Chapter Seventy-Three - Willow

Chase left me at his office door alone.

I could smell Lilly’s scent from outside as I grabbed the doorknob and took a deep breath.

I had no idea what to expect. I’d killed her father. My father, too but he hadn’t raised me. She had an emotional connection with him that I would never have.

There was no way I could have let down that wall I’d built after Mother died for the man who killed her.

I twisted the knob and stepped into Chase’s office.

Lilly sat on the couch in the far corner with a plate of food sitting in front of her. It looked untouched. Maybe she was waiting for me.

My plate was across from hers. Two cups of coffee and orange juices sat to the side. Her hands were squeezed together between her knees as if she was nervous. That made two of us.

She’d had a bath and was in fresh clothes. Her hair was brushed and pulled into a high ponytail. It looked as if we had treated her well enough, but that didn’t change the fact that I’d killed her father and at least one of her brothers, if not more.

“Hey,” I said, walking over to her.

She looked up at me when I sat across from her in the small chair Chase must have dragged over. “Hey.”

I grabbed my coffee and took a sip. “Aren’t you hungry?” I asked.

She chuckled and nodded, reaching for her coffee. “Yeah, I was waiting for you. We were made to wait until everyone was there to eat. Old habits die hard.”

“What was it like?’ I asked. “Living in the rogue camp with … him?”

“I didn’t know any different. Mom and I lived there until she died in a war a couple of years ago. It felt empty after she was gone. She was the one that kept me sane. That made sure there was love in our home, ya know? That truly took care of me."

I stared down at my omelet and took a bite to keep from crying. I did know. For a short while, I did. Then Ian took it all away from me.

“Your—our—siblings are in the pack house but they’re safe. Are there any more of you?” I asked.

Lilly nodded her head. “Just a few she-wolves that aren’t strong enough to fight. When we don’t come back, they’ll leave because no one will be there to stop them."

Silence overtook the room. I listened to our utensils scrap against our plates as we ate. There was so much I wanted to say but I couldn’t get it out of my mouth.

“How did it feel?” Lilly asked.

I looked over my juice at her. “How did what feel?”

She swallowed and sat her fork down beside her plates. “How did it feel to kill him?”

I blinked, not sure if this was some sort of trap or not. Lilly sat on the edge of her seat, staring at me with a familiar set of blue eyes. “I don't know—”

“You do know,” she said, her fingers clutching into fists on her knees. “I want to know. He killed your mother. I know the revenge was sweet. I dreamed of doing it for so long, Willow. He kept bringing in kidnapped she-wolves and making them do things … not feeding us. It was a painful experience for the wolves that didn’t have a mother there. Iris, the little rogue, had no one. She was afraid all of the time. I tried to protect her but … how did it feel? How did it feel to see the life leave his eyes?"

I sniffled. Not realizing how lucky I’d been that my mother got out. It was terrible he came back for her, but I’d grown up in a pack full of love.

Full of wolves who cared about me when my father was too heartbroken to do it.

I wiped a stray tear from my cheek. “It felt good, but it doesn’t bring my mother back,” I said. “I’m glad he’s dead, but I miss my mother so much. I still have an ache in my chest."

Lilly stood up and walked over to my chair and bent down to hug me. I wrapped her in my arms. I winced at the pain in my ribs, but I didn’t let it deter me from showing emotion. I wasn’t sure if they were allowed to do too much of that. She pulled back and looked down at me. “Will this pack accept us? Do they know who you are to us?”

“Some of them,” I said. “But my father doesn’t know. I’m not sure if I can tell him. If he doesn’t figure it out. This pack will love every one of you. It’ll take some time to warm up but they won’t ostracize you. The younger rogues will have school when August hits. They’ll learn how to work together. They’ll learn how to read. I—I want to get to know you,” I said. "I want that for all of you."

Lilly nodded. “Yeah, me, too.”

She stepped back over to her seat and sat down. “He hurt you? I saw you wince earlier.”

“Yeah,” I said, lifting my shirt to show her my wrap. “I had broken ribs and whatnot. I’ve never been kicked so hard in my entire life.”

She frowned. “He is—was—strong along with his other powers. I saw that you were able to read his mind,” she said with a smile. “I bet he wasn’t expecting that. You’re the only one who can. The others have abilities, but excuse my language, that’s pretty badass.”

I laughed. “I was shocked it came so easily. I’m sure it’s because I was in a tough situation.”

“Probably so,” she said, finishing the last bite of her food. “Do you get three meals a day here?”

I gave her a perplexed look. “Yeah, we all do.”

She nodded. “Good. I know Iris needs the food. She’s underweight.”

I hadn’t seen Iris but I was so curious to see every sibling of mine. It also made me nervous that they were here. Would my dad figure it out? I couldn’t imagine having that conversation anytime soon.

I swallowed my last bite and reached across to gather her plate on top of mine. “We can go drop this off at the dining hall and see what Chase is doing.”

Lilly followed me down the steps and I caught Chase’s scent in the air. He’d recently walked through here. He kept his promise and gave me the time I needed alone with Lilly. I made it halfway to the dining hall when I felt Chase’s unease.

I stopped and looked over my shoulder

“What’s the matter?” Lilly asked.

“…you’re joking? We were attacked and you’re worried about a female protecting herself?”

“Oh, no,” I whispered, handing Lilly the plates. “Can you take those to the sink for me? I have to go.”

“Where are you going?” she asked, adjusting the plates in her hands.

I ran down the hallway and shoved open the courtyard doors.

The Alpha King, Patch, stood in the courtyard, nose-to-nose with Chase. I felt my blood run cold. He couldn’t fight the Alpha King. He’d be killed. Whipped. Stripped of his name and tossed into the sea to drown.

“Hey,” I shouted.

The Alpha King’s gaze shifted toward mine and I felt the hostility rolling off him. “Look-a-here-, just the delinquent I wanted to see. Get in the car. You’re coming with me.”