“Shush! Keep your voice down!” I hissed at him, glancing around.
“You can’t bloody shift! The challenge is not tomorrow but the next day,” my father growls, forgetting
what he came here for, though I knew it has to do with the news.
“Challenge is still going ahead. I am not backing down,” I tell him.
“You can’t shift, Everly! Why would you challenge me when you are pregnant?” he growls.
“I only just found out today, but it changes nothing,”
“Like fuck it doesn’t! Iam not fighting a pregnant woman!” he snarls.
“Then stand down!” I tell him
“No! It is my pack. I can’t even if I wanted to,” he says making my brows furrow before I shake my
head. :
“Then I will see you in two days,” I tell him, snatching my bags up. Valarian comes out the doors,
looking at us.
“Does Valen know?” he asks as I start to head inside.
“No, and you will keep your mouth shut until after the challenge,” I tell him he scoffs and shakes his
head.
“It’s my birthright! I’m the rightful heir! Do the right thing, dad. Hand me my title,” he says nothing, and I
start walking off when he chases me, stopping me again.
“Mum?” Valerian calls out, looking at me worriedly. Guards start moving in, but I wave them off.
“Your mother will be with you in a second, Val. Wait inside. It is cold,” my father tells him, and Valarian
looks at me. I nod for him to goin, and he does, standing just inside the doors.
“What?” I asked, turning to look back at my father.
“You fucked up,”
“So, it’s ok for you to paint me in the media as a whore but don’t like the favor returned?” I laugh. “I
don’t care about the photos of me. I will deal with that. It’s Nixon, he will fucking come for you for what
you did. You need to leave the city. Get Valarian and Ava and your two girlfriends, and get out while
you can.”
“What? No. Iam not leaving the city,” my father grabs my arms.
“You need to get out! Nixon is planning something! Something big!” he says staring me dead in the
face. It was then I knew that he knew something that he was trying to keep hidden. “Like what?” I ask.
He says nothing and curses. “This is about your debt?” I ask, and his head snaps back to look at me.
“How? …bloody Ava.” he curses.
“I don’t know but I have a funny feeling it is to do with the rogues and forsaken going missing,” he says,
glancing around nervously.
“What do you mean?” I ask him.
“You need to leave the city!”
“Tell me why. What have you done?” I ask him. “Thaven’t done anything but I found documentation on
a hard drive Nixon left at the council one morning. He is building an army to take down Valen’s pack
and the Night Slasher Pack. That’s why I tried to marry Ava off to Valen. Not just to absolve my debt,
but to ensure Valen holds rein over the city. If he married Ava, I would have had sway over Valen, but-”
“You want Valen to remain in control?” I asked a little skeptical.
“We may have our differences, but if Nixon takes down Valen’s pack and the Slasher pack, he will hold
control,”
“We outnumber his pack. You aren’t making sense!” J tell him.
“You don’t! Think Everly! The forsaken! Nixon is behind it, and he is building a fucking army out of
them!” I stumble back.
“And you’re helping him?” My father shakes his head.
“No, it’s not like that. I got the pack in debt with Slasher Pack’s Alpha. Nixon dug me out. And now, I
owe him. I will work that out, but ….”
“What aren’t you telling me?” my father hangs his head
“He was trying to find a vaccine for his daughter and son. Nixon made the vaccine, but he also
stumbled on something else. He found a way to replicate the venom.” dad says, and my eyes widen in
horror. “And you’re helping him kill rogues?” I asked, disgusted.
“No, that’s not me. I… can’t.. Fuck!”
“You want my help? You fucking speak.” I snarl trying to figure out what it is he is wanting. My father
sucks in a deep breath.
“It’s my fault because I got the pack in debt. I made a stupid bet when drunk,”
“You bet the pack land?” I asked, and he nodded. “Yes, or 3 million dollars. I already gambled
everything. Nixon loaned me the money and the pack is collateral, he gave me five years to pay it back
or hand my firstborn over. I was going to find the money, but when you said you were pregnant, I knew
you wouldn’t get rid of your son and Nixon was pushing for you to marry Carter. So I made you a rogue
to cover up the fact I faked your death. If Nixon knew you were pregnant he would have used Valarian
against Valen,” he explains, and my head was swimming with all this information. I had so many
questions, but my father’s nervousness told me he couldn’t be seen here as he glanced around.
“So, why are you helping him now?”
“I asked for more time after I met Carter. I couldn’t let him have Ava either and when I refused, he
kidnapped your mother. It is why I don’t let her leave the packhouse. He injected her last year with the
venom,”
“What?!” I ask, my heart racing.
“Every month, he gives her the vaccine. It stops it from taking over. But when it does, she is like one of
them. The vaccine is the only thing that stops her from turning. It’s why I went against the petition. He
wouldn’t give her the vaccine if I signed it,” he says when Valarian calls out. “Mum!” My father looks
over my shoulder. “Thave to go. But I… I will see you at the challenge,” he says, rushing back to his
car. “Come on, mum!” Valarian whines and I collect the bags and rush to the front door. Moving across
the foyer, my father’s words replayed in my mind. But as I neared the penthouse floor, another worry
set in.
The elevator doors open, and Valarian runs ahead, opens the door, and holds it for me. I drag the
groceries to the kitchen and place them on the counter. “Finally, you’re home,” Valen says, walking out
of the hall with a towel around his waist
His hair was wet, and his skin glistened, having just stepped out of the shower. Valarian rushed over
and hugged him. Valen scooped him up and walked over to me. He pecks my cheek and reaches for
the handbag I still have over my shoulder. My heart thumps harder in my chest, and I pull away. He
gives me a funny look, but Valarian distracts him by talking about Taylor and Casey fighting over her
barbie dolls.
Moving quickly, I put the groceries away before rushing back to the bedroom, needing to hide the damn
pregnancy test at least until after the challenge. I know if Valen finds it, he will make me back out. But
now, more was at stake, and I wasn’t about to back down after everything.
I needed to do this! Valen wouldn’t understand that, especially if he knew I was pregnant, and he
couldn’t claim my title for me. Glancing around, I rush into the closet. Hearing him come up the hall
toward the room, I panic and jam it inside one of my knee-high boots and set it back on the shoe rack.
Placing my bag on the small cupboard just inside the walk-in closet, Valen walks in, he retrieves some
shorts from the shelf and slips them on.
“Why did you rush off in a hurry?”
“I want to shower, I feel gross,” I tell him, retrieving my pajamas and walking out to the ensuite. He
follows and leans on the doorframe while I get undressed.
“I saw the news. I wonder how they got that information?” he chuckles.
“No, idea. But I heard the blood Alpha has an excellent hacker. I should ask him,” I laugh, turning the
shower on.
“Valarian said your father was downstairs?” Valen asks me, and I nod. Stepping under the water spray,
I tell him what my father told me. “Your father could be lying, but at the same time, why would he? Can
he get evidence of this? It could also be a reason for you to back out of the challenge. He may be trying
to scare you?” he says, and he had a point. However, with the way dad was and his nervousness, I
knew he wasn’t lying.
“Are you nervous about the challenge?” he asks, and I swallow.
“Nope,” I tell him, but I was nervous. Not because I didn’t think I could beat him, but worried Macey or
Zoe might say to him I am pregnant. I knew! could beat my father in this form, but Valen wouldn’t care
about that. He would only care about the risk to our unborn baby.
“You sure you are ok? You feel off,” Valen says, and I turn to face him while rinsing the shampoo out. 1
“Yep, fine, I am just tired,” I lie.
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