*Molly*
The bond with Seth feels almost frantic as we head up the stairs to the room Austin has for us. He leaves us and I take our bags, placing them on the bed to unpack them as my mate obsessively paces the room.
I step in front of him, taking his hands in mine. “Talk to me,” I say to him. I want so badly to help him, but I’m not even sure what’s wrong.
“She’s alive,” he says softly, and I can see the heartbreak on his face. “They told me she was dead.”
“Your grandmother?” I ask him, finally realizing the issue. I reach up to push a hair that escaped his hair tie back from his face. Slowly, he nods, looking into my eyes. “They didn’t seem to know that you think that.”
“No, they didn’t,” he says, furrowing his brow in thought. “I’m so confused. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked mom to come. I can call and send her back.”
I shake my head at him. “Seth, she has the kids.” I know he’s struggling with… well, whatever it is that’s going on here, but I need my kids here with me. After everything that happened to me as a kid, I don’t like to go without them.
He looks at me, clearly struggling to make a decision whether to send them back and face my wrath or let her come and have to ask what’s going on. “Maybe they told her she was dead.”
“Maybe,” I say, as if that’s a good enough excuse for any of this. Honestly, why can’t anything involving our parents just be simple. “It’s going to be fine. I’m sure there’s a reason. But right now, I need you to pull it together because we have to talk to him about Della and the kids. Are you SURE we can trust him?”
“I thought so,” he tells me. “I still do.”
I nod, wrapping my arms around him. “That’s good enough for me.”
We walk down the hall, following the directions that Austin had given us and knock on the door. He opens it, welcoming us in and leads us to an old, lumpy couch. Seth and I take a seat next to each other and he sits in a chair across from us.
“I’m afraid we may be putting you into a dangerous position with this,” Seth starts. “I don’t think it will be, but it COULD be.”
“How dangerous?” Austin asks, not seeming to be too terribly surprised.
“We’re going to tell you everything, but we need your word to keep it to yourself,” I tell him and he suddenly looks angry.
Austin leans back, looking up at the ceiling. “Are you going to command me, too?”
“What? No!” I say, looking over at my mate who seems equally as confused. “Who commanded you… what?”
He looks at me quizzically, his eyes going to Seth. “You really don’t know anything.”
I can feel Seth start to grow more anxious through our bond and I place my hand on his leg, hoping it’s some comfort.
“I know that I’m confused. I know that my mom is coming with my kids even though she never comes here. I know that Molly’s mom is coming, but she sounded upset when I spoke with her,” he tells him and I try my best not to let anything show on my face, but this is a shock to hear. “I know that I was always told my grandmother was dead, but she seemed very much alive earlier.”
Austin just stares at him, clearly unsure how to respond. After a few moments of silence and blinking between the two of them, he finally is the first to speak. “They told you she was dead?”
“Yes,” Seth tells him, his voice so soft and unsure and so unlike him. “I don’t understand anything happening.”
Austin rakes his hand through his shorter hair, clearly frustrated. “There are things you need to know, but I cannot be the one to tell you,” he tells him and leans forward. “To be clear, I WANT to tell you, but I CANNOT.”
“Can you tell us who gave you the order?” I ask him, squeezing Seth’s leg.
He pauses and sighs. “It would seem not. I am so sorry. I’ve missed your whole life because of this nonsense, but you’re correct. Your grandmother is very much alive, and she’s very excited to see you, your mate, and your children.”
Seth clasps his hands together, leaning forward as he rests his elbows on his knees. “As much as I hate to do this, we do have business to discuss. There will be no orders. We are trusting you.”
“Thank you,” he says and I can tell just how much it means to him. “So the woman…”
“Della, but we’ll need to change her name,” I tell him. “Honestly, I’d like to change the kids names too, but the smaller ones may have problems with it.”
He nods but doesn’t say anything, listening intently and absorbing what I tell him. “She’s the mate of my biological father’s former beta. He was arrested for aiding those who helped attack us while I was giving birth to the twins. But he was after my father.”
“After Randall?” he asks to clarify.
I shake my head, realizing this is confusing, but that he seems to know Dad. “Randall is my adoptive father. My Biological father is Benjamin.”
“Ulf?” he asks and I nod.
“You know him?”
“No, well, we met a time or two,” he says. “Everyone knew of Benjamin Ulf, though. He was one of the strongest wolves I’ve ever seen. How’s he been?”
“Did you read Molly’s article in the paper?” Seth asks him and he smiles.
“Of course I did,” she tells him with a smile. “Mom saved a copy. She was so happy to read something about her grandson that didn’t come from the palace, even if it was just about your mate.”
I smile at him. Whatever happened really hurt Seth’s grandmother, but she seems to have always loved him. “Alex was captured and is being held in the prison at the palace. We have let Lucas go free in an attempt to figure out what exactly is going on. Essentially, there’s a whole pack of people in the Rogue Lands to the north, and they need to form an actual pack. So much time has passed that if people decide to stay, well, we want to just leave them be.”
“A bold plan,” he says, raising an eyebrow just like Seth does. Goddess, it’s like looking at my mate in another fifteen years. “So they’re moving here for safety?”
“Yes,” I tell him. “Alex is willing to give us information in exchange for their protection and we need that before we can name an Alpha. We let Lucas make a suggestion, but we don’t know if we can trust him.”
He nods, seeming to understand the issue. “Do you mind if I ask who he selected? I doubt I know anyone out there, but who knows?”
“A man named David Mingan,” Seth tells him and Austin’s eyes widen. “He has the Alpha gene, but I don’t know what’s up.”
“You can’t let him lead a pack,” Austin tells him firmly. “I… uhh… UGH! I CAN’T tell you more, but ask your parents, both of you. They’ll know.”
Aksara