I sat across from Lillian on a weathered wicker chair on the back patio of the pack house. The night air carried the sharp tang of salt from the ocean, blending with the crisp scent of pine from the surrounding forest. A light breeze set the wind catchers into motion, their soft clinking filling the silence between us. The moon hung high, casting silver beams across the rolling waves beyond the cliffs. It was a beautiful night—wasted on an awkward conversation I never wanted to have.
Lillian had asked to talk, but now that we were here, she hesitated, staring at her hands as if they held the right words. It annoyed me. I wasn't in the mood for this, not after the dinner that had gone to hell. I'd already spent years listening to excuses from my so-called family, each one trying to justify their actions, as if dressing up their betrayal in pretty words would make it sting less.
I tapped my fingers against the armrest, the rhythmic sound cutting into the quiet. "So," I finally said, my patience thinning. "Are we just going to sit here all night and admire the moon, or do you have something to say?"
Lillian exhaled slowly, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear before lifting her gaze to meet mine. "No, I— I just don't know where to begin."
Try anywhere, I thought but held my tongue.
"When you disappeared all those years ago," she continued, her voice hesitant, "I didn't care. I thought you were being a brat, throwing a tantrum because things didn't go your way."
I scowled, but she pushed forward.
"I was too caught up in my own life to think about what you were going through. But two years later, when it was my turn to shift, everything changed." She swallowed hard, her fingers fidgeting with the watch on her wrist. "My friend Cassy turned out to be an Omega too."
I raised an eyebrow. So what? Female Omegas had it easy. They weren't paraded around like cattle or forced into breeding programs like the males. Sure, they had restrictions—same as us—but they weren't treated like disposable commodities. They had choices. They could pick an Alpha or Beta from whatever pack they wanted, and no one would dare force their hand.
"At first, I was terrified for her," Lillian admitted, shifting in her seat. "I thought she'd be bartered away like some livestock, but then—" She hesitated, her eyes darkening. "Then I found out Justin and the council allowed her to attend the Union Gala."
I scoffed. Of course, they did. The Union Gala was a grand spectacle where high-ranking pack officials gathered every year to scout Omegas—specifically female ones. It was a glorified auction disguised as a mating festival. Alphas and Betas struck alliances by forming bonds with female Omegas, while male Omegas... well, they were sold to the highest bidder. If they were lucky, they became surrogates. If not, they were nothing more than bargaining chips, bought and discarded as needed.
I folded my arms across my chest. "And that surprised you?"
Lillian's expression hardened. "When I went to Father and asked why they didn't offer you the same opportunity, he told me it wasn't necessary. That they had already made a deal with the Northern Ridge Pack years before your Omega genes even activated."
My fingers dug into the armrest. So that's how it was. They hadn't targeted me specifically—they'd simply planned, waiting for the first unlucky bastard in our pack to turn Omega. I wasn't a person to them. It was a transaction.
And Justin—our so-called Alpha—had let it happen.
Lillian's voice wavered. "I was so angry when I found out. It made me realize just how unfairly you were treated. They didn't even give you a choice. If only Father and Justin had let you attend the Union Gala, maybe—" She hesitated, biting her lip. "Maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way."
I let out a bitter laugh, my gaze shifting to the ocean where moonlight shimmered on the restless waves. "I doubt it would've made a difference. I would've never let them use me as a surrogate, and they knew it. That's why they never bothered. They weren't about to risk me humiliating them in front of the entire council."
Lillian sniffed, quickly wiping at the corner of her eye. "Even so... they had no right to treat you like that. And I—" Her voice cracked. "I should have been a better sister to you."
I looked at her then, really looked at her. There was no arrogance in her tone, no superiority. Just regret.
But regret wouldn't change the past.
And I wasn't sure if it could fix the future either.
**********
I lay sprawled on my bed, hands folded behind my head, my mind still tangled in the conversation I'd had with Lillian earlier. The packhouse had finally settled into eerie silence—no muffled laughter from the game room, no footsteps echoing down the hallways, just the occasional creak of the old wooden beams adjusting in the night. The clock on my nightstand read past one, but sleep refused to come.
Lillian's words replayed in my head like a broken record. She hadn't tried to make excuses for our father or Justin. She hadn't tried to justify their decisions or downplay what they had done. And that alone was... unsettling. I was used to the bullshit. I expected it. But sincerity? Regret? That was uncharted territory.
"At least you've got one family member who isn't completely up your father and the alpha family's ass," Orion muttered, his voice laced with a yawn. "There's hope for her yet."
"Maybe," I admitted, though the word felt heavy on my tongue. "She seemed... different."
"All I'm saying is give her a chance," Orion replied, his presence in my mind a warm but distant hum. "Besides, you're going to be seeing more of her whether you like it or not—especially since she's dating that beta."
I groaned, rolling onto my stomach and shoving my face into my pillow. "Great. Just what I needed. More interactions with Ducalian freaking Malrik."
That guy had rubbed me the wrong way the second he stepped into the kitchen. Too damn smug, too damn amused by my situation, and entirely too comfortable in my presence. He was the Beta of Emiliano's pack, which automatically made him an enemy in my book. And now he was dating my sister? Just fucking fantastic.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it," Orion said with a lazy sigh. "Just get some sleep. I have a feeling we'll need our strength tomorrow—your family always has something up their sleeve."
I exhaled sharply, knowing he was right. The past twenty-four hours had been one headache after another, and something told me I wasn't done yet.
Rolling onto my side, I gazed out the window. The sky was a vast stretch of deep navy, speckled with stars, the full moon casting its silver glow across the treetops. For a moment, I let my mind drift, focusing on the steady rise and fall of my breathing, the way the moonlight bathed the room in soft light.
Maybe tomorrow would be better.
Or maybe it would be worse.
Either way, sleep finally pulled me under.
**********
A sharp knock on my bedroom door jolted me out of sleep. I groaned, blinking against the golden light spilling through the window as the distant cry of a seagull pierced the morning quiet.
Ugh. Morning.
I turned my head toward the alarm clock. 6:35 AM.
What the hell could they possibly want at this hour?
Another knock, louder this time, made me curse under my breath. Persistent bastards.
"Yeah, what do you want?" I yelled, my voice rough from sleep.
The door creaked open, and in walked Justin—the last person I wanted to see first thing in the morning. His ever-present shadow, Katelyn, trailed behind him, looking mildly amused.
I groaned and threw an arm over my face. Why?! Why the hell was he here? Did he think that if he annoyed me enough, I'd suddenly forgive him for all the shit he put me through?
"Is there a reason you're bothering me this early, or did Katelyn wake up with a headache, and now you've decided to make me suffer too?" I grumbled, peeking at him from under my arm.
Katelyn snorted, delivering a solid slap to Justin's back while he shot me a glare. "No, smart-mouth. We have news for you. News that—fair warning—might piss you off."
I sat up, narrowing my eyes. "Well? Spit it out, so I can throw this alarm clock at your thick skull for good measure."
Justin scratched the back of his head, an unusual hesitation in his stance. "Katelyn's parents are arriving today... and they're bringing Ishmael with them."
The name hit me like a gunshot.
Before my brain could catch up, my body reacted. My fingers wrapped around the alarm clock on instinct, and before I could second-guess it, I launched it straight at Justin's face.
"Shit!"
Justin ducked at the last second, dragging Katelyn down with him. The clock shattered against the wall, sending plastic and wires flying across the room.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Justin snarled, his eyes flashing red, fangs bared in warning. Behind him, Katelyn peered out cautiously, wide-eyed but, to my irritation, still amused.
I was already out of bed and in his face before I even registered moving. My pulse pounded in my ears, my breath sharp as I glared up at him.
"Whose fucking idea was it to bring them here?!"
I felt Orion push forward, our emotions tangled in a whirlwind of rage and panic. The familiar burn of my eyes glowing white seared my vision, but I didn't care.
"I don't want to fucking see them!"
Justin growled in return, his expression hardening. "Tough shit."
His eyes shifted back to normal as he exhaled through his nose, his posture relaxing only slightly. "It's time to move on. Stop punishing your son. Yes, you were the surrogate, but Katelyn's parents already told Ishmael the truth—he knows who his birth father is."
I swallowed hard, my body locking up.
"He just wants to meet you, Caleb," Justin continued, his voice firm but softer now. "Don't disappoint him. Don't be the asshole everyone expects you to be."
With that, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room, Katelyn following with one last knowing glance before the door clicked shut behind them.
The silence crashed down on me.
I didn't realize my knees had buckled until I felt the floor slam into them.
He's coming.
My son, my flesh and blood, is coming here. To meet me.