Awakened Page 23

  Rhys moved between Bowen and Makenna. “Bowen, you better start making sense. Makenna is nothing like her father.” He took her hand. Makenna clung to it.

  Bowen tipped his head at his Alpha. “Ah, but she is.”

  Rhys showed teeth. Makenna’s knees started to give, the fracture in her heart draining her strength. Rhys’ arm went around her waist, holding her steady.

  He spoke through gritted teeth. “Tread carefully, old friend.”

  Bowen sighed heavily and scanned the room again, stopping on Talon, Amanda, and Brianna in turn before returning his gaze to Makenna. “The man who sired you is stubborn. He has immense power at his disposal. He sometimes makes impulsive decisions that hurt the ones he loves the most. He often believes his way is best, without listening to the counsel of others.” His shoulders sagged. “And he sometimes avoids making amends for the wrong he has done out of fear.”

  Makenna looked at Rhys, her frown hurting her head. His matched. She turned back to Bowen. “I don’t understand. How do you know─?”

  Bowen sighed again, a sound that bounced off the walls of the dead silent room. “I am intimately familiar with his thought processes.” He eyed the four siblings again. Hope and pain swirled odd colors in his eyes. “Because Kylian is not your father. I am.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Ripping Me Apart

  The world tilted.

  Every muscle in Rhys’ body tightened. He’d been friends with Bowen his entire life. He’d taught Rhys when he was young. Been an adviser when Rhys ascended to Alpha. Was one of the few wolves Rhys trusted without question.

  And he’d kept vital, universe-altering information not only from his own children, but from Rhys.

  They weren’t Callahans. Never had been. They were Ferreiris.

  Lava surged in his blood. It was tempered only by the fact this new information could possibly help Makenna. It should be a good thing. But with her teetering on the edge, it could also send her crashing over. There was a chance she’d consider Bowen’s omission a betrayal.

  Rhys scanned the room. Brianna sat in the corner, holding her charred arms close to her body. Her eyes were wide and full of hope. Trystan had moved to stand next to Amanda, and appeared to be holding her and Talon up. Both of them stared at Bowen as if they’d never seen him before, mouths gaping. Trystan looked like he wanted to rip Bowen’s throat out.

  Rhys held Makenna tighter as she trembled. Their bond was silent as she sagged in his arms, numb.

  “You better have a damn good explanation as to why you’re just now revealing this,” Rhys thundered. “Think carefully before you speak. Your life depends on it.”

  Bowen swallowed hard. He showed no fear, only acceptance of whatever his fate may be. Truly believing he deserved whatever punishment they dealt.

  He waved Amanda and Talon over. They came forward, Trystan at their backs. Bowen motioned to Brianna. Wincing, she rose. Bowen met her halfway. When he reached for her arms, she flinched. His gentle smile and whatever she saw in his eyes must have been enough. She extended her arms. His hands hovered above her charred flesh as soft, deep orange light filled the space. The wounds stitched together, the skin growing back. When fresh, pink skin replaced the black, raw wounds, he lowered his hands.

  Brianna examined her arms. Then she raised tearful eyes to Bowen’s. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  She looked at him as if it were the first kind thing anyone had ever done for her.

  Bowen placed a hand on her back and guided her to the rest of the group. She balked, but he urged her on. She stood between Rhys and Talon, a little back from the rest of the group. Makenna rumbled low, but didn’t move. Amanda flicked her a quick glance, then stared at Bowen.

  Talon seethed. Anger pulsed around him in a red fog. His face set to stone, he ground out his words. “Why are you lying? There’s no way you’re our father.” He stalked Bowen. “Kylian and our mother were mated. You know as well as I we can only have children with our bonded mates.” His fists clenched so tight, cracking sounded through the otherwise silent space.

  Rhys breathed hard. It was taking everything not to let his wolf free to gut the mage. “Explain.”

  Bowen stood tall under their fury. “Your mother, Meredith, and I were mates.”

  “Hold up a fucking second.” Makenna raised her hands. She whirled on Brianna. “You told me her name was Morgan.”

  Talon, Amanda, and Brianna spoke at once. “It was.”

  All four of them turned sharp eyes on Bowen.

  He issued a heavy sigh. “Morgan was your mother’s twin sister. Kylian’s true mate.”

  Makenna shook her head. “Why the hell do they all think her name was Morgan?” She lunged toward Bowen. Rhys caught her around the waist. “I trusted you. You disgusting, lying mother fucker. I trusted you!”

  “Kenna, calm down.” Rhys spoke the words in her ear as gently as he could. He glared at Bowen. “Lucky for you, I can sense you’re speaking the truth. Continue.”

  Bowen nodded, his eyes dark. “Kylian came to us with his mage at the time. A dark mage, much more powerful than I was.” He struggled to breath, as if the weight of the world were on his chest. “He informed us Morgan had gone missing. Meredith ran to call the nearest Alpha, since we lived outside the pack at the time.” He gestured at Rhys. “Your father was that Alpha. But Kylian stopped my mate. When she reached out mentally for her sister, she found nothing. No sense of Morgan’s essence. That could only mean one thing. She was dead. Meredith attacked Kylian, and I went for the mage, but we were quickly overpowered. We knew then Kylian had killed her.”

  Rhys nodded. “I heard father talking once of how he wanted to banish Kylian, but had no cause. There was no proof he’d done anything wrong. Only rumor.”

  “Aye. Kylian was careful. Meredith screamed at Kylian that he’d be punished for murdering her sister. He laughed. Said there was no way to prove he’d done anything. And if we didn’t do what he wanted, he’d kill not only me, but the unborn pup in her womb,” he smiled sadly at Talon. “You. He said he’d then keep Meredith alive, torturing her. Your mother immediately surrounded herself with her magic, and I added to it what protection I could. But the mage, he whisked it away as if it were nothing. We had no choice.” His head hung low as tears formed. His pain was a palpable thing.

  Talon moved closer. “What did he want?” The words were a growl.

  Bowen raised glowing eyes. “In his warped mind, Meredith’s family owed him a mate. Though he wouldn’t be able to bond with her, he demanded she live with him, posing as Morgan. That the child she bore be raised as his.” He pleaded with everyone in the room. “You have to understand. We weren’t officially members of a pack, since we’d just moved to the area, so had no protection. Kylian’s mage was extremely powerful. He could have done things to us, to you, Talon, you can’t even imagine.” He shook his head, shoulders sagging in defeat. “I should’ve fought harder. Should’ve gathered more magic and found a way to defeat the mage.”

  Makenna jerked against Rhys’ hold, growling. “You let her go. You just let him walk right out the door with our mother. You son of a bitch!” She fought hard, but her grief, her disbelief, had weakened her. Rhys held tighter as tears ran like a river down her face. “This is your fault! All of this is your fault!”

  Bowen didn’t shy away from her wrath. Only nodded. “Aye. I was weak. I thought by going along with his plan, it would buy me time to come up with a way to free her. To gain more power. Meredith agreed to protect me and Talon.” He sucked in air. “We met secretly as often as we could. A year after Talon was born, you came along.” He pointed at Makenna. “Then after that, Brianna, and finally, Amanda.”

  Amanda stepped forward and broke her silence. “You let him kill her.” Her wolf growled, long and low. Trystan pulled her back and whispered to her. She settled, then pushed him away and leaned into her brother.

  “In a way.”

  His sigh weighed on Rhys’ heart. Rhys und
erstood the need to protect a mate. Whatever sacrifice it demanded.

  Bowen straightened. “When Makenna was four and her power displayed, a seer came to Meredith. She told her Makenna was the Morrigan, and you three girls were the awaited Triad. She promised she’d keep the information to herself, only telling the Alpha.” He tipped his chin toward Rhys. “We decided to begin the girls’ training early, then reveal the truth to everyone else once the girls were powerful enough to protect themselves. The seer was also adamant Kylian couldn’t know until then.”

  “But he figured it out.” Talon hugged Amanda, then moved closer to Makenna and Rhys.

  “Aye. He wanted his dark mage to train the girls. If we had let that happen, our people would have been doomed. It would have given Kylian the power he needed to defeat your father.” Bowen held Rhys’ stare. “We decided to hide Makenna with my brother and his human mate, out of Kylian’s grasp. We thought if the Morrigan were kept from him, it would be enough to keep him from ascending to power.” He glanced at Brianna. “We were wrong.”

  “You and my mother helped with the binding spell, didn’t you?” Makenna whispered. “You bound my powers. Took my magic.” Her voice had raised by the end, propelled by rage.

  Rhys soothed a hand up her back, giving what comfort he could. Hoping it broke through the barricade she’d erected to keep him out. The thought sliced into his heart. But now wasn’t the time. He needed to somehow get her through the startling revelations that just kept coming.

  Bowen nodded again. “Aye. It kept Kylian from being able to sense you, and his mage from being able to track you, since we track magical signatures. I enlisted the help of an old friend, Labeaux, to watch over you. He watched from the background until you were twenty. Then he maneuvered you close to him. We knew on the full moon of your twenty-fifth birthday, the spell would be broken. Your power would come, and you would need a guide. This way, he could build a relationship with you, so you would trust him.”

  Makenna snarled. “Labeaux got me that apartment. Not my boss at the center.”

  “He made friends with your boss and suggested the residence would be perfect for you.”

  Rhys couldn’t stop the growl that rumbled in his gut. “All this time, you watched me search for her. Watched me turn the world upside down trying to find her. And you said nothing.” Flame crackled on his arms.

  “It wasn’t time. Kylian was having us watched. I couldn’t take the chance he’d find her through us. She would have been in more danger, without her magic. I had planned to have Labeaux bring her to me. But the day before, you found her. It seemed right that you be the one to bring her home.” Bowen’s agony sizzled the air. “But the spell released more rapidly than I had expected. Instead of slowly building, Makenna’s magic arrived as an influx of power I couldn’t have imagined.”

  Rhys tightened his grip on Makenna, then released it when she winced. “If she’d been with us, if we’d already been mated, I could’ve helped her balance it. Could’ve helped her handle it. And she never would’ve been found by Kylian and turned into an assassin.”

  “Even I couldn’t foresee that happening.” Bowen eyed Rhys. “You knew when you met her as a child she was your mate. Yet you said nothing. Even to your father. He could’ve helped protect her. There is plenty of blame to go around.”

  “I was six years old. She was only four.” Rhys shook his head slowly. “Then she was gone. Taken from me. Not long after, my parents were slaughtered, and I was trying to survive and keep the pack together. I was a fourteen-year-old Alpha with a madman on my ass.”

  Makenna gripped his hand on her hip and gave him an understanding smile. Rhys’ heart leapt. Perhaps it was just because of her grief and shock, but she was looking to him for comfort. When her eyes met his, he melted at the understanding and love there. They still had a chance.

  Then she glared at Bowen. “It’s not Rhys’ fault. This shit is on you.” Warmth bloomed in Rhys’ chest. Now she was defending him. Bowen opened his mouth to speak and she raised a hand. “Shut the fuck up. I can’t hear anymore.”

  She removed Rhys’ hand from her hip, then sent him a look. One that begged him to understand. He did. She needed some space. He let her go and she ran straight for the door.

  Rhys glanced at Trystan. “Secure Brianna in the empty cabin on the other side of camp. Ensure she has food and what she needs to care for herself.” At Trystan’s growl, he roared back. “She healed Amanda. She held up her end. We’ll do the same.” Rhys followed Makenna out the door. On the way, he spoke to Bowen. “Erect a shield around the cabin. Once Brianna is secure, you’re confined to your room. I’ll figure out what to do with you later.”

  Bowen bowed his head. “I understand.”

  Brianna called out as Rhys stepped onto the porch. “Rhys.” He turned. She smiled faintly. “Thank you. For my partial freedom.”

  He gave a sharp nod. “I always keep my word.”

  Rhys ran after his mate. Too many jumbled emotions fought for dominance. Happiness Brianna had kept her part of the bargain. Anger one of his closest friends had lied to them all, upset Makenna, and perhaps pushed her over the brink. Hurt that Bowen had been able to calm Makenna when he hadn’t. He understood better since Bowen was her father. Still, it cut deep. Especially with how Rhys had left things with her yesterday.

  Why the fuck had he offered her the option of dissolving their union? He didn’t want that! His pain and fury had taken over. The words had come out before he could stop them. There was no way he could ever let her go. He was nothing without her. It wasn’t the power he received from being her mate. It wasn’t that he could only claim the throne with her by his side.

  She was embedded deep, part of his soul. If it was the last thing he ever did, if he had to give up everything else, he’d keep her. He’d earn her trust.

  Rhys followed her essence to the edge of the creek. A loud squawk drew his attention upward. His mate’s gorgeous raven soared high above the trees. The sun reflected off her wings, making them appear a glistening blue. His smile was small but true. She looked so peaceful and serene. He could sense she was anything but. Anger, betrayal, and shock were so strong, they filtered over the shield she still had erected and into their bond.

  She swooped down between the willows. He held out his hand and she landed lightly on his wrist. The raven flapped her wings and gave a pitiful cry.

  Rhys stroked her feathery back. “I know, love.” He carefully set the beautiful bird on the ground. “Shift for me.”

  Makenna’s eyes flashed in the raven’s. Another caw. This one was not happy either. She strutted through the grass. Those sharp eyes landed on him again.

  “I know you’re angry with me. But I need to hold you. I want to fix it.”

  Even though she’d hurt him as well, the fact he’d caused her pain broke his heart. He should’ve never fought his instincts and kept his distance. Never should’ve said those cruel words after making love to her. His wolf growled at him and scratched sharp claws down his skin. Then the animal eyed the raven and whined low.

  Rhys waited patiently, hoping she’d do as he’d asked. He needed to touch her. Needed to soothe her pain.

  A few minutes passed before the air shimmered red. Then Makenna stood in front of him. “Bowen lied to me. Lied to all of us.” Her voice came out gravelly and full of tears.

  “Aye.” He went silent. He needed to let her get it out in her own time.

  Makenna raised narrowed, glistening eyes. “What you said yesterday hurt. If you don’t want me anymore, just say it. I can’t take anybody else I care about feeding me bullshit.”

  Rhys’ heart cracked right down the center. “I never meant to hurt you.” He took a chance and stepped closer to her, reaching for her hand. She slid her tapered fingers into his, though hesitantly. “I will always want you, Kenna. I love you. More than you could know. I was angry, and I took everything out on you. I apologize.”

  “Because I hurt you too.” Her voice was b
arely audible. “I’m sorry.” A few tears fell before she wiped them away. Rhys delved deep. The chaos in her mind speared pain through his head. Such confusion and agony. “I can’t remember her. My mother.” Makenna tilted her head. “The only thing I remember is us kids playing in a field, and a man and woman with us. I feel like it was her, but I can never see their faces. It’s my only memory of anything before I came to my aunt and uncle’s.” She frowned. “They lied to me too. Even more than I thought.”

  “I’m so sorry, Kenna.” Rhys covered the remaining distance. He ran his fingers up her arms to grasp her shoulders. “I should have said something to my father. If I had...”

  Makenna shook her head. “It’s not your fault. You were just a kid. They probably still would’ve hidden me.” She moved to turn away, and Rhys held her.

  An idea sprouted in his mind. Maybe he could help jog her memory. “I want to show you something. Will you come with me?”

  “I don’t know, Rhys.” She backed out of his hold and hugged her arms to her stomach. “I can’t take anymore right now.”

  “This is something good. Something that might help. I promise.” He extended a hand, his heart in his throat. “Trust me.”

  Those words went so much farther than the moment. Tension filled the air.

  Makenna glanced at his outstretched hand. She swallowed hard and glanced toward camp. She frowned. He held his breath, afraid she’d refuse. Afraid he’d broken something that couldn’t be fixed.

  Then she raised her hand and gripped his. Rhys smiled. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. Part of her trusted him. Now he just had to convince the rest of her.

  He led her to his truck. He opened the door and lifted her to the seat. His pulse pounded as he leaned over to buckle her in, grazed her soft skin, took her intoxicating scent of vanilla and strawberries deep into his lungs. He brushed a kiss across her lips before closing her door.

  Rhys pulled out his phone and shot a text to Trystan. Shoving the phone in his pocket, he fired up the truck. Hope and fear fought for position in his gut. This had to work. She had to believe when she couldn’t trust anyone else in this fucked up world, she could trust him.