Chapter 29: Lucas

She said it so decisively — so defensively — there was no way to miss the fear and shame behind the response. My head snapped to her. Her face was red and she was trying to hide behind the laptop. There was definitely something she wasn’t telling me.

“Okay, Sutton, talk,” I ordered. “There’s a reason you don’t want to reach out to your family and it’s not because of your sister’s treatment. Tell me.”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter,” she insisted.

“It does matter,” I replied sternly. “We can help protect your sister and still help you get in contact. You simply don’t want to speak with them. Tell me why.”

“Because they didn’t believe me,” Sutton blurted out angrily.

I tensed. Rhonen growled in the back of my mind, his hackles raised. I wasn’t sure what she was talking about but we both had a hunch. Whatever she was going to say next, I had control my response.

“They didn’t believe you about what?”

She chewed her lip so aggressively I thought it would bleed.

“Sutton…”

“I… I told my sister, Hannah, about Mason hitting me,” she replied, confirming my suspicions. “It was that first year. He had pretty much isolated me from the rest of the pack. I just needed someone to talk to. So I told Hannah when they came to visit. I just wanted someone to know. I didn’t want her to do anything. But a few months later, when they came back again, she said she told Dad.”

“And what did he say?” I pressed, working to keep the threat from my tone.

“He didn’t believe her,” she said. “Didn’t believe me, essentially. He said I was just trying to get attention because I mated with Beta Mason to get out of work and I was regretting it. Hannah sided with him. She said I should remember why I was there and that I should appreciate the honor Beta Mason had given me.” She grimaced in disgust. “Honor… that’s what she said. As if I wasn’t worth anything and he was some huge prize.” She shook her head. “It was one thing hearing it from Mason. It was another to have my own family say it.”

I was about to respond but Sutton jumped to her feet before I could. Pacing the floor as she spoke.

“I mean, come on… I gave up my life to save Helene,” she said. “It’s not like I ever dreamed of being a maid, let alone a maid to a bunch of lycans I didn’t even know. And I sure never even thought about being a lycan’s mate. My life was in Dranfort. I wasn’t going anywhere other than the next town over for college. But I didn’t even get to do that. I gave all of that up for Helene. And don’t get me wrong, I would do it again for her. But for Hannah, who sacrificed NOTHING, to tell me I was just trying to get attention…” She threw her up with an angry grunt. Then her shoulders fell and the wind blew out of her. “I stopped fighting Mason after that. I stopped defending myself. It actually helped in a way for a while. He’d get bored and the beatings became less frequent.”

“That doesn’t make a difference, Sutton,” I said, on my feet and rounding the desk. “They never should have doubted you. Least of all your father.”

“STEPfather, remember,” she stated. “I know I call him Dad, because he’s all I’ve ever known. But Helene is his real daughter. He wouldn’t jeopardize her life for…”

“Don’t,” I hissed through gritted teeth. I reached out and grabbed her chin, pulling her to me. “Don’t make excuses for him, Sutton. He took you in as his own. He raised you as his own. You are just as much his responsibility as your sisters. His behavior is unacceptable.”

Sutton sighed, pushing my hand away gently.

“Yeah, well, now you know why I said it’s better that they think I’m dead,” she said sadly. “They’d choose to see me as a murderer… both of Mason… and my sister.”

“Hey…” I gripped her shoulders. The need to reassure her was the only thing keeping my rage at bay. “Sutton, you are not a murderer. If anything, you’re a damn hero.” She scoffed bitterly. “I meant it, baby. I knew Mason. I thought he was a sadistic bastard before I met you. You rid this world of a monster.”

“Well, Helene may not see it that way when her organs start shutting down in a few months,” Sutton replied. “My only hope of her surviving is for them all to think I’m dead. Then Anders won’t have a reason to take this whole mess out on them.”

“I’m not going to let your sister die, Sutton,” I said. “I was going to find your family whether you wanted to speak with them or not. If only to ensure their safety. That includes getting Helene her treatments.”

“And if you do that, Alpha Anders will get suspicious,” she protested.

“Only if we had to,” I added. “I’d get her medicine only if we had to. I won’t get involved in their affairs unless there is a threat. But that would be easier if I knew exactly where to find them. Do they still live in Dranfort?”

Sutton chewed her lip but eventually nodded. “Last time we talked,” she confirmed. “I don’t see them moving anywhere else.”

“Then I will send someone to check it out,” I told her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “We won’t make contact. Not unless it’s necessary. But I will keep looking into your mother. We’re not going to argue about that. Maybe we’ll end up finding your father’s family. They might actually see just how valuable you are.”

“Do you… do you think he actually had any family?” she asked, looking off to the distance. “I always figured he didn’t. That’s why my mom went back to human territory.”

“It’s possible,” I said. “Without knowing what happened to him, it’s hard to know her motivations for leaving.” I tipped her face up to look at me. “But I’m willing to find out if you are.”