Bloodlines

Bambi

I carefully slid a tattered yellow document out of the envelope. It was so thin that I thought it would disintegrate in my hands.

I held my breath as I began to read the document.

~THE KNIGHT PACK HOSPITAL~

~This certificate of birth confirms that:~

~MATTHIAS CALEB CABOT~

~Was born on:~

~JUNE 12, 1978~

~To mother, ROSETTE CABOT~

I dropped the document in horror, but Hunter caught it mid-air.

“How…how is this possible?” I asked, shocked.

“Well, it would appear that Ekon’s mom really whored around,” Hunter said, making light of the situation.

“This isn’t a joke, Hunter. If Rosette is Matthias’ mother, that means…”

“It means that Ekon and Matthias are brothers,” he finished for me.

“And Devina is their sister,” I added.

“Who?” Hunter asked, but I just ignored him, trying to wrap my head around this information.

This was potentially the most problematic trio of siblings that had ever existed, and Ekon was completely in the dark about all of it.

“Devina became a witch, just like her mother, raised by the coven after Rosette abandoned her. So did she abandon Matthias too? What kind of mother does that to her own children?” I asked myself, pacing around a fountain in the middle of the garden.

“You’re losing me,” Hunter said, confused.

I suddenly thought of the rogue attack that killed Ekon’s parents. Devina and Matthias must’ve known that Rosette was their mother and that she was in attendance at that party.

But why did she leave them behind?

Why did they kill her?

And if revenge on one person was their ultimate goal, why did they start a war?

These questions were spinning around my head like a merry-go-round, making me dizzy.

“I have to tell Ekon. He deserves to know,” I said, feeling dazed.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Hunter said, putting his hands on my shoulders. “Hold up there. You’re not thinking straight. Do you realize how badly that could backfire?”

“I can’t keep more secrets from him. That’s why we’re here in the first place!” I felt like I was breaking down. I was stuck on this disorienting ride, and I wanted to get off.

“No, we’re here because Ekon refused to listen. He refused to face what was right in front of him. Ekon has buried his past so deep that he’d never have come upon this information himself. You think he’ll be appreciative that we’ve dug this shit up?” Hunter said, trying to talk sense into me.

He was right, of course. This entire case was hanging by a thread, and anything I did at any moment could cause that thread to break.

“Consult your team about this. That’s why I brought you the information in the first place,” he said steadily.

I nodded and placed the document in my purse. “Thank you, Hunter.”

“Don’t thank me yet. This whole thing might still go tits up.” He grinned. “But I do have one more thing for you.”

He handed me a thin binder containing documents on rogue attacks.

“You can actually thank your brother for this one. When I went to see him, he helped me investigate a series of rogue attacks in the north that we believe were orchestrated by Matthias. It’s all in these dossiers.”

“My brother helped ~you~?” I was skeptical to say the least.

“Okay, well, first he told me to get my cunt sniffing ass out of his domain before he tore me in two, but I made a convincing case when I told him we were doing it for you.”

“That sounds like Max.” I laughed. “But really, Hunter, thank you.”

“All for the good of the realm or some bullshit. Whatever gets me back to getting laid the fastest.” He grinned. “But I’d honestly better get the fuck out of here before someone sees us together.”

“I’ll see you in court,” I said as he discreetly slipped away.

***

There was a lot to unpack in the intel that Hunter gave me as I walked back into the lobby. For starters, Matthias’ birth certificate proved that his mother was a witch, meaning that he was immune to wolfsbane, just like Ekon.

The main reason everyone was so sure he was dead, even though his body was never found, was the wolfsbane.

The problem was his birth certificate also revealed that he was Ekon’s brother, and that information would absolutely destroy Ekon.

Would I really be able to blindside him like that?

I suddenly felt blindsided myself, as a pair of strong arms wrapped around me in a hug.

“It’s been too long, little doe.”

I whipped around to see Max smiling at me with a goofy grin, and I immediately broke down, sobbing. This moment was a long time coming.

I hugged him back, unable to stop the tears.

“Damn, I leave you alone for a few months and you commit treason?” Max joked.

“Max, this isn’t funny!” I hit him in the chest, hard. I really missed this asshole. “You have no idea how lost I’ve been without you.”

Max’s expression grew serious. “Bambi, it may have felt that way, but look at all you’ve accomplished. Your investigation could light a fire under the Council’s ass. You could be saving the whole realm.”

“Let’s hope so,” a deep, authoritative voice said from behind me.

“Alpha Leonardo!” I exclaimed, instantly recognizing his voice from the phone.

He was tall and tan, and every detail about him was more distinguished than the last. His confident energy exuded charm and cleverness, and I was glad he was on our side.

“I must be crazy for taking this case,” he said, shaking his head. “But I suppose I could use a good challenge.”

“I have something you need to see,” I said, clutching the birth certificate in my purse. “I promise that you won’t regret helping me.”

“Trust me, Bambi, I already have enough regrets, but helping you take down Matthias isn’t going to be one of them.”

“Let’s head to the conference room. Everyone is waiting for us there,” Max said, leading the way.

As we entered the room, I saw that all the research that I’d conducted with the girls during our fake book club was strewn across the table, including Ela’s obsessive bulletin board with the red strings.

“Goddess, what have I gotten myself into?” Leonardo sighed.

***

It took some time to explain, but I filled Leonardo and Max in on all of the information I’d found out about Ekon, Devina, and Matthias.

Everyone was especially shocked to find out that Matthias and Ekon were brothers, but it was the best piece of evidence we had toward proving that Matthias was still alive.

“There’s a lot of unanswered questions here, but focusing on what we don’t know is only going to weigh us down,” Leonardo said as we went over our defense. “We need to focus on the facts and the exposure of Matthias above all else.”

Leonardo had said that he was unconvinced before I revealed everything, but now he said he had more than a reasonable doubt to believe that Matthias might still be alive.

And if he was still alive, it was easy to believe he’d be trying to rise to power again.

“The facts are these. Matthias was immune to wolfsbane because his mother was a witch. His body was never found despite a thorough search. He had connections to a witch who practiced dark magic.”

“The recent rogue attacks match the same patterns as the attacks during the Great War. And finally, Bambi witnessed Alpha Rudolph muttering Matthias’ name with his last breath after the massacre of the Northern Pack.”

It wasn’t much, but it might be enough if we presented it in the right way. I just wished we could’ve used my experience in the woods as evidence too, but there was no way that was admissible, and I wasn’t even entirely sure what had happened myself.

I just knew that the presence in the woods was an evil one.

“The information from Hunter was a fucking game changer,” Leonardo said, leaning back in his chair.

“Are we really sure we can trust it?” Ela asked suspiciously. “It is ~Hunter Blackwood~ we’re talking about.”

“Yes, but you haven’t even met the man,” I said, defending him. “The rumors aren’t all true.”

“I can vouch for that too,” Max said, agreeing with me. “I mean he’s still a cunt sniffer, but he’s not all bad.”

“Hunter had his role to play in this, just like the rest of you will,” Leonardo said. “I’m just glad he’s on the Council. That’s at least one vote in our favor.”

“Holly’s expertise on witches will be useful too,” I replied. “Victoria’s in good standing as the Beta’s wife, and Ela’s position at the pack house doesn’t hurt.”

“I’m afraid you’ll be under quite a bit of scrutiny, Ms. Shetty,” Leonardo turned to Ela. “But your authorization documents ~were~ signed by a Luna, so I should be able to dismiss those charges easily.”

“That’s a relief,” Ela responded, exhaling a deep breath.

“No one should feel relieved yet,” Leonardo said, looking around at each and every one of us. “Everything points to Matthias rising to power again, and we know that he’s been biding his time for sixteen years. There’s no telling what he’s got in store for the realm.”

A feeling of unease swept across the room. We’d spent so much time trying to prove Matthias’ existence that we didn’t really think about what he was planning…or that he’d had sixteen years to plan.

The Northern Pack massacre was just the beginning…

Leonardo stood up, digging his knuckles into the conference table. “It’s of the ~utmost~ importance that we convince the Royal Council of Matthias’ reemergence.”

“Or the storm that’s brewing is liable to destroy us all,” I said gravely.