Chapter 11: Sutton

I looked at Alpha Lucas. He had the power to help me disappear. He could do it. But something in me doubted he actually would. And infuriatingly, something else in me thought that may not be a bad thing. I pushed that part down, denying its existence. It was a stupid, foolish feeling.

No, I needed to get away from everyone. This may be my only chance to make that happen before Alpha Anders comes looking for me. But I’d have to tell Alpha Lucas whatever I could.

I took a deep breath, swallowing my fear and shame.

“It’s a long story,” I managed.

Alpha Lucas patted the spot next to him on the bed. “I’m listening.”

I hesitated, but my feet carried me back to the bed. I sat at the head, my back against the headboard.

“Before I was mated with Beta Mason, I lived with my father and two younger sisters,” I started. “My father is a businessman. He has a few specialties — accounting, investments, trade, that sort of thing. He knows a lot of people. We lived in Dranfort, in the human territory, of course. About eight years ago, my youngest sister, Helene, got sick.”

“You said your father made a deal to save her life,” Alpha Lucas said.

I nodded. “She had a rare degenerative condition,” I explained. “We tried everything for years but nothing was working. We learned about an experimental treatment. The research was being performed in the pack territory. For all his connections, he couldn’t get her in with any of the doctors. He didn’t work with the packs enough. Then, about six years ago, he heard about a ranking pack member looking for a specific investment property.”

“Alpha Anders?” he asked, knowing but still seeming surprised.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “It took some time, but within a few months, Dad had helped them broker a deal.”

“What kind of deal? Was the property in pack territory?” Alpha Lucas asked curiously.

“No,” I said. “It was on human land. That’s why they needed my father. I don’t know why it was so important to Alpha Anders or what he planned to do with it. I haven’t actually heard anything about it since then. All I know is that, during the negotiations, my father brought me and my sisters to the more social interactions a few times. Alpha Anders and Beta Mason took a liking to me. So, as it came close to finalizing the deal, my father asked for Alpha Anders’ help getting access to the doctors and their treatment.” I took another deep breath. “Alpha Anders agreed…”

“Under the condition you left with him,” Alpha Lucas finished.

I nodded. “My father wasn’t happy, but I knew what was at stake,” I told him. “Helene was getting worse. She needed that treatment. So, I agreed. And… well, you know the rest from there.”

“Your father should have taken you away the first time Mason laid hands on you,” Alpha Lucas rumbled. “And that doesn’t answer why you won’t contact them now.”

“He didn’t know,” I insisted. “Neither did my sisters. The treatment works, but it’s not a cure. Helene will need the medications for the rest of her life. I…”  I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I tried to tell them once — my father and my other sister, Hannah. But Alpha Anders held Helene’s condition over us all. He even took a stronger interest in Dad’s business over the years. So, I… I couldn’t just leave. Now… now if I go back home, Alpha Anders will kill them all. If they believe I’m missing — that I disappeared — then he’ll just leave them alone. Things will continue on like normal for them.”

“Why would he kill them, Sutton?” Alpha Lucas asked solemnly. “Why would he be so bent on killing you if he found you?”

My breath hitched. I didn’t know if I was ready to tell him that part. He may say he won’t hurt me, but he still believes I’m some innocent victim. What will he do when he finds out otherwise? My mouth went dry as images of that night flashed in my head. I started to feel dizzy. My stomach started to rebel.

Lucas took my hand and somehow started to come back to earth. The warmth and tingling of his touch acting like an anchor.

“Sutton,” his deep voice was calm, “it’s okay.” His hand went to my face. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I just need to know. I need to know for sure. Did you kill Beta Mason? Is that how you escaped?”

A sob wracked through me. “I don’t… I didn’t…” I worked to steady my ragged breathing. “I didn’t check. He was lying there. There was so much blood. He just wasn’t stopping. He was so angry and he wouldn’t stop. There was a knife… I just grabbed it.”

Strong arms engulfed me. Lucas pulled me against his chest, holding me to him.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay,” he murmured. “You fought for your life, Sutton. You did what you had a right to do. It’s a sickening act, but you weren’t wrong. You didn’t do anything wrong, sweetheart. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

He began to rock gently and I found myself clinging to his shirt. For the second time today, I had to face the worst moments of my life. Now, I did it with the realization that I had lost everything, my whole family. I was completely alone.

That must have been why I didn’t push him away. That’s why I didn’t want him to let me go. Why I didn’t shift when the tears started to slow. Why I embraced the comfort of his fingers trailing through my hair as I started to tire.

I just needed something to keep me from feeling completely and utterly alone.

It was nothing to do with the man I found that comfort in.