Chapter 41 A Royal Welcome pt 2
Seren
Both Duncan and Gideon went slack-jawed. Gideon gathered himself first. “What?”
“I know it seems crazy, but it’s true. I thought I was dead at first, but then Kara came and we were before Selene. She shared that we were, in fact, simply in a coma while she needed to talk to us and that my body was badly damaged. Then she zapped me with some kind of heat in my chest. She told me that when I woke up, I’d have a mate and a family. That I needed to trust my mate and my true family. Then she told me that there’s something coming, but that she couldn’t tell me what because she can’t interfere more than she already did. She said a great evil is rising, and that I’m a special blessed wolf, just like you two are. And that we have to stop the great evil rising and cull out the rot.” I thought back on the conversation, trying to make sure that I hadn’t missed anything. “She said to trust my wolf, and trust our bonds.”
Both of them were listening intently. As they processed what I had just shared with them, I started to get anxious. What if they thought it was just the trauma I’d been through? “I promise that it really happened,” I said, the words trembling as my nervousness bled through. Duncan squeezed my hand.
“I believe you, little wolf. It’s just a lot of information to take in. Did she share anything else? Any hints about what we need to watch out for?”
“Um…She said that I’ve tasted a glimpse of the great evil starting inside Blood Moon. But I don’t know what she meant. I mean, Alpha James and the Alpha family are horrible people and abusive, but I don’t think that means that they’re a great evil. Just that they’re assholes.”
Gideon and Duncan shared a look. They knew something I didn’t, and I felt irritation rising. “What was that look? You know something!”
Gideon spoke then. “Seren, remember how we said when Duncan and his group broke you out of the dungeon and brought you home, they also brought Louise and Kayla? Louise shared with us that Alpha James has been trafficking Omegas for at least five years at this point. He had been planning to sell you, too. In fact, he was the one who stopped Tobias’s assault on you, because he was worried about how that would impact your sale price.” He looked sick just saying it. I leaned over and grabbed his hand.
“I…didn’t know. I’d know something like that, wouldn’t I? How could I not have seen that?”
“He was good at cover stories, apparently, and alpha commands when he couldn’t simply cover it up. They sent a group of warriors and the Beta here to retrieve the three of you the day we broke you out, though that failed, of course. We have ten of their warriors in the dungeon right now,” Duncan said. “I refused to allow them to enter our pack lands, and Beta George sent them to infiltrate and kidnap you while we were distracted. It obviously didn’t work.”
“Okay. We have a lot to talk about, but I think we need to join the group to finish hashing some of that out. Do you want to meet Mom and Dad privately before we go in there?” Gideon asked me.
I thought about it for a second, but the answer was simple. I didn’t want that reunion in front of an entire group of strangers. “Yes, please.”
Gideon laughed. “That’s good, because they’re waiting right outside. They’ve been bugging me to see you since Lucian got into the conference room with Elaine and they found out you were in the building,” he grinned. He stood and went to the door to open it. “Brace yourself, sis. Mom’s a little…excitable.” He winked at me.
I stood, Duncan standing just behind me. I wiped my hands on my pants; they were suddenly all clammy. What if they don’t like me? I felt sparks on my shoulders. Duncan had put his hands there, his thumbs rubbing small circles. “Breathe, little wolf. It’s okay,” he said.
Gideon opened the door, and the next thing I knew, I was engulfed in a cloud of scent. Warm oatmeal, milk, and honey. A comforting scent of home. Arms wrapped around me, gripping me tight. I couldn’t move as my mother held me to her, but I could feel her shaking. I simply wrapped my arms around her and held on. Kara was purring in my head, so happy to be reunited with our family. Mom eventually let me break free from her embrace, though she simply held me at arm’s length as she looked at me, checking me over to make sure I was really healed.
“My sweet, sweet daughter. I’ve missed you so much. I’m so glad that you’re finally home,” she said. Someone came up beside me, and I looked up to see yet another giant. This man was a few inches shorter than Duncan, probably six feet tall, but the warmth in his eyes made up for his intimidating stature. He smelled like sandalwood and vanilla, comforting and familiar. He reached out and brushed his hand over my hair, finally cupping my face with his hand. “My little star. You’ve been so missed,” he said. Mom finally let go enough for him to hug me, and I felt like there was nothing that could hurt me in his arms. A sob climbed up my throat and broke free, and I found myself crying as he comforted me. He led me back to the sofa, sitting down with me, and my mother sat down on the other side. They both murmured nonsense while I simply purged everything that had been building over the last few hours. I hadn’t even realized it was there until I felt the comfort of my father’s arms.
As I calmed, the embarrassment set in. I could feel the blush on my cheeks. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean–” I started.
Mom hushed me. “You’ve nothing to be sorry for, my dear. You’ve been through so much just in the last few days alone. Let out what you need to.”
“We’re here now, and you’ll never be alone again. We will make sure that you have everything that you need from here on out,” Dad said.
I looked up, wondering where Duncan and Gideon were. They had moved off to the side, simply standing there watching. Duncan gave me a reassuring smile, while Gideon looked on with tears in his eyes. Dad waved them both over.
“Now, tell me. Who do we have to kill?”