Chapter 457: Chapter 457

Chapter 457

Lanie

“Let her go,” I murmured to my mother when Selena turned on her heel and stalked out of the room.

My mother shook her head as she cast a worried look after my sister. “She’s been having a rough

time. I thought it was better, but ever since she heard you were coming back to Constantine…well.

A rough time, that’s all I can say.”

Stella had a distant look in her eyes. I couldn’t be sure, but it felt to me like she was following my

sister with her mind but doing it so subtly that my mother wouldn’t guess. Her gaze snapped to

mine, and she gave me a small, almost imperceptible nod. Without words, she told me that my

sister was okay…for now.

“She was rejected by the mates the High Council tried to assign to her,” my mother said, keeping

her voice pitched low. It was rough with sadness. “Not even the threat of prison could get them to

agree to the match. She took it hard…not because she was in love with them, but to be so violently

rejected…”

My heart ached for Selena. “That must have been horrible!”

My mother nodded, her expression full of shadows. “After you all left, Lanie, things were very dark

here. Orion’s death changed so much, and the High Council was out of control. I think the pack truly

believed we were going to all have to go rogue. Everything was utterly falling apart.”

I didn’t know what to say. If I tried to apologize, I knew my mom would try to tell me it wasn’t my

fault, but that wouldn’t stop me from trying to take the blame. Because it was our fault…me, Xander,

Zane, Mason. We hadn’t been the ones to set anything in motion, but we’d been the ones to make

sure the High Council couldn’t simply keep on doing what they’d been doing all those years.

We’d broken the pack.

Now, we’d have to work hard to put it all back together.

My mom cleared her throat and said in a brighter voice, “Your dads are beside themselves. They’ll

be back tomorrow or the next day. They’d have been here sooner, but they were sent so far away,

and the High Council made it so hard to get back here on purpose.”

Tears shone in her eyes, but there was hope and happiness in her voice.

If I couldn’t wait to see my dads, I could only imagine how much my mom was looking forward to it. I

let my gaze linger on my three mates bent over their plates as they talked to Monroe and Maxim. It

felt impossible that I could survive being separated from any one of them for longer than a few

hours, much less months. Years.

“Goddess,” I murmured, mostly to myself. “Has it truly been more than a year?”

For all I could tell, it could’ve been closer to two. Three, four…I shook my head. It couldn’t have

been that long, but I had completely lost all track of time while we were gone.

“If a mother judges the passing of time by the way her children grow,” my mother said, “I can see

why you’re not sure.”

She hugged me again, and then we joined Mindy and Alaina with freshly filled plates. Isaac had

moved to the other end of the table with his fathers and the High Guards. It was a clear separation,

and my heart panged at the sight of my little boy beginning his journey into manhood.

Mindy saw me looking and paused with a forkful of food halfway to her mouth. She let out a

snuffling sob and put the fork down. “He’s so big! Lanie, how do you st-st-staaaaaaand it!”

Alarmed, I patted her shoulder. Emotions rose, swelling and swirling all around us. Mindy had

always been excitable, but this seemed kind of extreme, even for her. I chalked it up to all the

upheaval with our return, and in seconds her wails and tears turned to laughter. She swiped at her

eyes.

“Sorry,” she said. “It’s just that I missed you so damned much, Lanie. I was so scared I’d never see

you again. I missed my bestie!”

We hugged, laughing and crying while Stella shook her head with amusement. Alaina watched us

both carefully, her brow knitted. She was clearly studying what was going on but not sure what to

think about it. I held out my arms hand for her to take.

“Don’t fret, sweetpea. We’re all just diving way down into our feels this morning,” I assured her while

Mindy sniffed but beamed a wide grin beside me.

Alaina didn’t smile. She squeezed my hand and then let it go. “May I be excused?”

“Sure. Where are you going?” I didn’t want her running off until we’d had some time to get settled.

“Daddy’s going to be calling a pack meeting for everyone pretty soon, and we want you there for it.”

“I’m just going up to my room,” Alaina said and left the room.

Stella watched her go. I couldn’t read her expression. I touched her hand until she looked at me.

“Stella? Everything okay?”

She nodded and smiled, but her gaze was locked on her sister’s retreating form, and a tiny shiver

tickled my spine until she looked at me. “Yep. All good.”

But something felt off.