I gave him a pointed look. “I’m so glad that you’re okay.”
He exhaled hard, his eyes flicking to the ceiling for a brief second. “Sorry. I’m just so used to saying that to everyone because it’s what they need to hear.”
“I’m not everyone,” I reminded him.
“No,” he replied softly, his eyes warming. “You’re everything.”
God, I needed to be with him so much it physically hurt.
“Talk to me, Remy,” I pleaded. “What happened after the explosion?”
“I was with Griff and Dante. We were talking about re-opening GPA. Kace messaged Griff that he had a lead on the guy who let Preston into the club that night, so we stepped outside of the meeting.” He rubbed a hand across his jaw. “We were heading back and … boom.”
Yeah, I remembered the boom, too.
“Dante and I went to look for you and Tate first, but we couldn’t find you. Your phone was still there, but I found this.” He reached off camera and when his hand came back into view, my necklace was dangling from his hand.
My shoulders sagged in relief. I had assumed it was gone forever.
He dropped his hand back to his lap. “We figured someone had taken you both, so we started looking for Dad and Luke. By the time we found them …” He shook his head grimly.
“Gabe’s going to make it,” I said fiercely. There was no other option.
Nikolai Dashkov might have contributed his DNA to create me, but Gabriel Holt was more a father to me than any other man had ever been. I couldn’t lose him anymore than Remy or Katy could.
“Norwood set off the bomb.”
I nodded. Dimitri had told me as much.
His expression darkened. “They’re going in and annexing other packs that don’t have Alphas now. Invading them and forcing them to join Norwood.”
I hummed under my breath. “Mom mentioned they were causing problems.”
“They’ve already got most of the east coast packs, and now they’re moving towards the middle of the country. They have a strong foothold in the Southwest, too, since Long Mesa is technically with them along with a few other smaller packs.”
“They can’t possibly control that much land,” I murmured absently.
“Katy thinks it has less to do with the land and more to do with all the new females they’re now adding to their pack.”
My eyes narrowed. “Nikolai and Dimitri are questioning Elias tomorrow. I told them I wanted to be there when they did, and they agreed.”
He sighed. “Good. If you can find out exactly what they’re planning, it would help.”
“Who challenged you?” I asked suddenly.
“William Lodge.”
“Lodge?” My nose scrunched up. “Isn’t that—”
“Ainsley’s dad,” he confirmed. “He’s butted heads with my dad a few times. I held a council meeting yesterday, and he didn’t agree with me running the pack.”
“He’s an idiot,” I said flatly.
“They’re scared,” he countered, trying to stay neutral. “I put Rhodes, Katy, Will, and Dante on the council with me. For now I’m trying to blend dad’s council with mine.”
“Dante?” I frowned. “How can you have someone from another pack? And with Luke … Isn’t Dante the Brooks Ridge Alpha now?”
“Dante and I talked about it on the plane,” he replied quietly. “I think we both knew Luke’s injuries were too severe. Brooks Ridge is isolated where they are. Dante abdicated his claim as Alpha and we merged their pack into Blackwater.”
Holy shit.
“It’s part of why Lodge challenged me.” He slowly, calmly told me about how he and the others decided that if Norwood was amassing their own army, then so should Blackwater. But, unlike Norwood, Blackwater was giving packs a choice. Blackwater would protect them before Norwood could take them.
“Rhodes and Will have been reaching out to local packs on the west coast, but I talked to Griffin last night. He’s thinking about merging with us, too.”
That would be huge. Griffin’s pack was Windale, and was one of the largest in the country. Combining them with Blackwater might give us the edge over Norwood.
“I feel so useless here,” I muttered. My eyes swept the room that was fit for, well, a princess.
“I hate that you’re not with me, but I’m also relieved you’re not here in the middle of this mess,” he replied with a grimace.
“This place is … Jesus, Remy. There’s so much I’m trying to wrap my head around. It’s like this weird mix of a dream and a nightmare.” I tucked a loose lock of hair behind my ear.
“But you’re safe?” he pressed.
I laughed softly. “Yeah. I’m safe.”
“I asked your mom about your … about Nikolai,” he corrected. “She said it was a whirlwind thing. Happened in the span of a few hours, and they didn’t really get to know each other.”
“Did she tell you that they were bonded?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yeah. She said she broke their bond, but didn’t elaborate much. And she knew he was from a Russian pack, but that was about it.”
I sucked in a deep breath. “Apparently it’s not just a Russian pack. Narodnaya is the first pack. Like, ever. This is where shifters started.”
His eyes flared widely. “Say what now?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s … Did Elias ever tell you about the first pack? Or how wolves were created? About Namina?”
Remy snorted, smirking. “Elias didn’t, but I’ve heard the story. We all have. It’s a fairy tale.”
“Except … it isn’t.”
His brows rose. “Skye, shifters are a genetic anomaly. It’s a mutated gene or some shit.”
“I thought the same thing,” I murmured, glancing down at where the silver bracelet had once been on my wrist. “But I’ve seen things here, Rem. Things that don't make sense.”
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“If I told you magic was real, would you believe me?” I held my breath, waiting for him to laugh.
He didn’t.
“Skye, I’ll always believe you,” he said honestly. There was zero judgement in his gaze as he watched me.
Sometimes I wondered what I had ever done to deserve this man and his complete and total faith in me.
“There’s a group of people here,” I said. “Romani? They can do things that don’t make sense.”
“Like?”
I glanced at my fireplace that was still crackling and roaring. It hadn’t died a bit since Lulu had left me hours earlier.
“When I was taken, at first, could you feel my wolf?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.
He frowned, his expression turning thunderous for a beat. “No,” he ground out. “It was like you were just gone.”
“Dimitri put this bracelet on me,” I explained. “It suppressed my wolf. I couldn’t feel her or our bond either. It was all just … gone.”
“That’s weird,” he allowed, still looking pissed off. Somehow I thought he was more pissed off about Dimitri touching me than he was about my wolf being magically whammied.
“No, the weird part was the bracelet didn’t have a clasp or any kind of locking mechanism. It was like I had been born with it around my wrist. And that’s where it stayed until Lulu took it off.”
“Lulu?”
“She’s Romani. I don’t think she’s a big fan of Dimitri either.”
“Get in line,” he grumbled.
“Dimitri’s not that bad,” I said, thinking of our conversation in the hall and how he admitted to covering for me with Nikolai.
“He took you,” Remy spat out vehemently. “He took you to another fucking country, Skye. And now you’re telling me he decided to give you jewelry, too?”
Oh, my God.
“Are you … jealous?” My jaw dropped.
A muscle in his jaw throbbed as he clenched his teeth. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. But I don’t like it, babe.”
&nb
sp; “He’s my brother,” I pointed out. “Sort of.”
“Yeah, back up to the part where your dad is married, but his wife is openly having an affair?”
I shrugged. “I don’t get it either. Dinner was strange. Natasha, his wife, was openly with another guy, and from what I gathered, it’s not the first time. And Nikolai is totally okay with it.”
“But he’s the Alpha and she’s his mate?”
“Actually? He only calls her his wife.”
“Definitely weird,” he agreed.
I nodded, ducking my head as I yawned.
“It’s night where you are, right?” he asked me quietly.
“Yeah. It’s been a weird day. I’m wondering what this place looks like in the day because in the dark? Wow.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hang on.” I flipped the phone camera so he could see my room. I slowly panned the phone around the room so he could see how absurdly gigantic and ostentatious this place was.
“Damn,” he murmured when I turned the camera back. “It’s like a palace.”
I hesitated, thinking back to when Dimitri and Alexei called me princess. How Nikolai called me his heir.
“What?”
“There’s something else I didn’t tell you,” I admitted.
“Okay.” He didn’t look upset or worried. He just waited patiently for me to explain.
So I did.
About what Dimitri told me on the plane, how Alexei and even the pilot addressed me, and the way Nikolai seemed to assume I would willingly jump into the role of heir apparent of his pack.
Remy was silent after I finished spilling all of that, and something about his silence worried me.
He hadn’t flinched when I told him about the magic, he’d taken everything in stride about my sort-of abduction and Elias.
But now, I couldn’t get a read on what he was thinking.
“Say something,” I finally begged quietly.
He exhaled slowly. “Skye, it sounds like … like you have a choice to make.”
Okay, I hadn’t expected that.
My eyes narrowed. “How so?”
He looked truly conflicted. “If we’re getting this right, then you’re an alpha heir yourself. You would have every right to step into that role. To have your own pack.”
“My own pack in another country,” I pointed out incredulously. “A country that isn’t even close to where you are.”
“I’ll support whatever decision you make,” he said, the sadness and resolve in his eyes gutting me.
“Get Katy,” I demanded.
He blinked. “What?”
“Get. Katy.” I ground out the words. “If you love me, get her.”
Remy moved off the bed and the camera bounced a little as he walked through his bedroom and across the hall. He opened Katy’s door and turned on a light, telling her to wake up.
I smiled when she told him to go to hell.
“Skye’s on the phone,” he said simply.
A second later, the phone was ripped from his hand. Her sleepy face appeared on the screen, her dark eyes huge.
“Oh, my God!” Katy’s eyes filled with tears.
“I need you to do me a favor,” I said, choking down my own wave of emotion.
“Name it, girl,” she said firmly, blinking back tears with that fierce determination I loved about her.
“Slap Remy.”
“Huh?” she frowned, glancing off screen where Remy was likely standing.
“He basically just told me it was okay if I decided to live in Russia forever.”
I heard her hand connect solidly with his arm and then she was yelling, “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
Remy grunted as she made contact again. “Jesus. Stop hitting me!”
Another slap. “I will when you stop being a self-sacrificing dumbass! Skye is getting her ass back here where she belongs!”
“That’s enough,” I called loudly.
Katy frowned at me. “He’s been under a lot of stress lately. Maybe he hit his head during the challenge.”
I tried, and failed, to hold back a smile. “Can I talk to him again?”
She glared at her brother. “I guess so.” Then she looked back at me. “But you better call me, too. I want all the details about everything, okay?”
“I will,” I promised.
“Good. I love you.”
“Love you, too,” I replied, biting my lower lip. The sting of my teeth digging into my skin held off the tears that threatened.
Remy took the phone back and headed back to his room.
“Don’t you ever do that again,” I said, my voice shaking with emotion. “It’s you and me now, remember? Your words.”
He swallowed visibly, but I could see the relief in his eyes. “Skye, I love you enough not to take away any of your choices. All I want is for you to be happy.”
“You make me happy, Remy,” I insisted. “Don’t you get it? No castle or pack or title can make me feel as loved and accepted as you do. Unless you’re telling me you don’t want me—”
“Never,” he interrupted, his voice doing that rough growly thing that made me shiver.
“Stop trying to tell me what’s best for me, Rem,” I said softly, feeling cracked open and vulnerable as he studied me. “You’re what’s best for me.”
He groaned and dropped his head back. “I’m sorry, babe. I swear, everything is just so fucked up right now that I don’t know what to do next. I’m trying to make everyone happy, keep everyone safe, and it feels like nothing is enough. I can’t stop thinking about if Dad would make the same decisions that I am.”
“Look at me,” I said firmly, waiting until I had his eyes. “You’ve got this Remy. You know what to do, so stop second-guessing yourself. Your dad loves you, and you damn well know he will back whatever calls you make. You have an army of people who love you and are ready to fight with you, including me. This time next week, we’ll be together.”
Fire ignited in his eyes. “Promise?”
“If I have to swim across the ocean myself, yes,” I replied, knowing it was true. I would give Nikolai a week tops for the storm to pass before I set out on foot myself to get back home.
“Fuck, I love you,” he said roughly. “I miss you so much.”
Instead of the familiar surge of emotional turmoil I usually felt, I found myself smiling at him. Calm surety blanketed me. “I love you, Remy. We’re going to get through this together.”
15
Remy
I wiped a hand down my face as I dropped my phone onto my desk. Everything in me wanted to hit redial and keep myself tethered to Skye in any way I could. Frustration burned in my gut.
This was brutal. Thank fuck it was only a week because I couldn’t keep going much longer without her.
The restless pacing of my wolf burned in me as his agitation twisted and tangled with my own. I hated that she was so far away, and I was here. Completely useless to her if she needed me.
I balled my hand into a fist, barely resisting the urge to smash my fist into the drywall.
Someone knocked on my door.
“What?” I snapped, whirling and glaring at the door like it had personally offended me.
It cracked open, and Katy stuck her head in. She took one look at me and frowned. “Are you okay?”
I raked a hand through my messy hair, jerking on the ends roughly before sitting heavily on the edge of my bed. “No.”
She stepped inside before she closed the door and leaned against it. “What can I do? Want me to wake the others?”
The house was definitely full right now. Ryder and Dante were in one guest room, Larkin and Rhodes in the other. It was definitely easier to get more shit done with everyone being close by. Will had also offered to come up and stay in the house if I wanted, but we were out of extra bedrooms.
The Alpha house had been built decades earlier by my grandfather, and it was the largest residence in Blackwater. The sprawling cabin ha
d a massive finished basement that served as meeting spaces for the council and had an office for the Alpha and his beta. Michael, my father’s first beta, typically used it.
The main floor was spacious with a massive kitchen, formal dining room that had enough seats for twenty people, a formal sitting area, an informal sitting room where we usually watched TV, and the master suite. The top floor had six bedrooms, which should have been plenty of room for the Alpha and his family … unless the Alpha had four kids, which was almost unheard of.
Blackwater was already growing as a pack, but the addition of the Brooks Ridge pack, and the possibility of needing to house more packs, was going to be an issue in the coming weeks. It was a good thing we had already begun construction on a new housing development outside of town.
Blackwater itself had a lot of land, and the outlying farmlands were owned by pack members. Space wasn’t the issue, but residential and commercial buildings required permits that went through human channels and took time.
Time we probably didn’t have.
Everything was pressing in on me to a level of suffocation I wasn’t used to. And, to top it all off, the person I needed most was on the other side of the damn world.
The man who I went to with everything was currently in a coma, and I didn’t want to bother Mom with shit I should be able to handle as Alpha.
This was on me, and I was already feeling the weight of choices made and decisions yet to come.
Katy pulled out the desk chair across from me and sat in it, pulling her knees up to her chest. “What’s going on?”
“What if I can’t do this?” I asked quietly, finally putting that question out into the universe. It had been plaguing me since the wheels of the plane had touched down in Blackwater.
She rested her chin on her knee and watched me curiously. “What makes you think you can’t do this?”
I spread my arms wide. “I’ve been Alpha less than a day and someone already challenged me. What if I’m doing the wrong thing by bringing in more packs?”
“Wrong by whose standards?” she countered calmly.
“Maybe the smart play is to seal the borders and let things fall wherever outside our doors.” The idea of doing nothing while Norwood ran around, unchecked, actually soured my stomach.
Legacy (Blackwater Pack Book 3) Page 12