences of killing Ada – he would just do it.

Quietly, I follow her. I will not interfere in any way, but if she is in danger, I will be her backup.

The longer I listen to their conversation, the angrier I get. The way Clyde reasons, makes my jaw drop to the floor. I cannot believe the sh*t he is concocting as justification for his doings.

Clyde’s voice starts irritating me more and more to the point where a headache is forming at my temples. I close my eyes and massage my head, but it gets worse by the minute. For goddess’ sake, can I not go in there and silence the f*cker? My head is about to burst.

I turn around and silently get out of the dungeon. I cannot control the pain any longer. The sun is twice as bright when I am finally outside, and I drop to my knees. The pain increases and I clutch my head. Just when I thought I am about to pass out, I hear his voice.

“Long time no see, dumbass,” Rigsby, my wolf, snickers.

“About time, sleeping beauty,” I mock as I struggle to my feet. “Welcome back.”

“Let’s go for a run,” Rigsby says excitedly.

“I’m working,” I snort. “I didn’t have the luxury of sleep as you did.”

“Reese, what are you doing here?” Ada asks behind me and I swing around.

“I followed you,” I admit. “Just to make sure you’re okay should Clyde get any ideas.”

“That wasn’t necessary,” she says through tight lips as she crosses her arms.

“Don’t be mad, please,” I beg softly. “I only wanted to be close by if you needed me.”

“How long have I been sleeping?” Rigsby groans. “Last I checked, you didn’t give a rats’ ass if a female is upset with you, nor did you beg.”

“Behave,” I snap at him. “She could be our mate.”

“Really?” Rigsby sniffs. “Why can’t I smell her?”

Ada

I look at Reese’s pleading face, but it does not affect me. I do not want him or Blake or anyone else to know what Clyde really is to me. If I did not have to tell my brothers, I would not have. It is so much more humiliating than when he was only my cousin.

“How much did you hear?” I ask through stiff lips.

“Everything,” he admits sheepishly as he pushes his fingers through his hair.

“Dammit, Reese,” I grunt as I rub over my eyes. “If I wanted you to know, I would’ve told you.”

“I’m sorry,” his eyes plead with me. “I only wanted to help and not upset you. And you can trust me, I won’t tell a soul.”

“It’s not about trust, Reese,” I huff. “It’s about privacy. There are things that I chose not to share.”

“I thought I was being helpful,” Reese defends himself. “I thought we were in this together. I didn’t know we had secrets.”

“I understand you meant well,” she sighs heavily. “And regardless of what Clyde did to me, I still have my dignity and pride. The true extent of what happened between Clyde and me is not something I wish to share. Why the hell did you think did I go alone to see him? I’m not being reckless; I’m trying to keep my dirty secret a secret.”

“Ada, I’m sorry, I really am,” he places his hands on my shoulders. “What he has done, was despicable, but it has no reflection on you and who you are.”

“I already have a shrink, thank you,” I hiss as I step away from his touch. “And I’m sure as hell not blaming myself. But you need to understand that I will tell you what you need to know when you need to know it and when I’m good and ready.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath to compose myself. I get that he was only trying to help, but this particular disgusting piece of information is not something that I want to share.

“Ada, I truly am sorry,” Reese sounds on the verge of tears. “I didn’t eavesdrop to gather information. The only thought and intention I had, was to keep you safe.”

“It’s okay,” I sigh and brush past him. “Just keep it to yourself.”

“Wait,” he runs after me. “There’s something else. My wolf just woke up.”

“Really?” I stand still and gape at him. A part of me becomes excited because it means that my wolf might also return soon. But the other part is jealous that it is his wolf that returned and not mine.

“Yes,” he smiles from ear to ear. “But my wolf can’t sense yours. I still don’t know if we are mates.”

“I guess that’s a good thing,” I shrug.

“Aren’t you a little disappointed?” He looks hurt. “Don’t you want to know who your mate is?”

“Honestly, Reese, no. Not now,” I say firmly as I cross my arms and stare at him. “I have much more urgent things to deal with than a mate right now. My love life and hormones are at the very bottom of my list.”

“Oh,” Reese looks like a deflated balloon as he pushes his fingers through his hair. “I mean, I know you’re busy. But I thought this could be one less thing to think about.”

“It would’ve been if it was something I was thinking about,” I smile softly to take the sting out of my words. “Reese, since my Dad confessed, my world turned upside down. You don’t even know half of it. And you would’ve known less if you weren’t listening.”

“Ada,” he takes my hands in his. “What can I do to help? You don’t have to do this by yourself.”

“There really is nothing you, or anyone else, can do,” I say apologetically. “But I do appreciate the gesture.”

I do not give time to reply, I turn around and walk away. I need time to think. Clyde had said something that triggered me. He was all too certain that Killian will not betray him. And from what I have gathered, Killian will not think twice about backstabbing anybody if that means he can get what he wants.

There is still a puzzle piece missing. It makes sense that Killian and Clyde are working together to get rid of me and my family. Killian gets an heir and Clyde a pack. Killian made a deal with Gregory to get him to stop attacking Opal Moon and forcing our hand.

But no sane person would take part in such activities without gaining something in return. And all three of the participants, are strong-willed. Would Gregory really be satisfied by just killing the murderer of his family? Why remain a rogue when he has the opportunity to take over a pack and become alpha?

I hope my brothers are successful in befriending Gregory. If I can get Gregory on our side, he might help us. Regardless of what happens, I decided to offer Gregory to join our pack. It is only fair. But I do not know if he is willing to join the pack and serve a much younger alpha. He is after all Father’s firstborn. To be fair, Dad was only the sperm donor. He never was Gregory’s father and had no idea he existed until a year ago. If Clyde did not turn out to be the misfit he is, I could have argued he should be alpha. Father knew about him and even spend his first year with him as his Dad.

Will an heir be enough for Killian when he can easily take over Shadow Moon with his bombs? If he is ambitious enough to scheme with Clyde, who is to say he is going to stop there? If he wipes out my family and takes over Moon Shadow, he will have the biggest pack in the country.

And Clyde, he claims he only wants to be alpha. Okay, yes, I think that is it. Clyde does not have the capacity to think further than that. Personally, I believe that for Clyde, it is about Dad acknowledging him as his son. Goddess alone knows how much poison Margo pumped into him over the years. Obviously, she did not tell him who his father was. So, the question is, what did she tell him? Whatever it was, the truth derailed him.

But what tickles me the most is why would Killian make use of Clyde, to begin with. The only logical explanation is that Clyde has something on Killian. And it is big enough for Killian to play along. Once I know that, I think I will know everything.