Kadenburg Revealed (The Kadenburg Shifters Series, Book 4)

by T. E. Ridener

  Natalie felt sick. Arnold had a child.

  He was meant to have cubs with us. Her bear wailed.

  “She’s going to die soon,” Natalie whispered as tears blurred her vision. “Daughters of Yliana such as her never survive past the age of thirty, Charlotte. Arnold knows that.”

  “Of course he knows that, but he has an awful lot to take in right now. We just have to give him time.”

  “Time we don’t have!” Natalie smacked her palm against the table and willed the tingling in her skin to stop. She didn’t want to shift again. Urseth she was tired of these mood swings. “Why does Breslin need a daughter of Yliana?”

  “Because he’s going to use her for something.” Louisa interrupted as she entered the kitchen. She was walking funny and Natalie lifted an eyebrow.

  “Are you okay?” Mrs. Bamey asked.

  “I’m fine,” Louisa blushed and eased into a chair. “I don’t really know much more than you do about the situation, but I do know that Breslin didn’t try to steal Sammy away while she was with Beau. I think....maybe they might be scared of him.”

  “Darn tootin’ they are!” Mrs. Bamey huffed. “They would be crazy to mess with any of us right now. I am so sick and tired of this drama between Breslin and our town. I wish we could just kill him and get it over with,” she wiped her palm across her forehead and frowned. “I don’t want my grandson coming into this. It’s an awful world for a baby to grow up in. I’d take that monster out myself I could....”

  “Calm down, Charlotte,” Mr. Bamey entered the kitchen and immediately moved in to kiss his wife’s cheek. “You know it ain’t gonna do you any good to get upset over this. We’ve talked about it, huh? He’s not getting near that cub and as soon as I get the chance he’s a goner.”

  Oh, how Natalie wished she could find comfort like that. Her eyes momentarily roamed into the living room to see Arnold seated on the couch. He was gripping a cup of coffee and his marred eyes were focused on the floor. He seemed so sad and that was understandable.

  I would be sad if I just discovered I missed out on thirty years of my child’s life. She thought with a frown.

  “Did you hear me, Natty?” Charlotte asked.

  “Huh?” Natalie blinked and returned her attention to her friend. “I’m sorry, what?”

  Charlotte stared at her for a long moment before she reached across the table to touch her hand. “Sweetie, are you feeling all right? You’re a little on the pale side. Is everything okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Natalie replied as she pushed herself up from her chair. “I think I need to go home and lie down for a while though. I promised Hettie I would come in and work until six this evening.”

  “But it’s Christmas Eve!” Charlotte stammered. “You can’t work tonight! We’re having our dinner.”

  “I’ll try to stop by after work,” Natalie promised with a small smile. “Save me some of your banana pudding, okay?”

  She didn’t give Charlotte a chance to argue as she hurried through the living room and towards the door.

  “Natalie....” Arnold said softly.

  Oh no. Nope. She was not dealing with that again today. He had enough to worry about without trying to convince her they could somehow find a happily ever after. He needed to focus on his daughter now-not her.

  “Sorry, Arnie. I’m in a hurry. Get Lorcan to take you home.” She slammed the door behind her and hurried down the steps only to stop abruptly when she heard Presley crying.

  She turned her head to see her niece leaning against Liam Bamey’s old car and she had her face buried in her hands. Lorcan had his arm around her with a solemn look on his face and Dimitri stood before her with his head bowed. Had somebody died?

  “What’s going on?” Natalie asked as she walked towards them. “Presley? Everything okay over here?”

  “She’ll be okay,” Lorcan said reassuringly as he lifted his head to gaze at her. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”

  “I’d like to hear that from my niece if you don’t mind,” Natalie replied heatedly. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Presley. “Pretz?”

  Presley slowly lifted her head and the tears continued to streak her reddened cheeks as she hiccupped. She didn’t look okay.

  “I....I...”

  She was so upset she couldn’t even speak! What the hell was going on now?

  “What did you do to her?!” Natalie quickly placed herself between Dimitri and her niece and hugged the girl. “Is this over Sammy and your uncle?” She would truly understand if Presley was upset over discovering a cousin she’d never known about. Arnold had loved her as his own daughter for so long and now there was someone else....

  “N-no,” Presley managed to reply after sucking in a deep breath. “I...just...”

  “What is it?” Natalie pushed her for more information. “What’s got you so upset, honey? Did you say something to her?” She glared at Dimitri as her anger bubbled to the surface. She knew that he was a good-for-nothing piece of—

  “I think she’s my sister.” Dimitri said.

  ....Well she didn’t see that one coming.

  ——————————-

  It was too much to take in. Presley wasn’t sure she could handle any more surprises and Lorcan must’ve sensed that. His arms tightened around her as he guided her towards the car.

  “Where are we going?” She asked quietly.

  “I’m taking you home,” he replied as he opened the passenger side door for her. “You need to rest. This is too much.”

  “But I need to talk to him!” Presley argued as she pressed her palms against his chest and stared at him. “I need to talk to both of them. I need to know what is happening, Lorcan. This isn’t just a coincidence. I find out I have a cousin and Dimitri could be my brother? How long have I waited for this?”

  The muscle in his jaw went into overtime as his brown eyes studied her closely. She knew exactly what he was thinking. He was contemplating tossing her over his shoulder caveman style and running away with her. Ha! She’d like to see him try.

  “I’m fine,” she stated. She reached out to touch his cheek and tilted her head to the side. “Lorcan, I am okay. I promise you that. I can’t leave with everything that’s happening right now. I need to know exactly what Dimitri found out from that dream and I need to know more about Sammy too. Something bigger is happening in this town and like it or not, we’re involved. We can’t just go home.”

  “I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Lorcan admitted as he carefully closed the door and pushed her against it gently. His hands fell to rest against her waist as their foreheads touched. “I don’t want anything to happen to our little Liam either.”

  Heat gushed into her stomach and warmed her entire body as their son’s name rolled off Lorcan’s tongue. Nothing made her happier than knowing she had a second chance at motherhood with the man she loved. Her knees trembled as she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “Nothing is going to happen to us,” she promised quietly. “I just need answers, Lorcan. I’ve been waiting for them for too long to walk away right now. If Dimitri’s my brother....”

  ‘Then we know what Urseth said is true. You are both special and our son will bring an end to all of this.’ Lorcan said sorrowfully.

  “It’s going to be okay,” she kissed the side of his neck and breathed him in. Urseth she loved his smell. It was dizzying and intoxicating. It was addictive just like him. “Will you trust me on that?”

  “I always trust you.” Lorcan mumbled as he pulled back enough for their lips to touch. He kissed her tenderly and she could feel the emotions he poured into it; fear, sadness, and pure love. He pulled back and cupped her face in his hands.

  “I love you, Lorcan.”

  “I love you, Presley. And that’s the only reason I’m not taking you home right now. If Dimitri’s really your brother then I won’t stand in the way of that. Whatever’s happening with Sammy....I’ll be behi
nd you one hundred percent. Forever and for always.”

  “Forever and for always.” She smiled and slipped past him. She was headed straight for Dimitri, who was standing near Liam’s old car, when she sensed his distress. Uh oh. What was happening now?

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Dimitri said as he hung up his phone and turned to face her. “Presley, I am so sorry but I need to go. We can talk about everything later, I promise.”

  “What’s wrong?” Presley asked as confusion clouded her brain. The worry rolling off Dimitri was nauseating. He was already opening the driver’s side door when she finally caught up to him. “Dimitri?”

  “I’m so sorry,” he repeated as his eyes met hers. “Something’s happened at the apartment and I need to get to Rutley and Kia. I’ll call you, okay?”

  Rutley and Kia? Presley was certain that girl’s name was Amber....

  As Dimitri backed up and turned the car around in the driveway before speeding off like a bat of hell, Presley was left to ponder over his last words.

  Who the heck was Kia?

  ———————————

  “You need to get here and fast. Amber has gone fucking insane on me.”

  Those were Rutley’s last words before the sound of a scuffle breaking out and the dial tone attacked Dimitri’s ears. He knew something was very wrong. Why had Kia come over in the first place? She knew it was dangerous to come around a new wolf without acquainting herself first! Damn it!

  He pressed his foot down against the pedal and prayed that he wouldn’t slide off the road as he drove back towards the apartment he shared with Rutley and the new wolf in his pack. So many thoughts raced through his mind but only two seemed to worry him the most.

  What if Amber hurt Rutley or Kia? And why was he even worried about Kia? He didn’t care about her, right? She was just the mutt slut that took advantage of them one night a while back. She was just a she-wolf and she had obviously provoked Amber’s attack. Son of a bitch.

  He barely made it into the parking lot before he put the car into park and jumped out. He didn’t even bother shutting the engine off as he raced up the steps in a blur and flung the front door open. The scent of blood attacked his nostrils and made bile rise in his stomach as his eyes searched the living room. Everything was destroyed.

  It looked like a tornado had blown through. Glass was everywhere, the TV was busted against the floor, and the couch was torn to shreds. Only one thing could do damage like that; claws.

  “Rutley!” He cried out. Dimitri leapt over various objects and what was left of the coffee table as he bounded down the hallway. “RUTLEY!”

  ‘Answer me, damn it!’ He pleaded in his mind as his heart hammered against his ribs. “Rutley, please.’

  This couldn’t be happening. Had he made a mistake? Maybe he should’ve let Amber die. God, he couldn’t lose Rutley.

  “Rutley!” He shoved open the bedroom door and peered inside. Nothing had been touched that he could see, but where the hell was his beta? Where was the new she-wolf? Where was Kia? The sound of glass breaking from the apartment next door caught his attention and Dimitri released a low growl. He was positive he heard a whimper of pain and that only agitated him further. If that little bitch was hurting Rutley.....

  Dimitri was out the front door within the blink of an eye and his body crashed through Kia’s door like an unrelenting tropical storm. He fell against the floor and quickly picked himself up as his eyes scanned the apartment that looked exactly like his own. It was a mess too.

  “Rutley!” He shouted. Dimitri stalked down the hallway and felt his blood pressure rising to dangerous levels. His wolf begged to be released as two bodies toppled into the hallway and fell to the floor. Amber’s elongated teeth snapped ferociously at Rutley’s face and the beta was doing his best to fight her off.

  “Get off me!” Rutley roared as an animalistic growl ripped its way past his lips. His eyes were glowing that resilient teal color and the sharp claws protruding from his fingertips told Dimitri that this fight was serious. He quickly rushed forward and grabbed Amber by the shoulders.

  “What are you doing?!” Dimitri asked through clenched teeth as he pulled her away and slammed her against the wall. He pinned her there with one arm and glared at her. “AMBER.”

  The she-wolf snapped at him. Her eyes were glowing too.

  “Let me go!” She shrieked. “LET ME GO!”

  “What do you think you’re doing?!” Dimitri demanded as he glanced towards Rutley. The beta was picking himself up off the floor, but he winced and went back down again. The way he gripped his left side indicated he was injured. Did Kia do that to him, or was it Amber?

  “I don’t want to be here!” Amber wailed as she dug her claws into Dimitri’s arm. “Let me go! You’ve turned me into a monster.”

  “You’re doing that to yourself,” Dimitri growled as he lifted his free hand to pry her fingers away from his arm. “And if you don’t stop clawing me I’m going to rip your throat out, do you understand that? You can’t attack your pack, Amber!”

  “You’re not my pack. I’m not like you,” she hissed. “I want to go home. You’re keeping me against my will, asshole!”

  Was that what this was all about? Dimitri wasn’t sure what urge was stronger at the moment; wanting to smack her for being stupid or wanting to kill her for hurting Rutley. His eyes wandered to his beta again and something inside of him snapped. It was like an invisible rubber band that had been wound too tightly and Amber gave it the final tug it needed to break.

  His eyes slowly moved back to the girl once more and his nostrils flared. “I saved your life. You would have died without me and this is how you repay my kindness? You attacked my beta. He is in charge of you when I am gone, Amber. I fully understand you’re the type of person who is used to getting her way with Mommy and Daddy, but guess what? I’m not your parents and I won’t tolerate your bullshit. What you’ve done would easily get you killed in another pack. I should kill you for what you’ve done. Rut-ley,” he barked out his beta’s name. “Are you okay?”

  “Not the first time I’ve been beat up by a girl,” Rutley replied breathlessly from his spot upon the floor. He shook his head slowly and shrugged. “I think it’s healing already, but it sure as hell doesn’t feel good. I think it’s Kia you need to be worried about.”

  Aw, hell. Kia. Dimitri needed to accept the fact that the she-wolf was in their lives for good now. He knew exactly what ties bound them together and he wasn’t stupid enough to deny why he needed to know she was okay too. They were mated after all.

  “Where is she?” Dimitri asked in a lower voice as Amber squirmed beneath his grip. “Why did you attack her?”

  “She smelled weird,” Amber replied with a frown. “I didn’t like her smell.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “She didn’t smell like a full wolf and it made my wolf unhappy. She is a threat to your precious little pack. I honestly don’t give a damn either way, but my wolf is a fucking bully. I hate this. Why won’t you let me go?”

  “Let’s get one thing straight here, Amber,” Dimitri’s eyes darkened as he stared at her. “You’re not going anyfuckingwhere until you learn to control your wolf, okay? And I’m sure as hell not letting you out of my sight until you learn to decipher scents. Kia is a werewolf and nothing more. You had no right to attack her. If she’s hurt.....”

  “I’m fine.” Kia said softly as the bathroom door slowly opened and she stepped out. Dimitri was horrified as he took in the sight of her appearance. Her brown and purple hair was a mess and her clothes were ripped, but what angered him the most was seeing the gash on her cheek. He already knew who was responsible for that.

  She has hurt our mate! His wolf howled. She must be punished for this.

  “She deserved it!” Amber cried as she tried to escape Dimitri’s grasp. “She is not a wolf! My wolf told me so! She is a danger to us!”

  “You don’t even know what
the hell you’re talking about,” Dimitri’s fingers curled around her throat. “You’ve been a werewolf for less than forty eight hours and you have no damn idea what you’re saying, Amber. She is a wolf and the wrong fucking wolf to mess with at that. You have no idea the situation you’ve put me in now. I should kill you....”

  “You can’t kill her.”

  Kia’s statement surprised Dimitri and it caused him to relax his grip on the wolf’s throat. He turned his head to stare at her, confused and unsure of what she was trying to say. Wasn’t she angry at the woman who’d tried to kill her? He sure as hell was.

  “She’s new, Dimitri. You have to give her a chance. She’ll make her share of mistakes as I’m sure Rutley has, or will. They weren’t born into it like you and me.” She stepped closer and the look in her eyes made Dimitri’s anger fade almost instantly. What the hell?

  “She needs to be punished,” Dimitri insisted in a lower voice. He trembled as his wolf pushed forward. This needed to happen or what right did he have to call himself an alpha? “She needs to know she has done wrong.”

  “And I’m sure she knows that now.” Kia’s hand touched his shoulder and the emotions that ran through him were indescribable. Damn it to hell. “Dimitri, please don’t.”

  “But she hurt you,” he glanced at Kia and frowned. “She could’ve killed both of you and I’m not fucking okay with that. We’re not murderers.”

  “No, we’re not,” Kia tilted her head to the side and gazed at him pleadingly. “You’re not like Breslin Connor, Dimitri. I know that in my heart of hearts. You’re different. Show me that you’re different.”

  He knew it. All along he’d had his suspicions that Kia was involved with Breslin somehow, but figuring out the ‘how’ was what stumped him. What part did she play in all of this? How could he have been so stupid and careless in allowing himself to mate to someone who could destroy him? He knew that his distrust shined through his gaze as he quickly dropped his eyes to the floor. A part of him didn’t want to know.