Chapter 6:Memories On The Road
Georgia's POV
"Get in the car. Now." Jared's words cut through the air like a knife.
Georgia's hands gripped the steering wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Georgia, listen to me." Jared stepped closer to her window. "Someone wants you dead. Someone who knows about your children. We can protect you, but only if you come with us."
"Mommy, who is that man?" Keira whispered from the backseat.
Georgia's heart was beating so fast she thought it might burst. This was the man who had destroyed her life five years ago. The man who had called her weak and stupid in front of everyone. And now he wanted her to trust him?
"You have thirty seconds to decide," one of Jared's men said, checking his watch. "Our scouts report three cars full of armed men going this way. They'll be here in less than five minutes."
Anna grabbed Georgia's arm. "Georgia, what if he's telling the truth?"
"Why should I believe him?" Georgia's voice cracked. "He's the reason I had to leave in the first place."
"Because," Jared said quietly, his green eyes meeting hers through the glass, "those children in your car look exactly like me. And I think we both know why."
Georgia's blood turned to ice. How could he know? How could he possibly know?
Behind them, the sound of engines grew louder. Whoever was coming was getting closer.
"Fine," Georgia whispered, her voice barely audible. "But I drive. And if you try anything..."
"You have my word," Jared said, stepping back. "Follow us. Stay close."
The next hour was the longest of Georgia's life. They drove through curvy mountain roads, following Jared's car while her mind raced with questions she was afraid to ask.
"Mommy, are we in trouble?" Kelvin asked.
"No, baby. We're just... taking a different road."
But Georgia knew they were in more trouble than she could imagine. The way Jared had looked at the triplets, the way his men had studied that picture - they knew something she didn't.
"Tell us about where we're going," Kelsey said, bouncing in his seat. "Is it fun there?"
Georgia's throat felt tight. How could she explain Blue Moon Pack to her young children? How could she tell them it was the place where their mother had been broken into a million pieces?
"It's... complicated," she said.
"Everything's complicated with grown-ups," Keira sighed dramatically.
Five years ago, Georgia had been so young and ignorant. She'd believed in fairy tales and happy ends. She'd thought finding her mate would be the best day of her life.
Instead, it had been the worst.
She could still remember walking into that service, her heart full of hope. Her sister Serefina had been jealous of her dress, had made their parents force Georgia to change. But Georgia hadn't cared. She was finally eighteen. Finally old enough to meet her mate.
And then she'd seen him.
Jared Justin, the Alpha of Blue Moon Pack. Strong, handsome, strong. Everything a girl could dream of in a mate.
Until he'd looked at her with disgust and said the words that still haunted her dreams: "I reject you. I will never accept a weak omega as my mate."
The shame had been crushing. Everyone at the wedding had laughed. Her own family had been shamed. And later that night...
Georgia shook her head, trying to push away the thoughts of what happened after. The pain, the confusion, waking up alone and hurt with no knowledge of who had attacked her.
"Mommy, you're crying," Keira said softly.
Georgia quickly wiped her eyes. "Just dust from the road, sweetie."
"Mom, who were those men back there?" Kelvin asked. "The ones chasing us?"
"I don't know," Georgia revealed. And that was what scared her most. She'd been so careful for five years. She'd changed her name, moved far away, kept a low profile. How had anyone found her?
Anna had been quiet for most of the drive, but now she turned to Georgia with worried eyes. "What if this is all related to what I told you? About the Alpha being sick?"
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. If the old Alpha dies, there's going to be a power battle. Maybe someone thinks you and the kids are a threat somehow."
Georgia's hands started shaking again. "How could we be a threat? I'm nobody. I'm just a single mother trying to raise her children."
But even as she said it, Georgia knew it wasn't entirely true. Her children weren't ordinary. They were stronger than other kids their age, faster, smarter. Sometimes she caught them doing things that seemed impossible.
And they all had those beautiful green eyes and red hair that looked so much like...
"Oh no," Georgia breathed.
"What?" Anna asked.
"Anna, what if..." Georgia's voice dropped to a whisper so the children couldn't hear. "What if Jared is their father?"
Anna's eyes went wide. "Georgia, that's impossible. You said you never..."
"I said I don't remember," Georgia corrected. "That whole night is fuzzy. I remember being rejected, then nothing until I woke up the next morning hurt and confused."
The pieces were starting to fit together in a way that made Georgia feel sick. The time was right. The way the children looked. The way Jared had stared at them with recognition.
"But how would he know?" Anna whispered.
Before Georgia could answer, Jared's car suddenly pulled over. Georgia had no choice but to stop behind him.
Jared walked back to their car, his face grim. "We have a problem."
"What now?" Georgia asked through her barely open window.
"I just got word from the pack. My father is dead."
Georgia felt the world spin around her. The old Alpha was gone. That meant... "Which means," Jared added, "I'm officially the Alpha now. And according to pack law, any children I might have are automatically heirs to the throne."
He looked straight at Kelvin, Kelsey, and Keira. "If those children are mine, Georgia, they're in more danger than you can imagine. My brother James will kill them before he lets them stand between him and power."
"We're not your children," Kelsey said firmly from the backseat. "We don't have a daddy."
Jared's face softened for just a moment. "I think you do, son. I think you always have."
Georgia's world was collapsing all over again. But before she could understand what this meant, her phone buzzed with a text message.
The number was unknown, but the message made her blood run cold: "We have your sister Serefina. If you want her back living, come to Blue Moon Pack alone. You have 24 hours. Bring the children, or she dies. And Georgia... we know the truth about who their father really is. Soon, everyone will."
Attached was a photo of Serefina tied to a chair, fear in her eyes.
Georgia stared at the phone, her hands shaking furiously. Serefina had been mean to her, but she was still family. Still her sister.
"What is it?" Jared demanded, seeing her face.
Georgia looked up at him, then at her innocent children in the car, then back at the terrifying message.
"Someone has my sister," she whispered. "And they want me to bring the children to Blue Moon Pack, or they'll kill her."
"It's a trap," Jared said instantly.
"I know," Georgia responded. "But what if they're serious? What if someone else dies because of me?"
But the worst part wasn't the threat to Serefina. The worst part was the last line of the message.
Because Georgia was starting to understand she might not know the truth about her children's father after all.
And
if she was wrong about Jared being their father, then who was?