by Jen L. Grey
He leaned over the passenger seat. "Are you guys coming or not?"
"Wait, don't you have class today?" Mr. Hale arched an eyebrow at Bree and tilted his head.
"Yeah, but class was canceled today." Bree shrugged her shoulders. "Something about important business. He wants us to write about some landmarks, so I’ve forced myself on these too."
I waited for the stench of a lie, but the air remained clear.
"Ah, yes, that makes sense." Mr. Hale paused, and his attention landed on me. "How are your parents doing?"
The words chilled me to the bone. Was he trying to insinuate something? I hadn't talked to my parents since we had left on the trip. It hadn't crossed my mind to check in with everything going on. "They're fine." I had to maintain some control.
"Good to know." He smirked and turned toward his daughter. "Make sure you don't come back too late. You all have class in the morning."
"Thanks, Daddy." Bree hugged him. "We'll be back soon."
"Liam, if anything strange happens., you better call me." Mr. Hale turned around and headed back toward the direction of the school.
Not wanting to waste another second, I jumped in the front passenger seat as Bree slid into the back.
"What the hell was that about?" That whole interaction left me worried.
"He was trying to see if we were up to anything." Liam pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it to me. "Text the guys and let them know we have him and we'll be back later."
"I never thought I'd be saying this," Kai's voice came from the backseat, "but thank you."
"Yeah, we must really love you to do this," Bree grumbled. "Shit is getting way too real."
“How the hell did you lie to him?” I just knew we were going to get caught.
“It wasn’t. I do have to do that report, and I did force myself on you.” Bree patted herself on the back.
She was trouble. "Should we get the others to meet us?" I typed out a message and paused.
"No, the council is growing suspicious. They need to stay back." Liam reached over and took my hand. "It'll be better that way."
"But don't you do everything together?" It might appear weird if we didn't.
"No, that was always an illusion." Liam pulled up to the gate and waved at the guard. "We're closer now than we've ever been."
"It's because you are all changing." Bree leaned forward and winked at me. "I always knew they would."
"All right, you can get up now." Liam increased the speed as we drove out onto the main road.
I grabbed my phone and pulled up the last message I got from Willow.
Cargo is in tow. Where do we meet you? - M
"Your dad asked about my parents." Those words rang in my ears. "I need to call them."
Before I could pull up their number on the phone, it dinged.
Who is with you? - W
That's interesting. Why would they care? Unless they thought we could be bringing the council with us.
Kai, Bree, Liam, and me.
My phone dinged once more.
Tell Kai to bring you home. He knows the way. Don’t forget to turn off your phones. That way, you can’t be tracked. - W
I stared at the words for a second. "Kai, they said you know the way home. They want you to take us there."
"Yeah, okay," Kai agreed.
My finger hovered over Mom, and I hit the green SEND button to make the call. After it rang three times, my heart dropped. She usually picks up by the third ring. Soon, I was being transferred over to her voicemail. "Something’s wrong."
"What is it?" Bree asked as she leaned forward while Kai climbed into the seat right behind Liam.
"Mom always answers her phone." It sounded so stupid, but damn, it was true. "It's a running joke in our family. When Dad, Max, or I call, she always answers right away." It was one thing that I took for granted until now.
"It doesn't mean that something bad happened to them." Bree reached over the seat and patted my shoulder.
However, something felt wrong.
"Once we drop Kai off, we'll go to your parents’ house." Liam squeezed my hand. "We have plenty of time to do that without dad getting suspicious."
"Let me try Max and Dad, too." I tried my phone again, and each call went to voicemail. "Something isn't right."
"Well, where you're dropping me off is along the way. Head on to Kansas City, and in about thirty minutes, we'll need to get off the interstate.
"Are you taking us there?" Bree's eyes widened.
"That's what Willow said to do." Kai shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Believe it or not, I agree with her. It's time that the heirs and Mia see everything."
"What are you talking about?" I turned my body around and glared at Kai.
"We're heading to the rebellion headquarters." Kai gave me a sad smile. "It's time for you to be part of the planning."
“That’s why she wants us to turn off our phones.” I hated to do it in case Mom called back, but this was just as important. I forced myself to turn off my phone. “We should listen to them.”
If I wasn't worried about my parents, I'd be excited about the opportunity. The only thing I wanted to do was to get to my family though. Something told me they weren't safe.
Chapter Eleven
We exited from the highway and had driven at least another thirty minutes. We were now several miles from the closest town and continued passing farm after farm. "I thought you said it was on the way to checking on my parents."
I was worried sick about them. I felt even worse about it since I had to turn my phone off because even if they were trying to call me back, I wouldn't know.
"It is." He sighed. "I mean, we had to travel on the highway in that direction."
"That's not the same since we've driven just as long on this road." Bree frowned as she tapped her finger on the arm of the chair. "At least, it's kind of off the grid."
"Yeah, that's actually the point." Kai pointed to a gravel road up ahead on the left. "Turn right there."
"Okay." Liam slowed the car down and took the turn as directed. "Should we be worried that you're taking us here? This could be some kind of setup."
"No, the others have been wanting to meet Mia." Kai shrugged his shoulders. "They are still very wary about the other heirs and hesitant about you."
"Why?" Liam glanced in the rearview mirror at Kai. "I've been with her every step of the way."
"Yeah, but that's a recent change. In the last couple of months." Kai pointed at me. "She's always been this way."
"What the hell?" Liam asked as he pounded on the steering wheel, reminding me of his father.
"Oh, stop being a drama queen." Bree rolled her eyes. "Your twenty years of past actions before Mia can't be erased in the matter of only a handful of months. Don't act stupid. You're better than that."
"She's right." I hated it for him. He had changed so much since we completed our bond, but facts were facts. He'd been an arrogant, unaware asshole before then, who would do his father's bidding. "But don't worry." I leaned over and kissed his stubbly cheek. "After spending time with you, they'll know where your heart is."
"I'm not sure about that." Liam sighed as he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Kai is right."
"But they are allowing you to come with me." I squeezed his hand gently. "That means something."
It was strange. I'd expected some woods to appear, but this gravel road just took us to more flat ground.
"There is something you should know before we get there." Kai blew out a breath. "It's only fair that I tell you two after you just saved my ass."
Sentences like that never end with anything good.
"Unless you've already told them." Kai turned his head in Bree's direction.
"I have no clue what you're talking about." Bree's brows furrowed.
"Well, okay then." Kai shrugged his shoulders. "I guess it makes sense that they would leave that piece out for you as well."
"Get to the point." Li
am slowed to a stop. "Or I'll make you."
"Oh, there's the Liam I grew up with." Kai chuckled as he shook his head. "Okay. So when the rebellion first started, the whole intent was to be heard."
"Wait." I wasn't sure why I hadn't asked this question to begin with. "How long has the rebellion group been around?"
"Ever since Brent Forrest died." Kai bit his lip and cleared his throat. "It started out small. For the Overseer to die, it was a huge deal. The rest of the council members should've stepped down, but there was no one there to take over. Hell, we were all only two years old." Kai glanced at Liam.
"But why didn't we hear about it while growing up?" Liam asked.
"Because your parents were ignoring it." He scanned the road. "They are watching us, so we have to be quick. They'll be able to fill you in better than me. But their plan was to disband the council."
"What do you mean disband?" Bree scratched the back of her neck.
"It's pretty fucking obvious what he means," Liam growled. "We don't need to disband. We need our dads to step down."
"At one point, I would've said I didn't agree with you, but..." Kai took in a deep breath and met Liam's eyes. "I agree with you now. At first, I thought it was something you were only doing to make things right with Mia and that it wouldn't last. But it has. She's changed you."
"No, I didn't change him." That's what the council thought, and it was why they wanted the heirs to turn away from their fated mates like they'd done theirs. However, the truth was something they couldn't grasp. "I only grounded him."
"That actually makes sense." Bree nodded. "Because he's more like the Liam we grew up with, and hell, Sherry sure has made a change in Simon."
"I'm not sure if that's still their plan now, but I wanted you to at least know what the original intent was." Kai nodded in the direction of the road. "Now, we need to go before they get suspicious."
"All right." Liam pressed the gas again. "Thanks."
The rest of the trip passed in silence. Right when I was about to give up on us ever getting there, the gravel road disappeared into a dirt one, and I saw several houses up ahead.
A line of about ten people stood in front of us, effectively cutting the road off from entering the small neighborhood. Willow was the one directly in the middle and it took me a second to comprehend the person standing right next to her, staring us down.
"Your father is part of the rebellion?" I wasn't sure if I spoke the words loud enough for him to hear.
"Yes, that's who they broke out in Chicago and why I was in danger." Kai blew out a breath and straightened his shoulders.
"That makes sense now." Bree pursed her lips. "But why are they blocking us from entering?"
"They want to scan my car and make sure we aren't hiding something or someone in here." Liam put the car in PARK and glanced at me. You stay beside me at all times.
No problem on that one. I wouldn't let him out of my sight either. We were a package deal, and they were going to have to see that.
The four of us climbed out of the car, and Mr. Thorn sagged with relief.
It was strange because it appeared as if he had aged ten years since I'd last seen him not even two weeks ago.
"I was so worried." Mr. Thorn sighed.
Kai hurried past us, went to his dad, and hugged him.
Bree, Liam, and I stayed next to the car. I wasn't moving away from our only way out if things went south.
"Anyone else in there?" Willow moved in our direction with two men flanking each side of her.
She wanted to get close enough to be able to smell if we lied. I couldn't blame her though.
I waited until she was only a few feet away. Liam stepped in front of both Bree and me, leaving only half of us visible to the rebellion.
"You know I already answered that." I had to make sure she knew I wouldn't be pushed around.
"Can you humor me?" She arched an eyebrow as she stepped to her right in order to see me entirely. "Please?"
"Fine, I told you that it was only the four of us." I pointed to Kai, Bree, Liam, and then me. "The story hasn't changed."
“Go check the vehicle.” Willow motioned to the guard to her left.
The guy pulled out some large instrument, walked over to the driver’s side, and opened the back door. He climbed into the vehicle and searched, using the machine.
I get that they needed to be careful, but at this point, we’d proven to be at least somewhat on their team.
It only took a second before the guy jumped out. “All clear.”
She took a deep breath, and then a smile spread across her face. "Well, okay then." She nodded to the subdivision. "Let's go meet some people and talk."
"I'm sorry, but we can't stay." I hadn't been able to get the nagging feeling about my family to go away. I'd been so stupid not to even consider that the council would try to use them against me. They had already used Max.
"Why not?" She shifted her weight to one side.
"I need to check on my parents." I had nothing to lose by being honest with her. "Something was said that alluded to their well-being."
"Then you've come to the right place." She turned around and looked at the other guys. "I'm good with it if Milo is." She nodded her head to Kai's father.
Milo? I linked with Liam as I watched her address Mr. Thorn.
That's Kai's Dad's first name. Liam took my hand in his and pulled me close to his side.
"Yeah, it's fine." Mr. Thorn nodded at me. "She's trustworthy."
"Fine, but what about those two?" The tallest guy next to Willow raised his hand to point in Liam and Bree's direction. His long, black hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and with the movement of his arm, his shirt rose just enough to get a glimpse of rock hard abs. He couldn't be much older than us, yet his eyes seemed so mature.
"They're fine." Willow turned toward the guy who was at least five inches taller than her. "I won't repeat myself again."
"Damn. Fine." The guy turned on his heel and marched off toward the houses.
"Ignore him." Willow winked at me. "He's kind of anal. Now let's go."
The group all turned their backs to us, heading in the same direction.
"Wait, we've got to go." I just told her I needed to get home.
"You'll want to see this before you leave." Mr. Thorn stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "I promise."
"If you want to go, we can just leave." Liam pulled me into his arms. "We don't have to listen to them."
"I agree with Liam." Bree reached over and touched my arm.
"Let's see what they want to show us first." The rebellion was offering a peek into how they operated. I'd be stupid to reject this offer. I might need their help to free my parents. "Then we'll go."
Are you sure? Liam's voice was rough with concern.
Yes, but I don't want to stay long. I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
"Do we leave your car here?" Bree glanced around.
"Yeah, they didn't mention for me to bring it in. It's not like we're far anyway." Liam released me from his arms and took my hand in his. "Let's get in and out."
"Sounds good to me." Bree stepped over to my other side and we followed the others.
When we caught back up with them, they stopped where the road split into a huge circle. Everyone except Willow, Kai, and Mr. Thorn went to the left while the three of them waited for us.
"We have a surprise for you." Mr. Thorn smiled as he pointed over to the fourth house on the right. "Why don't you go knock on that door?"
That was a strange request but one I was willing to oblige. "Okay."
I don't like this. Liam's body tensed next to mine.
They can't risk losing our help. We were an asset to them right now. It'll be fine.
Bree stayed on my other side, and we quickly approached the house. The houses were small and modest, but they seemed solidly built. They were all painted white and looked exactly the same. When I reached the door, I held my hand out and knocked on
it.
The door opened in seconds, and what I saw stole my breath.
"Mia." Mom's mouth dropped open, and she paused for a second before pulling me into her arms.
I wrapped my arms around her, taking in a breath of her chocolate scent.
"I've been so worried about you." She yelled over her shoulder. "Ethan! Max! She's here!"
"What?" I heard my father's familiar, deep voice call from inside.
"All three of you are here?" All the stress that had been bottled up inside me calmed.
"Yes, we are." She let me go and then pulled Liam into a huge hug. "We were worried about both of you."
Liam’s body tensed for a second before he relaxed and returned my mother's warm embrace.
"You can't hog them all to yourself." Ethan slid past mom, who was blocking the doorway, and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.
I hugged him back, my heart so full it felt like it might explode. "How did you guys get here?"
"Well, someone showed up at our door while you were away on that trip and told me that we needed to come with them." Dad let me go. "At first, we were hesitant, but we already knew what the council had done to Max. We couldn't chance that again."
At the sound of his name, he came out onto the front porch and winked at me. "Hey, sis." He and Ethan were the spitting image of each other. They had light blond hair and dark eyes that looked as if they could see into your soul.
"And Bree. Long time no see." He gave me a side hug and then walked over to her.
"Bree?" Mom focused more on my friend.
"Oh, this is Liam's sister, Bree." I took her hand, pulling her in my direction. "She's the one who got me accepted into Wolf Moon."
"It's nice to meet you all." She gave them a warm smile and shook their hands.
"Wait, if you're here, does that mean you got pulled out of KSU?" I hadn't even considered that until this moment.
"For now. When this is all over, I'll go back." Max winked at me.
This was all my fault. They were in hiding because of me. "I'm so sorry guys."
"No, don't you dare." Mom lifted her chin. "I was wrong about it all. I should've told you from the very beginning who you were. I didn't realize how important you were to our packs."