Chapter 47: Althea’s Response
#25 BONUS.
Samara
I’m equal parts excited and terrified to talk Althea today. The excited part is that we can finally avenge Teddy’s murder. The
terrifying part is that I know I’m about to rip my sister’s life apart.
Over breakfast, my stomach is in knots. I can feel Roman brushing against my mind, Pierce purring in my head to help keep me calm.
“We need to pull ourselves together, Ayla Pierce is going to have his hands full keeping Roman from killing Sawyer while we’re away from him. We need to be able to do this without him helping us.”
Roman expects that Sawyer will ask him what he saw in my mind while they are alone. He’s going to keep Sawyer busy while I go speak to Althea
Over breakfast, 1 get to know my niece and nephew better. Sloane can’t seem to get enough of me and it’s obvious that she adores Roman Slade is darling, a little Alpha already. I’d like to think that he gets that from my side of the family. I hate that
I’m about to tear their world apart.
The opportunity to slip away with Althea comes near the end of breakfast. Aria begins crying and Sawyer hands her back to
Althea.
“Looks like it’s mommy’s time,” he says. It makes me sick how loving he acts with her, with all of them. I guess it makes sense that he loves his pups, but how he can love the woman of the man he murdered in cold blood is beyond me.
“Hey, do you mind if I come with you? I’d like to get caught up, if you don’t mind,” I say to her.
“Sure, Samara. I’d like to hear more about your life as an omega. That had to be horrible,” she says as she stands, bouncing a
fussy Aria in her arms.
“It wasn’t that bad.” I say, smiling at Aria. I kiss the tops of Sloane’s and Slade’s heads and then kiss Roman.
Take care of my mate,‘ he says in the mind link. T’m here if anything happens.”
Tknow,” I say, squeezing his shoulder. Keep the kids with you if you can. It will help keep you from killing Sawyer while I’m
gone.”
He slides his hand into my hair and pulls me in for another kiss before letting me go.
“Awww! You love our Aunt Samara, don’t you, Uncle Roman?” Sloane asks him.
“More than anything in this world,” he says, his eyes focused on me.
I smile before turning to follow my sister
“You seem better this morning,” she says as we walk up the stairs to the Alpha floor.
“The mate bond will do that for you. Is Sawyer your fated mate?” I ask, making sure that he’s not Roman was pretty
an was pretty positive
they weren’t but it’s better to know for sure how hard this is going to hit her.
“No. As you know, after everything, I thought I was the only one left from our family. The pack was devastated, those who had survived. Many died after the battle was over because they lost their mates. We had pups who lost both parents. They needed comfort and security and I was just so overwhelmed with it all, that I couldn’t do it on my own. Roman was off killing Alpha Dean for attacking us in the first place. Dylan was working with Alpha Sterling to search for you and then Roman went on the hunt for you as well. He tore through the northern packs and many of the southern ones.
“Yeah, I saw that in his mind when we mated. He struggled all these y
years with not knowing if I had lived or died,” I say.
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“We all did. I think I just accepted it, unlike Roman. I mean, you were so young, you didn’t have your wolf. It’s very impressive that you survived,” she says as we get to her room
“So, how did it happen that you ended up mated to Sawyer?” I ask, hoping that this will give me an opening to tell her the
truth.
She
sits in a rocking chair and in a move that is so natural that it’s obvious she’s done it hundreds of time, she holds Aria while pulling out her breast and gets her settled before answering. I sit on a couch across from her, waiting
I watch as her eyes go unfocused as she rocks and nurses her daughter
“Well, like I said, I was devastated. I thought I’d lost my entire family. We’d lost more than half of the pack and more were dying every day. Sawyer stepped in and took over. He was great. He took control, set up the pyres, led the funerals, made sure the pack continued to run, made sure that we had food laid out every day. Dylan sent some of his pack members and Alpha Sterling did as well to make sure that we were able to function Alpha Sterling was here several days a week making
sure our borders were secure while Sawyer focused on the pack and trying to keep our pack members alive. It was a terrible
time and if it hadn’t been for Sawyer, I don’t know what I would have done. I probably would have shriveled up and died as well,” she says, her eyes refocusing on me. “He saved me and this pack, so when he asked if I would be willing to accept him
as my chosen mate, I said yes.
Shit, shit, shit!
“Why do you think Alpha Dean attacked our pack?” I ask her, searching for an opening in a different way
“Money, power, what does any attacking Alpha want?” she asks.
“But everyone knew we were in alliances with Alpha Sterling and Alpha Dylan. He had to know that they would come, that
they would answer Dad’s call to war.”
probably never know the truth,” she says,
“I don’t know, Samara. Roman killed him before anyone could ask him that. We’ll pr
and there it is, the opening I needed.
“I know the truth,” I whisper.
Her
eyes snap to mine “What do
you
mean?”
T:
I saw the
person who killed Teddy,” I say, watching her.
“Why didn’t you say anything, Samara? Are they dead already? Are they one of the pe
people that Roman killed?”
I shake my head and scoot off the couch I was sitting on, getting on my knees in front of her,
“I know this is going to be very hard to hear, Althea. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t know it for a fact, but I watched him stab
Teddy, over and over again.”
“Who, Samara? Who killed our brother?” she asks, her voice becoming intense and strained.
I squeeze her knee, hopefully conveying how sorry I am that I have to be the one to tell her this
“It was Sawyer,” I say.
She frowns, sitting back, and staring at me.
knew
“No. No, I don’t believe that. You saw something else, someone else and over time, it has morphed into someone you kn He would never have killed Theo He loved Theo, just like Roman did.”
“I think he wanted to be Alpha, Althea. He knew if he got rid of Teddy and took you
ou as a mate, he could become Alpha.”
“No
o No, I don’t believe that. Nor she shouts, startling Aria
2/3
“Shhh, baby girl, it’s okay,” she says, staring around the room, and bouncing Aria in her arms more harshly than she did
before
Then she looks back at me. “You’re sure?”
Tm positive. I shared the memory with Roman. I’m so sorry Althea, but Roman is going to kill Sawyer for what he did to Teddy, to our parents, to us. I know he’s the father of your pups, but
She stands abruptly.
“This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening It’s been nine years. Nine years, Samara” she says, putting Aria into a bassinet beside the bed and covering her breast.
know. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were alive. I didn’t know that you had accepted him as your mate. If I had… I would have tried to let you know before now, before…I stand, gesturing helplessly at Aria in the bassinet. She’ll grow up never knowing
her father. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse than Sloane and Slade knowing him and finding out what he did to become an
Alpha
She turns, heading for the door.
“Where are you going?” | ask.
She swings the door open. Im going to confront him,” she says, stomping out.
“Wait, Althea!” I say, chasing after her. “Althea, you don’t know what he’ll do or say. Wait until I can tell Roman.*
The moment I say it, I connect to Roman’s mind. “We’re on our way to you and Sawyer. Althea wants to confront him. Be
ready.
I’m ready,” he says with a menacing growl.
I struggle to keep up with Althea’s angry pace and when we get to the office that used to be my father’s, she slams the door
open, stepping inside. I do the same, closing the door behind me and standing beside her.
“Sawyer!” she growls.
“Yes, my love,” he says, not at all perturbed by her behavior.
“We have a real problem,” she growls again. Ayla can feel Gillian fighting for control. Althea is on the verge of losing it
“And what is that?” Sawyer asks calmly, not recognizing how close Althea is to killing him.
*Samara saw you that night. She saw you kill, Theo,” she snarls.
He turns and looks at me. “Well now, that is a problem, isn’t it?” he asks, his voice remaining calm.
‘Get to my side NOW!‘ Roman barks in the mind link
Cooper
Well, now Althea knows.
