Prologue
“We rarely think about the long-term effect of our actions. A single choice can impact our—or someone else’s—lives, a month, year, decade, or even longer. So we should think carefully before we act. Even our words have lasting effects. We must remember we are not alone in this flowing river we call life. And we have to be conscious of what’s downstream.” ~Dillon
“All I want to do is burn some vampires. Is that too much to ask? No, no, it’s not. Instead, I get to stare at your smiling faces and not eat cotton candy. Ugh.” Myanin groaned after she and the rest of their hunting group flashed, thanks to Aphid, into the living room of the Colorado pack mansion. The male fae didn’t hang around nor explain why he was leaving. He was just there long enough for everyone to let go of him, and then he was gone. Apparently, he had somewhere he needed to be.
“Fane said there’d been some developments that must be explored before we continued killing off vamps.” Dillon said, and then clenched his jaw
“Did you guys get to kill even one vampire?” Kara asked. She, Nick, Dalton, and Jewel were exactly where they’d left them a little over an hour before.
Tanya sighed. “Not a single one.”
Dillon glanced at her. “There will be another hunt soon enough, mate.”
“I wish you were wrong,” she told him softly. “But since you’re not, I feel like we should be out there doing something about it.”
“We will,” Gerrick offered. “As soon as Fane gives the go ahead.”
Dalton tucked Jewel closer to him, as if he needed to protect her from Dillon’s words. “And what were these new developments?”
Dillon recounted everything Fane had told him, from Tenia’s phone conversation to the news Lilly had shared, Thadrick’s information, and Claude’s message. It was safe to say things were an absolute disaster.
“Alice is in a coma?” Jewel’s words were heavy with empathy.
“Unfortunately.” Dillon pinched the bridge of his nose and briefly shut his eyes before opening them again.
Kara curled into a ball on the couch. “Why can’t we try to get in her head?”
It was late, and Dillon was feeling every minute of his one hundred sixty years. He was tired, his wolf wanted to hunt, and he could feel the restlessness in his pack, most likely being fed by his own anxiety. “Because Fane wants to wait until Rachel and Sally can do some research on how to protect you two, or whoever tries to contact her,” Dillon explained. “Alice is a healer, but she isn’t pack. Not yet. Our priority is the safety of those who are pack. We can’t help anyone if we don’t take care of ourselves and those we love.” He sighed and ran a hand down his face. “Fane said that when Tenia spoke to Alice, the healer sounded defensive of Cain and didn’t seem inclined to trust Tenia. This was before she was attacked by Claude and then fed Cain’s blood, of course. So we have no idea what the situation is now.”
Dalton’s gaze met Dillon’s long enough that the alpha growled. His beta dropped his eyes. “Did Tenia get the impression that Alice has … feelings for the vampire king?”
“I don’t know why she would defend the bloodsucker if she didn’t have feelings for him,” Tanya said, her eyes briefly meeting Dillon’s.
Dillon didn’t want to think about the consequences that could come to pass if Alice—a gypsy healer who should have a Canis lupus mate, because they always had a werewolf mate—chose a vampire as her lover. He wouldn’t be her true mate. So what would he be?
“If she does care for him, what does that mean for her?” Jewel questioned. “You mentioned Sally said the only way Alice would get better was by taking the blood of her mate.”
Dillon nodded.
Kara blew out a breath. “If—and it’s a big if, considering she’s in a vampire-virus induced coma—she does meet her mate, would she accept him? I mean, if Alice falls in love with Cain, could she leave him for her true mate?”
Dillon’s stomach churned at the question. Memories that he preferred would stay buried came bubbling up to the surface. He knew exactly how Alice would respond to meeting her mate, no matter what her feelings were toward the vampire king. Tanya’s hand ran down Dillon’s back, and he felt her love pouring through their bond. He didn’t deserve her, but he thanked the Great Luna every day for her.
“The true mate bond would eclipse any feelings she has for Cain,” Tanya answered.
Dillon looked at her, the one member of their pack that could hold his gaze, and he saw no judgment there. Although she had every right to judge him, to hate him, she loved him unconditionally. But then his mate was remarkably forgiving.
“You sound very sure of that.” Jewel’s words were slow, and Dillon could feel her gaze boring a hole in him.
“I am,” Tanya raised her chin in that regal way of hers. “Because we’ve experienced it firsthand.”
Kara breathed out. “Oh, snap.”
Dillon chuckled darkly. “Oh, snap, indeed.”
Jewel’s brow furrowed. “Would you elaborate?” Dillon had become used to the curiosity often shown by Dalton’s mate. It was no wonder she was a genius. Her tenacity for learning eclipsed anyone he’d ever met.
“Jewel, I don’t—” Dalton started, but Tanya cut him off.
“We have time to kill. There is no shame in our past. At least none that hasn’t been dealt with and overcome. Fane told us to hold tight until he’s decided our next course of action, so we could be here a while.”
Myanin plopped herself on a love seat. “A good story always helps pass the time.” Gerrick sat beside her and laid his arm across the back, his hand resting on his mate’s shoulder. “And this one sounds like a doozy.”
“You don’t have to, really.” Kara held out a hand to stop Tanya.
“Yes, she does.” Myanin said. “She’s the one who said they had firsthand experience. She can’t say something like that and leave us hanging.”
Dillon pinched the bridge of his nose. “You really want to share this?” he asked his female through their bond.
“It might be good for the healers to know. If they are able to contact the new healer, they will need to warn her. Alice’s feelings for Cain could have dire consequences for her and her future mate.”
“I don’t deserve you,” he told her. It was something he’d said many times over the past two decades they’d been mated.
“No, you don’t,” she teased. “But I love you anyway, and I wouldn’t change the past because it gave us Jacque and Slate.”
She never ceased to amaze him. Letting out a deep breath, Dillon looked at Dalton, his beta and close friend. He’d never even shared this story with Dalton because it wasn’t something that was easy for Dillon to talk about. But, as usual, his mate was right. They could learn something from the past, and the knowledge might end up being vital for Alice … and for others. “As you all know, Jacque is my daughter, but Tanya, my true mate, is not her mother.”
Myanin purred. “I love a good scandal.”