by Jen L. Grey
"Are you sure you don't want to drive?" I was afraid to drive Liam's car. It was a brand new Escalade, and with my luck, I'd hit a boat again or something.
"First off, Liam would never allow me to drive his car; and secondly, my car is a two-seater." Bree pressed the button on the key fob that hung on the key chain I was holding. "So, this is on you."
"Fine." I took a deep breath and then blew it out.
Within minutes, we were piled into the car, and I was pulling out of the school.
"This is like driving a freaking truck," I growled as I took a turn, feeling as if the car might tilt over.
"Hey, calm down," Sherry said from the seat behind me. "You're doing okay."
"The more you drive it, the more you'll get used to it." Bree winked at me.
The next thirty minutes felt like hours as I finally found a parking spot I could actually pull into. It was about a mile away from the stadium, but we could use the walk. The game started in an hour.
"Finally." Bree jumped out of the passenger side front. "Maybe I should drive us back."
"I'd be all for it." I shut the driver’s side door as Sherry climbed out through the door right behind me.
"Okay, I'm letting Nate know where we are." She pulled her phone from her pocket and began texting.
The three of us joined the mass of people heading to the game.
Her phone immediately buzzed back, which wasn't surprising. She glanced at the message and stopped in her tracks, causing the man behind her to bump into her.
"Hey, watch it." The guy grumbled as he slid past her and headed toward the stadium.
"Is everything okay?" Her reaction had me worried.
"They want to meet us at a bar outside the stadium." She glanced around as if she was looking for Nate to pop out and say hey.
"Why? We need to get to the game and get seated." Sherry frowned. "I told Simon I'd be there for warm-ups."
"I don't know, but let's go drag them out.” Bree shrugged as she plugged in the place on her phone and headed that way. "They were probably pre-gaming while they waited on us."
"Okay, let's hurry." That did sound like something they would do.
The three of us headed off in the direction of the bar. Luckily, it wasn't too far away, and it was buzzing with college-age students.
When we entered the place, my eyes landed on Max right away. He was talking to some girl with dark red hair. When she turned around and locked eyes with me, I knew exactly who it was.
Willow.
"Why is she here?" I asked as I glanced over at Bree, whose mouth hung open.
"I... I don't know." She lifted a hand. "I swear."
"Are they part of it?" Sherry pursed her lips.
"No, Max would tell me." I paused. "Right?"
"That's something between the two of you." Bree took a deep breath as the three of them headed our way.
Great, that was my answer right there.
Hey, are you okay? Liam's voice filled my head. You seem upset. Are you almost here?
I'm fine. I hated to worry him, but he'd get pissed if I didn't tell him. We stopped at a bar to grab Nate and Max, but it'll take a minute. Willow is here.
What? His voice held concern. Where are you? I'll be right there.
No, you've got a game. The council was already pissed. The heirs had been summoned about an incident. They didn't tell the heirs the specifics, but we knew what they were referring to. Their fathers suspected a spy in their midst, so we didn't need to draw any more attention to ourselves. Your parents will get suspicious of you.
“Let’s go outside,” Willow whispered as she walked past, heading out the door, followed by Nate and Max.
Here we go, I needed Liam to focus on the game while I figured out what was going on. Fine, but if something bad goes down, let me know immediately. It was clear by his words and through our bond that he wasn't thrilled with me going without him.
I'll let you know when we get there. I looped my arm through Sherry's and pulled her in the direction of the others.
We stepped outside and found the three of them across the street, away from people. I took a deep breath and headed over to them.
"Hey." Max smiled at me as he ran his hands through his dirty blond hair, and Willow noticed me.
Max wrapped me in his arms. "It's good to see you, sis."
"Good to see you." I tried to calm down. "This is Sherry. She's new to Wolf Moon."
"Oh, is she the girl you saved from that one pack?" Nate's brown eyes were warm. He placed his arm around Bree and kissed her lips.
"Yeah, the very one." Sherry grinned but seemed a bit unsure.
I pulled back from Max and pointed at him. "This is my brother and he," I said as I pointed at Nate, "is Nate if you hadn't figured that out."
"Yeah, hey." Sherry focused on Willow. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"That's the whole reason." Willow grinned, and her attention landed on me. "I was hoping I could talk to you."
"Well, I'm here." She wanted to talk to me away from the other heirs. "Let's go for it."
"Fine. Another one of our comrades got caught." Willow lifted her head.
So it was official; Max was involved with them. "Why didn't you tell me?" Right now, that was more important than whatever she said.
"The same reason why you didn't tell me." Max crossed his arms, ready for a fight. "I wanted to protect you."
"Fine." He had a point even if I didn't like it. "So, you need us to find out where they are?"
"No." She shook her head. "We need you to get the layout of the building. We can't chance any of you getting caught."
"What building is it?" Bree's forehead creased.
"It's one in Chicago." Willow let the words settle before she spoke again. "We need to get him out before they execute him. It's the shifter headquarters there."
"I'll get it from Liam." I had no clue how to get it, so he would need to help me.
"Are you sure about that?" Nate frowned at me.
"They already know me from the rescue mission with Tripp." Willow glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Besides, I know who she is. If she trusts them, then so do I."
Her words hit me in the gut. She knew I was the Overseer. If she did, then who else could know?
Chapter Nine
When Sherry and I arrived back at the dorm, I paced in circles. Wolf Moon had dominated the game, so everyone was in high spirits except for me. Willow's words haunted me. She knew who I was. How? Did Bree tell Nate? For some reason, my gut told me no. Then who?
Our bus is almost back home. Liam's words popped into my mind. The guys want to go to a party tonight.
I'm not up for it. I hadn't told him yet. All six of us need to talk.
We'll be there in a few minutes. He didn't ask any questions, which I was thankful for. I was afraid he might try to talk me out of it, but we had to tell the other heirs before they found out from someone else. That kind of information needed to come directly from the source... me.
"Hey, are you okay?" Sherry sat on one of the recliners as she stared at me. "You've been quiet ever since we met Willow outside the bar. Are you worried you can't get the information?"
That should be bothering me, but it wasn't. I had a feeling Liam would know what to do with that one. "Let's wait on the others."
"Well, Bree might not be back until the morning." Sherry cringed like she was telling me something I'd forgotten.
"No, we don't need her for this." That sounded way worse than I had meant for it to, but Sherry seemed to understand what I meant.
There was a knock on the dorm door so I turned and opened it. When Liam appeared before me, it was like the air had been knocked out of me. He still gave me butterflies. "Hey."
His eyes twinkled. "Hey, you." Now, what's wrong?
"Gross." Micah groaned as he walked past me. "They're like eye fucking right in front of us."
Evan chuckled as he and Simon entered the room behind Micah.
It's time for my secret to come out. I stood and kissed his lips. The smell of sweat and his musk had my mind thinking things that were definitely not appropriate at the moment. I had to focus on the task at hand. Willow knows, and they need to hear it from us.
How the hell does she know? He took my hand and shut the door behind him.
No clue. We need to figure it out, but until then, we need to tell them. I knew that this would have to happen eventually, but I hadn't expected it to be so soon. I still didn't have my head wrapped around it, but sometimes, time wasn't on our side.
Simon grabbed Sherry's waist and picked her up as he took her spot in the chair. He then placed her on his lap.
"Hey, who said I was okay with that?" She giggled as she said the words.
Micah took the other recliner as Evan sat on one end of the couch.
Evan's intuitive eyes landed on me. "What's going on?"
"Well, we ran into Willow tonight prior to the game." I wasn't quite sure what Liam had told them if anything. He didn't know what had happened either.
"Really? She has some nerve since she never called the next day like she said she would." Simon shook his head.
"What did she want?" Liam asked as he took my hand and pulled me to the couch.
I sat down in the middle, between Evan and Liam. "Apparently, someone important to the rebellion was caught, and he’s being kept at shifter headquarters in Chicago. They need to know how the place is set up to do a rescue mission."
"We could just do it." Micah crossed his arms as he sat back. "It'd probably be better that way."
"And easier for one of us to get caught, too." Evan frowned and leaned back. "They need us to stay close to our dads."
"But do we want to give them inside information on one of the headquarters?" Micah bit his bottom lip. "I mean, they could use it for God knows what."
"I think this is another test." It had to be. They were testing our loyalties.
"How so?" Sherry's forehead wrinkled.
"Because if we're part of their group, then we would be willing to hand over any information that we have." Evan leaned back and took a deep breath.
"So, they're seeing if we're all in or not." Liam's body tensed ever so slightly before it relaxed once more.
"We're all in, right?" Sherry grimaced like she was afraid of what the answer would be.
"I am." I could only speak for myself. "We've seen what the packs are going through. To turn a blind eye would be worse than not doing anything."
"She's right, and I'm in, too." Liam took my hand in his and squeezed it gently. "And I can give them the information right now. Or I can draw it out."
"Hell, at this point, I'd thought we were all in." Micah glanced around the room. "I mean we even killed some of our own guards."
"Yeah, you're right. And after seeing what happened to Sherry, I don't want to see anyone else suffer like that." Simon's words were filled with guilt. "It took me a little while to finally understand that."
"Then, we're agreed." Evan nodded.
My phone dinged from my pocket. I pulled it out and found the following text -
Send us the information as soon as you find it. - W
Max must have given her my phone number. I was a little relieved since we didn't have to rely only on Bree for communication now.
"Who is it?" Liam read the note.
"Willow." I took a deep breath.
"Let me get something to draw with then," Liam said as he got up, but I tugged him back down.
"That's not all." My heart pounded in my chest.
"Okay, what else?" Micah’s forehead creased. "We can't do too much at one time or we'll get caught."
"No, it has nothing to do with another mission." Things were crazy. "It's something about me."
You don't have to do it. Liam squeezed my hand. We can wait until you're ready.
I don't know if I'll ever be. I had to tell them. They deserved to know. It didn't only affect Liam and me. "But first, I need you all to promise to keep this secret until it's the right time for it to come out."
"Are you sick?" Sherry asked with concern.
"No, no it's not that." I wasn't trying to scare them. "I just need you all to promise me that this stays a secret between us and only us."
"Fine, we promise." Simon shrugged his shoulders.
I glanced at each one of them, and they nodded in agreement.
"Okay." I forced the next words out. "Brent Forrest." I started with the name because it was still so damn painful to get it all out in one sentence. My father, who I'd never met, had died trying to make things right for me.
"The dead Overseer?" Evan's brows furrowed as he glanced at Liam and then me.
"Yeah, the very one," Liam said as he pulled me closer to him. I'm right here.
I stared at my and Liam's joined hands. "He was my father." I took a deep breath and lifted my gaze to them.
"That's fucking impossible." Simon blinked a few times like he couldn't believe what he had heard. "He died without an heir. I was right about you all along; you’re fucking with us."
"No, I’m not." I tried to stay calm despite his attitude and replayed the story that my mom had told me. "They'd just found out that they were expecting the night of his death."
"But you're a pack alpha's daughter." Micah scratched the back of his neck. “Have you been lying to us this whole time?”
"No, I didn’t know until recently. The pack alpha is my stepfather." Saying it out loud sounded so weird. He was my father in all ways except biological. "I grew up with him being my real father."
"This is crazy and really convenient." Simon's voice turned cold. "Something a manipulative bitch would do.”
“Let her talk.” Sherry held compassion as she tried reeling her mate in.
"Why are you telling us now, and how long have you known?" Evan didn’t seem surprised but almost resolved. "Something had to prompt it. You aren’t telling us out of the goodness of your heart."
"I'd always planned to tell you, I just had to know we were in it together." They knew I was speaking the truth. They could smell otherwise. "I learned the day after Liam and I claimed one another. Once we all agreed that we were all in, I knew I needed to tell you soon. But after Willow made a reference tonight, cluing me in that she knew who I was, I realized it needed to be sooner rather than later."
“How the hell does she know?” Micah frowned and leaned forward in his chair. “Who all have you told before us?”
“That’s bullshit.” Simon’s words were loud and his jaw clenched. “You told them before us.”
"Oh, shut it." Sherry glanced over her shoulder at him and then stood. "You were an asshole. Hell, you still are, just not quite as bad. How would you've handled the news just a week ago?"
Simon closed his eyes and huffed. "Not well."
"See." Sherry tapped her foot on the ground. "She was right to wait."
“The only other person outside of Liam, my parents, and brother who know is Bree.” I paused, hating that I dropped this on them.
“You talk a good game, but I bet you can’t prove it.” Simon lifted his chin. “Throwing around that word doesn’t make it true.
“She doesn’t…” Liam started, but I held a hand up.
“Yes, she does.” Evan’s tone was low and dark. “Do you know how big of a deal this is? If we can’t prove it, it’ll ruin us.”
“No, if they want proof. I have something.” I headed toward my bedroom and grabbed my pendant and a picture of my father that my mom had given me the last time I visited. I took a moment to collect my thoughts and walked back into the room.” I let the necklace dangle from my fingertips.”
“No fucking way.” Evan stood and took it from me. “That was the original crest.”
“And this.” I held out a picture of my father and mom, smiling at the camera as they held up a positive pregnancy test. My eyes burned with unshed tears.
“Holy shit, it’s true.” Micah looked like he’d be
en run over by a truck. "You're saying that we have a full fucking council sitting here, and you’re only just now telling us?"
"Yes, but we're not sharing this." Liam glared at the southern heir. "You promised."
"They aren't going to hand it over to us any sooner than they have to." Evan paced.
That was one thing I could always count on. Evan continually seemed to be on the same page as Liam and me. “It’s something we need to use as an ace up our sleeve later. Not now.’
"Right. We're going to have to set it up in a way that makes it so they have to hand it over." He paused and met my eyes, his darkening. “Is there anything else you need to tell us?”
His words hurt, but I deserved it. He’d been loyal to me first, and I hadn’t trusted him with my burden. “I think Kai’s dad might have an inkling.”
“What?” Simon’s words were high pitched. “Why do you say that?”
“I wore the pendant one day. I didn’t realize its meaning, and Kai’s dad was visiting on campus and saw it.” A memory of my last words with him in Chicago when we were doing the weeklong tour haunted me. “He alluded to knowing who I was.”
“But the rebellion wouldn’t know that. He wouldn’t have given up that information.” Micah bit his thumb. “Hell, he couldn’t stay with us because he was dealing with them.”
“I know, so I’m not sure who told the rebellion.” I hated to admit it, but everything led back to Bree.
“Right now, that doesn’t matter.” Liam huffed.
“Hell, yeah, it does.” Evan looked over at him. “They have blackmail over us.”
For some reason, I didn’t think they would use it.
“Even if it’s true, we are on their side. So they can’t blackmail us to do the very thing we were going to do anyway. And right now, the first step is getting whoever it is out of the headquarters." Liam stood and headed over to the kitchen, looking for pen and paper. "Let's do this."
The next few days passed without anything out of the ordinary happening. Sherry and I were making our way to our training session when we ran into Mr. Rafferty and Evan heading in the direction of the school.
"Are we not training today?" My words faded off at the end when I took in Mr. Rafferty's expression.