Chapter 39: Lucas

 

The episode was already subsiding as I held her. She clung to me as she sobbed. Her entire body still shaking with terror. Knox bounded into the clearing, followed by Uncle Rodney’s and Connor’s wolves, Corin and Malto. Taking in the scene, they shifted to their human forms.

“We caught the scent of another one,” Jaden said, eyeing the body nearby. “Max and the others followed it. Was he a Dawn Stalker?”

I nodded once. He looked at Sutton as she cried against my chest. His brow furrowed.

“She’s bleeding,” he said as he dropped next to us.

He reached for her arm but she yelled, recoiling at his touch. She clung even tighter to me.

“Shh, baby, it’s okay,” I assured her. “We need to check if you’re hurt.”

“No, no, no, no,” she protested.

I didn’t keep trying to force her. Keeping a hold of her instead. I didn’t smell any of her blood anyway. She may have some bruises but there weren’t any open wounds at least.

“It’s not hers,” I told Jaden, tipping my head toward the lifeless body.

“How in the…” Uncle Rodney breathed.

“She’s a fighter,” Jaden said, repeating my words.

“Check him,” I told Jaden.

Jaden went over and shifted the collar of the dead man’s shirt, checking for a mark. Moving to the other side, I saw him tense up. Looking back at me, nodding confirmation. Uncle Rodney cursed under his breath. Tucking an arm under Sutton’s legs, I managed to get back to my feet.

‘Max, tell me you caught the other one,’ I linked my Gamma.

‘We’re bringing him back now,’ he replied.

‘Don’t,’ I instructed as I started walking. ‘Get rid of him.’

“What’s the plan?” Jaden asked as he followed.

“I’m taking Sutton home,” I said. “You go with Max back to the border station. Dispose of the other two.”

“You said you’d release them,” Jaden replied quietly.

“They lied first,” I said. “They knew their friends got through.”

I took Sutton back to the house. Going to the bedroom, I sat her down on the bed and locked the door before getting a wet cloth from the bathroom. When I stepped back out, Sutton was staring at her hands. They were still shaking. I knelt down in front of her and started to clean the blood away.

“I did it again,” she breathed. “I killed him. I murdered someone again. What’s wrong with me?”

“No. Look at me,” I said, taking her face in my hands. “No, Sutton. You didn’t kill him. I did. You fought to defend yourself. You did exactly what you were supposed to do.”

“What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing,” I insisted. “Your wolf is emerging. Your body has to prepare itself for the change. It will be uncomfortable for a while until your first full shift.”

“I don’t understand why this is happening,” she said, more tears falling.

I took a deep breath, returning to my task of cleaning her up.

“I talked to Dr. Callahan today,” I said. “I asked her to run some blood tests in the hopes of finding some answers.”

“You what?” she sniffed.

“She found something,” I admitted. “She found a few things actually. I had her run a DNA test. I was right, Sutton. You are lycan. Both of your parents were.”

“That can’t be right,” she said. “My mother was human. She didn’t have a wolf. I would know if she had a wolf. I mean, my sisters are human. You’re wrong.”

I took her hands. “It’s not wrong, Sutton. And we’ll find answers for that. I promise. But there’s something else that you need to know. She found traces of a poison in your system. A poison that likely prevented your wolf from emerging when you were a teenager, like they are meant to.”

“What… what are you saying? What kind of poison can still be found in my blood for years after…”

“None,” I said. “It’s been fed to you for most of your life to keep your wolf suppressed.”

Sutton didn’t say anything else. She became catatonic as the situation sunk in. I hated that I was having to tell her this way. She had just been attacked again and now I was shattering the last figment of a happy life she still had. I brushed her hair back, holding her chin.

“I’m going to go pack the car,” I told her. “We’re going home. I’ll get you through this.”

I kissed her forehead and stood up, grabbing the bags we hadn’t even had the opportunity to unpack. Aunt Lara met me in the living room.

“Please tell me Sutton is okay, Lucas,” she said, her voice cracking from unshed tears. “I’m so sorry. I never meant…”

I stopped still on the front porch. Taking a deep breath as I remembered how I had spoken to my aunt a little while ago. Even Rhonen hung his tail between his legs in shame. We all knew there was a likelihood that someone would see Sutton here. Aunt Lara did a good job hiding who she was, and it was good for her to get to know the pack, even in such a small capacity. This mess wasn’t my aunt’s or uncle’s fault at all.

It was mine for giving in and bringing her in the first place.

“I know you didn’t,” I told her. “I’m sorry for blaming you. But we won’t be back here for a while. And not just because of the border attacks.”

“I still don’t understand what happened,” she said. “Daisy said she was only apologizing to Sutton for being rude.”

“Daisy is a lying, manipulative bitch and I should have put an end to her delusions a long time ago,” I spat, my anger spiking again. I took a deep breath, remembering that I couldn’t take it out on Aunt Lara. “Daisy told Sutton I was going to reject her. That I had been planning to reject my fated mate to be with her.”

Aunt Lara gasped. “She wouldn’t…”

“I heard it myself, Aunt Lara,” I told her. “I know how important she is to you. I won’t stand in the way of you being in her life. But she is no longer welcome in mine.”