Chapter 159
Blake
"I know it was," Dmitri corrected, his scent turning cold with certainty. "Because two days later, Konstantin's people came to me. Said Connor had outstanding debt—two hundred fifty thousand dollars borrowed over two years, plus interest. Said debt transferred to Connor's heir upon death. Said I had one week to produce Kara or they would hunt her down themselves."
That's the debt Marcus and Victoria claimed, Asher's mental voice was tight with fury. The debt they used to justify treating Kara like a slave. It was Konstantin's loan the whole time.
"What did you do?"
"I went to Marcus and Victoria," Dmitri said heavily. "Begged them to take Kara, to hide her from Konstantin, to pay off debt if they could. Told them everything—about Court, about Serum, about danger she was in. Marcus was afraid, wanted nothing to do with Court business. But Victoria..." He paused. "Victoria loved her brother. Hated Celeste for destroying him, blamed my daughter for everything wrong in Connor's life. But she loved Connor. So she agreed to take Kara, to pay debt, to keep her safe."
"In exchange for what?"
"In exchange for me staying away," Dmitri said simply. "She said I brought danger, that Court would hunt Kara if they knew I had contact. She filed restraining order, got human court to enforce it, made it illegal for me to come within five hundred feet of my own granddaughter until she turned eighteen."
He moved to the wall where a black picture frame hung—a legal document, yellowed with age. A restraining order.
"I tried to fight it," Dmitri continued hollowly. "Hired lawyers, filed appeals. But I was exile with criminal record, Russian accent, connections to underground gambling. American judge looked at me and saw dangerous foreigner. Looked at Victoria and saw respectable Alpha's mate trying to protect orphaned niece. Ruled in her favor."
They fucking stole her from him, Cole's mental voice was thick with tears. Used the law to make sure he could never see her, never tell her the truth.
I moved to the dusty corner Dmitri had revealed earlier, staring at boxes stacked floor to ceiling. "Everything you sent her over ten years."
"Every birthday, Christmas, first day of school, random Tuesday when I missed her too much to bear it," Dmitri confirmed. "All returned unopened with Victoria's lawyer letters warning me to stop 'harassment.' But I kept trying. Kept hoping maybe one would get through, maybe Kara would see something and know someone out there loved her."
I pulled back the tarp fully—hand-sewn snow wolf plushies in progressively larger sizes, designer winter coats, photographs of birthday cakes, jewelry boxes, books on mathematics and astronomy. And scattered among them were letters, dozens of them, ink faded but words still visible: Dear Kara, Happy 10th birthday, my little wolf cub. I hope you are warm and safe...
"She never knew," I heard myself say, voice rough. "She spent ten years thinking she was alone, that nobody wanted her. And all this time..."
"All this time, I was here," Dmitri finished quietly. "Watching from distance, sending gifts that never arrived, counting days until she turned eighteen and restraining order expired. I had plan—was going to find her on her birthday, introduce myself, explain everything. Ask her to forgive me for not being there, for failing her the way I failed her mother."
December 1st, Asher's mental voice was sharp. Her eighteenth birthday. The day we marked her. That was supposed to be the day she finally met her grandfather.
"I went to your pack house that morning," Dmitri said. "Waited outside gates, watched everyone prepare for celebration. Saw Kara through window—beautiful girl, looked so much like Celeste it hurt. Was working up courage to approach when I saw you three. Saw how you touched her, how she responded, how your scents mingled." His pale eyes met mine. "Realized she'd found her mates. Thought maybe that was enough, maybe she didn't need old grandfather showing up with tragic stories. So I left."
"You should have stayed," I said roughly. "Should have told her everything. She deserved to know."
"And now?" Dmitri asked quietly. "Now that Konstantin has her, now that she's in more danger than ever—do I still have right to claim her as family?"
Through the link, I felt Asher's cold fury, Cole's desperate need to promise anything if it meant getting information that could save Kara.
"What do you want?" I asked bluntly. "What's your price for helping us?"
Dmitri's smile was sad. "When you find her— when , not if, because I believe you will move heaven and earth—I want to meet her. Want to tell her about Celeste, about Connor, about why they made choices they made. Want her to know that somewhere in world, there was old wolf who loved her from distance, who counted days until he could hold his granddaughter."
"That's it? You help us find Kara, and all you want is a conversation?"
"Not conversation," Dmitri corrected softly. "Forgiveness, maybe. Understanding, hopefully. But mostly I just want her to know she wasn't abandoned. That Celeste and Connor loved her enough to give her up, to keep her safe. That I loved her enough to respect restraining order, to stay away, because I believed Victoria's promise that Kara would be safe in your pack."
He didn't know, Cole breathed. He didn't know they were treating her like a slave.
Another person who failed her, Asher added grimly. Just like us.
"Deal," I said, extending my hand. "You help us find her, you give us everything you know about Konstantin and Eclipse Court, and when we get her back— when , not if—you'll get your chance to explain. But whether she forgives you, whether she wants you in her life, that's her choice. Understood?"
Dmitri's grip was firm, and I felt that strange tingle of his Moon Speech ability reading my intentions. "Understood," he said quietly. "And Blake Sterling? I know what you're thinking—that you don't deserve forgiveness either, that you failed her worse than I did. But I also know you love her. Know you would die for her. That has to count for something."
Does it? I wanted to ask. Does loving someone make up for years of cruelty?
But I didn't say it, just released his hand and stepped back. "Tell us about Konstantin's safe houses. Everything you know."