Chapter 130: Rhys
I raced up the rocky pathway to the waterfall, carelessly watching where I stepped, Sawyer hot on my heels. “Grace?” I called out, unable to keep the panic from voice.
The thundering of the falls though drowned out my words. There was no sound that could reach her. I tugged at that bond we shared, but her walls were as solid as ever.
I started across the slim pathway behind the falls and immediately noticed the entrance of a small cave. I mindlinked Sawyer that I found them, and I hesitated just outside, listening in on whatever was going on in there, even though everything in me was screaming to rush in and find my mate.
“I’m sorry I brought up the Luna, Grace, I didn’t think before I spoke. It just surprised me.”
That’s what this was about? I gestured for Sawyer to follow me before I took a step into the cave, but neither of the girls noticed me. Grace was facing the back of the cave and Maizie stood just off her shoulder. To my surprise, the cave went fairly far back, I could see two different pathways from here, but that wasn’t my concern right now.
“You’ve been nothing but kind to me, I was just surprised when you said you were Alpha Andrew’s daughter. I grew up hearing nothing but bad things about her – you – but you’re nothing like that girl. You just took me by surprise.”
Maizie said the word surprise, so many times that I lost count. I wondered why it bothered her so much. I mean, killing someone was always a big deal, and killing a Luna was a death penalty crime, but they had only imprisoned Grace. I had thought it was weird that they had blamed a 14-year-old for her death, but we hadn’t discussed it, which was weird.
“Grace,” I interrupted. “We’re you ever on trial for the Luna’s trial?”
Both girls jumped at the sound of my voice, and the tears falling down Grace’s face, broke my heart.
“No.” Grace answered between sobs. “No. I was just thrown in a prison cell and beaten... I didn’t even know what happened to her till later, and I honestly don’t even know the details... Just that she died. She died and it was my fault.”
“But there was no trial?” I persisted.
“No.” Maizie answered this time, looking from Gracie to me, her eyes wide with horror. “No. We were all told that the evidence was too gruesome and undeniable. That it was being handled in house due to the severity of everything. But to be fair, I was only 11ish at the time... I wasn’t told much about it till I was older, and it wasn’t long after her death that I was placed in the program.” Maizie answered. “I wasn’t considered old enough to know details. I just had been told it was done in jealous rage by Alpha Andrew’s bastard child.” Maizie’s voice shook slightly, and I was reminded that she was still just a child.
“Who told everyone this?” I asked, fighting myself to not just rush across the cave and wrap Grace in a hug.
Maizie frowned but said, “Alpha Andrew had a pack meeting. And Kinsley told everyone in school more about it.”
“Isn’t the punishment for killing someone death in your pack?” I questioned.
“Yes.” Maizie answered. “That’s part of why I’m confused.”
“And how did this come up between you two?” I asked with a frown, wondering how we got to this point.
“She didn’t tell me she was Lycan.” Maizie answered, sounding more like herself with a bit of accusation in her voice.
“How did you find out she was? Did you shift, Grace?” I asked trying to keep the eagerness out of my voice.
“No, no,” Maizie shook her head. “She threw me off of her with her powers, I wasn’t expecting it.”
“I’m sorry,” Grace whispered. “I didn’t mean to do it.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. She sounded so broken. I took her in my arms and kissed her forehead. I wanted her to know I loved and supported her. I also fully didn’t believe she killed her stepmother. The more I learned about the situation, the more I doubted it. There was so much about that story that just didn’t add up.
“I’m not mad you did it, Grace,” Maizie said in exasperation. “I’m mad you didn’t tell me who you were. I also don’t understand, if you were Alpha Andrew’s bastard kid, I was told she didn’t have a wolf. So how the hell are you not just a werewolf, but a Lycan?”
“Well, I’ve never shifted before...” Grace answered quietly, and I could feel her breathing in my scent to help calm down.
“No. That’s not what I mean,” Maizie’s exasperation didn’t seem to be easing, and Sawyer took a step closer to her. “Wasn’t your mom just a werewolf?”
“Well, until recently, I thought everyone was a werewolf,” Grace answered in confusion, lifting her head from my chest to really look at Maizie. “I didn’t know Lycan were a thing.”
“You didn’t know Lycan was a thing?” Maizie frowned. “But more than half our pack is Lycan.”
“No. I wasn’t allowed near others, and nobody bothered to talk to me. I only learned about them after Rhys got me out of there and then we learned everything together.”
“But you were told your mother was a werewolf?” Maizie pressed.
“Well, yea,” Grace answered uneasily. “But I never knew my mother.”
“Why do you have that look?” I asked Maizie, noticing her confusion.
“It just doesn’t make sense that’s she’s Lycan when her mom was a werewolf.” Maizie explained, her brow furrowing.
“Well, isn’t it just like normal breeding stuff? She had a 50-50 chance of being either?”
“No.” Maizie stated, looking at us seriously. “It doesn’t. When a werewolf and a Lycan mate, the child is always a werewolf. Always. That’s part of why the program that kids were being put in was created. So that brings me back to my question, how is Grace a Lycan?”