Chapter 89: Lucas

“This isn’t the place to discuss this,” I urged, giving Soloman a threatening look. “Alpha Derion knows nothing.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Soloman replied. “He was close with the…”

“Don’t,” I growled.

Sutton pulled away from me. “Lucas, what’s going on?” Her brow furrowed and her eyes narrowed at me. “Don’t you know something about my mother?”

“No,” I insisted honestly. “I promise we have no factual information that tells us anything about who your parents were, Sutton.”

But she wasn’t letting it go. She wouldn’t be able to let it go now. Sutton turned to Soloman.

“When we first met, you looked like you had seen a ghost,” she reminded us. “Something about me reminded you of someone. Who was it?”

“It’s not enough, Sutton,” I argued. “It means nothing without proof.”

“Shut up, Lucas,” she yelled.

“It’s your eyes,” Soloman interjected.

The room fell silent. Rhonen was pacing anxiously. All I wanted to do was put a stop to this conversation but I knew in my gut it was too late.

“Heterochromia,” Soloman continued. “Having two different colored eye is a common trait among the royal family.”

Sutton balked, taking a step away from all of us.

“A royal?” she choked. “That’s it? You think I’m a royal because of my eyes?”

“It’s an incredibly rare trait outside the royal bloodline,” Jaden stated.

“It’s not just that,” Soloman said, moving toward her and taking her hand. “You look just like her.”

“Who?” Sutton pressed.

“Soloman…” I warned again. Desperate for him to stop talking.

“Princess Leanetta.”

I forced my hands through my hair, having to turn away from the disaster that was unfolding before me.

“You… you think my mother was this Princess Leanetta?” Sutton stumbled.

“It’s impossible,” I blurted out. “Leanetta died over two decades ago. She died with her mate in that accident. She had no children.”

“But it is possible that you could be a cousin,” Jaden pointed out. “A close one even.”

“Yes,” Soloman said. “I was the one who made contact with your father. He showed me a picture of your mother. While the resemblance to the princess was striking, it wasn’t her. But Beta Jaden is correct, it is possible that you could be a royal relative.”

I shot a look at Soloman. He hadn’t told me that. In fact, he kept implying the opposite. Was he lying then or now? He was up to something.

“Okay,” Sutton said awkwardly. “Say that is the case, why would that matter to Anders?” She turned to me. “And why did you want to keep me from knowing?”

“Because it’s dangerous, Sutton,” I said. “Because there’s a reason certain royals went underground in the first place. If word got out, it would put more than one target on your back. I won’t let that happen.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have been foolish enough to announce your mateship so publicly,” Soloman snapped. “If you had discussed…”

“You brought another Alpha who you knew would likely recognize her for the same reason,” I interrupted. “So don’t try to act like this is on me.”

“I only did that because…”

“Stop it,” Sutton shouted, raising her hands to silence us. “I don’t care who did what. Like you said, there is nothing to support this theory. But you are clearly not the first two to make the connection. So, again, I ask, why would any of this matter to Anders?” She looked between all of us for answers. “If me being alive is such a threat, why not just kill me? Why keep me close?”

“Power,” Jaden stated. “Any member of the royal family, outside the direct heirs and the king himself, automatically has a seat on the Royal Council. As a pack Alpha, his influence would count twofold. Not to mention the inheritance and spot in the line of succession.”

“Then why wait so long?” Sutton questioned. “Why mate me with his Beta?”

“That’s what has me at a loss,” Soloman said. “We need more information about what he’s…”

“Your wolf,” I blurted out, putting pieces together. “He pushed you, Sutton. He pushed you to reveal Nova. He’s been trying to bring her out since you moved into his territory.”

Sutton’s brows furrowed in confusion. She shook her head as she tried to understand.

“You told me he liked it when you fought back,” I said, hating that I had bring up that memory for her.

She nodded. “He needed me to be a lycan,” she whispered. Her eyes shot to mine. “My sister. He said he was going to make my sister find her wolf.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Soloman said. “Your sisters are not lycans.”

“Are you sure?” I questioned. “Even half-lycans have wolves.”

“No, he’s right,” Sutton said anxiously. “They are human. The tea was always mine and my mother’s thing. They hated the stuff. So, they’ve never had wolfsbane. They never had something to suppress their wolves because they never had one to begin with. They are pure human.” She started to pace. “If it was my mother who was the royal, not my father, then technically, my sisters are still part of the royal bloodline, lycan or not, right?”

“Technically,” Soloman said. “However, humans can’t sit on the council. Royal or not.”

“But Anders still could… if he mated with one of my sisters?”

Soloman grimaced. “There is a valid argument for it, yes.”

“But Anders would never mate with a human,” Jaden said. “That’s why he stuck you with Mason.”

“He would if it was the only way to get what he wanted,” I said.

“Hang on,” Jaden said. “As a pack Alpha, he already has influence with the Council. Would it really be worth the effort to go through all of this.”

“An Alpha’s influence isn’t the same as being a full-fledged member of the Royal Council,” Soloman said. “But that isn’t an invalid question. Could that really be all he’s after?”

Sutton raised her hands again. This time they were shaking.

“A more important question — if my sister is human, once he gets whatever he wants, what does that mean for her?”

She looked to me, begging me with her eyes to say what she was thinking was wrong. I wanted to. More than anything, I wanted to ease that fear. But it would be a lie.

“He’ll kill her.”