Chapter 82: 89

ChapterThirty-NineIpush Ezra

away. He knows where my father is and didn’t tell me? He knows how much I am

struggling with not having my family, and he knew where my father was this

entire time and kept it from me!Ezra reaches for me,

but I shake my head, pointing an accusing finger at him. “And you didn't think

to tell me?” I ask him.“We didn’t want to

worry you, my men saw him at the border and reported back to me, but your

father attacked my men and slipped across into Andrei’s pack. I tried to get

him back, but Andrei won’t hand him over unless….” Ezra doesn’t finish, and

Mateo growls behind me when he doesn’t. But I already know what he isn’t

saying. Andrei wants me.“Unless you give him

me,” I finish for him.Ezra nods before

rubbing my arms with his hands. “I won’t let him hurt you, Kat, I think he just

wants to talk to you. He said he could help,” Ezra explains.Yeah, like he helped

last time. I scoff. “Help with what? He killed my mother, and now has my

father?”“Maybe we should

hear him out, Kat. He seems to know what he is talking about,” Ezra explains,

and I snort at his words.So he wants me to go

play friends with the man responsible for helping kill my mom? Is he insane? In

what universe does he think I would be ok with that? “No, I will go just to get

my father back, but I do not want to have anything to do with Andrei,” I inform

him before walking off, only to stop again when he speaks.Ezra pinches his

brow and exhales loudly. “Your mother lied, Kat. She never got rid of the

scrolls, she gave them to Jackson. Andrei has them,” Ezra admits.“Why does Andrei

have them, then?” I ask, turning back around to face them. It makes no sense

why Andrei would have the scrolls if she gave them to Jackson.“He made a trade. It

was never about helping Jackson, or so he claims. He just wanted the scrolls.”“Let me guess, my

mother was the trade? Her life for these stupid scrolls that supposedly break

the curse? Well, what a waste of time that was. The curse is broken already,” I

remind him.“Just see what he

has to say.”“No, now take me to

wherever my father is, so I can get him back before Andrei kills him, too,” I

order.“He won’t just hand

him over. You want your father back? Hear him out. I have known Andrei for

years. He will make you earn him.”“Earn him back?”“Yes, Kat, why else

would he take your father and the scrolls? He knows something, what I don’t

know. But you go in there demanding him back? Andrei may just kill him and

declare war. We can’t afford a war with them, along with Jackson’s pack. Andrei

is best off as an alliance, I won’t put my pack at risk because you can’t see

past your anger or because you want your father back.”“He killed my

mother, Ezra. I am not helping him do anything," my words come out in a

growl. It sounds like he's taking Andrei's side over mine.“We should hear him

out first. Maybe he hasn’t got bad intentions. We won’t know until we speak

with him. You go in there looking for a fight. We could start a war we can’t

afford right now.”“I am not trying to

start a war. I just want my dad back.”“He is right, Kat.

Andrei has more alliances than our pack. We go to war with them, we will lose.

Andrei has numbers we don’t have, and the other packs will back him if it means

taking our pack down,” Mateo admits with a defeated sigh.“Why would they get

involved when they are scared of your pack?”"Because you

don't get my pack's reputation without making a lot of enemies, Kat." Half

of the packs that run around here were built out of those that survived my pack

when we ran through them. They keep their heads down not to draw attention, but

I am not stupid. If they see Andrei step up, they will follow him. Andrei’s

pack is just as strong as ours. We are evenly matched. If he declares war, they

will follow him.”“So you want me to

do what he asks?”“He said he just

wants to chat. We will find out what his intentions are. He wants to keep the

alliances going, and we need the alliances to stay in place.”“And what if he

wants me to be his healer or whatever? Then what, my father dies?”“Andrei knows I

would never give you to him. He knows I would go to war over you in a

heartbeat. He won’t be that stupid. No, he wants something else, we need to

figure out what it is,” Ezra explains.“We won't ever hand

you over, Kat. That is never an option,” Mateo adds with a possessive growl.“I couldn’t care

less about being handed over. I care about my father being killed because of

me.”Ezra snarls,

grabbing my arm.“If it becomes a choice between you and your father, I’m sorry,

but I will lay your father's life down in a heartbeat. I won’t lose you,” Ezra

confesses.I grit my teeth. No

one else is dying for me. Shaking off his hand on my arm, I take a step away

from him. “Enough people have died for this curse. I won’t lose my father to it

too, Ezra.”Ezra growls

menacingly, and Mateo takes a hesitant step forward when Ezra grabs my face in

his hands. “That’s not a choice you will get to make. Your father wouldn’t want

you to die for him, and I won't allow you to give your life for him. We will

try to get your father back, but if not, when it comes time to choose, you will

walk away because if you don’t, I will kill your father myself,” Ezra

threatens, letting me go before storming past me and heading inside.Mateo reaches for me

as Ezra slams the front door. “Just hear Andrei out. He isn’t all bad, Kat. We

have known him for years,” Mateo tries to reassure me, but I have my doubts.

Mateo kisses my temple, letting me go.“He took my father

and killed my mother, Mateo.”“And with your

family's secrets, he might just have a reason to, Kat. He knew what you were

when he saw you. It is too much of a coincidence. He knows something, Ezra is

right, and for once, you need to listen to him, don't do anything where you

force Ezra’s hand because if he says he is going to do something, he will, even

if it means killing your father,” Mateo all too painfully reminds me.Mateo heads toward

the door, and I call after him. "You can't expect me to simply walk away

if Andrei threatens to kill my father, Mateo."Mateo stops and

presses his lips in a line. "Yes, I can because if our roles were

reversed, and it came down to Ezra or me, who would you choose, Kat?"“Both of you, you

know this,” I argue.Mateo throws his

hands in the air before pointing an accusing finger at me. “So why would you

expect our answer to be any different?” he adds, turning on his heel and also

stalking toward the door. “Kat! Now!” Mateo barks when I don’t follow. He stops

just inside before turning back to look at me. “Inside, don’t make me get Ezra

to drag you in. We will go to see Andrei tomorrow, upstairs now. The last thing

we need is to be chasing you down because you have run off to try to save your

father,” Mateo scolds.“I’m not suicidal. I

know how stupid that would be,” I scoff.Mateo pushes the

door open and motions for me to get inside. “Good, means you have no issue

coming inside then, in where we can see you,” he orders, and I raise an eyebrow

at him.“You know I can

command you, right?” I remind him, rolling my eyes at him, trying to order me

around, bossy wolf.Mateo growls, his

eyes flashing to that of Ares for a second. “Ezra!” Mateo calls out while

keeping a close eye on me. “That may be so, but I would love to watch you try

it on, Maddox,” Mateo taunts, pushing the door open wider.Footsteps tromp down

the stairs inside and I sigh. I am no match for Maddox.“What’s it going to

be?” Mateo demands, looking in through the door.I huff, annoyed, but

step past him just in time for Ezra to walk into the kitchen. “I’m coming,

geez,” I tell him, and I hear Mateo chuckle behind me as he follows after me.“What’s going on?”

Ezra asks Mateo when I shove past him.“Nothing, Kat is

just on a power trip,” Mateo says loudly as I stomp up the steps, heading for

our room.Rushing into the

room, I pull my pajamas from the drawer and quickly slip them on. Mateo and

Ezra both shower while I climb into bed. I am much too angry to shower with

them or be near them. My mind is plagued with what Andrei wants with me. Ezra

is right. Now that I have time to think, Andrei would know they won’t give me

to him, but that makes me more curious about what he wants with me and the

scrolls.Climbing out of bed,

I am about to go downstairs and grab the journal when Ezra’s voice rings out

from the bathroom. “I can hear you moving around. Get back on the bed,” he

orders from the bathroom.“I wasn’t doing

anything. I wanted to get the journal,” I explain before hearing the water cut

off and the door open. Ezra walks out before striding into the closet with his

towel draped dangerously low on his hips. Mateo stalks out with him, his eyes

sparkling deviously as his eyes roam over Ezra as he walks back out of the

closet with some loose-fitting shorts on.“It's late. The

journals can wait. We have to be up early to meet Andrei. Lay back down. It is

time for bed,” Ezra orders before turning to Mateo. “Bed, Mateo,” Ezra orders

him too.“I am going to bed,”

Mateo objects.“To sleep, we have

to be up early, so that means pants stay on,” Ezra warns him, pulling the

blankets back and climbing in beside me.“Wearing pants won't

stop me,” Mateo grins.“Mateo!” Ezra growls

at him, and Mateo smiles, about to climb into bed beside me. “My side away from

Kat,” Ezra orders, pushing me over before spooning me.“Does that mean I

get to be the big spoon?” Mateo asks. Ezra sighs, and the bed dips on his side.

“Always wanted to get up behind you. You have a nice ass,” Mateo teases.Mateo drapes his arm

across both of us, and Ezra growls. “Mateo!”“Hey, don’t mock it

till you try it,” Mateo teases, and Ezra bumps into me.“Mateo, I will make

you sleep on the floor,” Ezra warns him, making me giggle.“Well, if you feel

anything dig into your back while we are asleep, I won't lie and tell you it's

the remote,'' Mateo offers with a throaty purr.“Sleep, Mateo.”“Fine,” Mateo

mutters, and I feel him moving, and he must have rolled over because his arm is

gone, and Ezra speaks a few moments later.“I didn’t say stop

hugging me,” Ezra grumbles before Mateo moves again, slinging his arm across

both of us again.I yawn, snuggling

against Ezra before drifting off, hoping I can sleep without the dreams

plaguing me. Hoping tomorrow I will get my father back.