How?

Wyatt 

Tess stopped still, her jaw practically on the floor, and her eyes had grown about 5 times their usual size, not moving. I don’t think she’s even blinked in the last few, what feels like, minutes. 

Safe to say, her ability to keep herself cool, calm, and collected has crumbled.  

Under any other circumstance, I would find her stunned silence and expression hilarious. 

Her heavy breathing and erratic heartbeat are the only sounds that can be heard for a moment before she finally regains control of herself by shaking her head and clearing her throat. 

“How do you know all that?” She asks, leaning back into her chair. Her shock and vulnerability are still there despite her attempts to hide them. 

I watch her rub her chest and take a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. 

I shrug. “Like I said to your stepdaughter, I’m not dumb. I pay attention to shit. In regards to you specifically, it was easy. I noticed how maternal you are towards her, so I took a gamble and guessed. From there, I connected the dots.”  

She hummed in contemplation, still taking a few needed deep breaths. I take a sip of my drink, giving her the time to calm herself properly and waiting for her to speak.  

“Fair enough.” She says after a moment and nods, seemingly back in control.  

She takes a sip herself before speaking again. “But how did you know about my…you know?” She quietly hisses, and I don’t miss the hint of a fang showing from the corner of her lip as she sets her glass down. 

Ooh, protective…

I raise an amused brow and smirk. “Ah-ha, that was an accident. I saw you two outside when I followed my mate home. Judging by your reaction, you don’t want anyone to know?” I ask, knowing the answer. 

She gives me a ‘what do you think’ look, and I raise my palms, placating her. “Like I said, not my business, and no offense, but I don’t care either. I just wanted us to have an understanding about shit.” I shrug. 

“Duly noted. So, Wyatt, since you apparently know so much about me, I might as well take up your earlier suggestion now that we’re getting all cozy and personal...” She sarcastically drawls, and I chuckle, looking down. 

“Yes, you are correct. I’d prefer that none of my girls know, especially Corinna, who is indeed hiding in the Sanctuary for obvious reasons, however…” She drawled, her lip curling up. “Who said that the boy you saw is hers?” 

My head snaps up. “What? It has to be. I know what I smelled. The pup definitely has your brother’s scent, and he didn’t have a mate before Luna Corinna and, as far as I know, doesn’t have one now.” 

She lowly chuckled. “Oh, I don’t doubt your sniffing abilities. I’m just saying, who said anything about the pup being hers? For all I know, my shitty brother could have many pups running around.” She shrugged.

I tilt my head, brows furrowing in curiosity. Wait what? How? I’m missing something here. Shifters can only have kids with their mates, so how…  

Tess’s knowing chuckle brings me back. “Oh, Alpha, you have SO much to learn about what my brother and father are and have been up to.” She taunts with a sly smile.

“But answer me this: what makes you so curious about the boy?” She says, tilting her head with narrowed eyes.

“He carries my mate’s scent, so I thought…” I trail off, shaking my head. 

I scrub my face and huff. “For a moment, I thought my mate was possibly Luna Corinna, but I guess not from what you’re saying. But I’m still going to kill the bastard.” 

Tess shrugs, but gets cut off when we hear the door open. Anne quickly enters with a bottle under her arm and glasses in her hand. “Woo, the tension in here is high as shit.” She exclaims, closing the door. 

“Oh, good. Perfect timing. I think Wyatt here could use one?” Tess says with a raised brow. 

I exhale heavily and nod my head. Anne puts everything on the desk between us, and before I have a chance to pour, Tess shoos my hand away and pours quite a generous amount for us both. 

She hands me a glass and takes one herself, sitting back down while I have quite the mouthful. I let out a groan of approval as the liquid made its way down. 

Damn, I needed that. 

“Wow, you couldn’t wait.” Anne remarks with a chuckle. 

“Give him a break, Anne. He just found out something that wasn’t very pleasant.” Tess says, taking a sip herself. 

“Oh, that’s nice.” She sighs. 

“Ooh, like what? The drugs, his Beta’s sister, the she-wolves from his pack, or...” 

My head snaps to her, and Tess lets out a growl. 

“Anne, shut it!” Tess snaps. 

“What's this about my Beta’s sister, and what drugs?” I ask. 

Tess rubs her forehead and sighs. “Honestly, that mouth of yours.” 

I look back and forth between them in utter confusion. 

“Well, you’ve done it now, motor mouth.” 

“Sorry…” Anne says, pursing her lip and avoiding eye contact. 

“Alright.” Tess says, taking back control of the room. 

“Anne, I’m serious this time. Think before you fucking open your damn mouth. I know that some things are normal for us, and we are somewhat desensitized to it, but to Alpha Wyatt, they are not. What you just blurted out is personal and unknown to him.” Tess reprimands her. 

Anne chews her lip and nods. "Tess is right, and for that, I am very sorry, Alpha Wyatt. On this one, I should have been more careful.” 

“No offense, but I don’t care.” I turn to Tess. “I need answers like now because every time I learn something, I just get more fucking questions. But first, what is this about Lily?” 

Tess is about to answer. “Wait, should I call my Beta or..?” I ask, looking at both women. They share a look before Tess turns to me. 

“That’s up to you. Do you think he will be able to handle it?” 

“Is it that bad?” I ask. 

“Well….” She looks at Anne before turning back to me. “It’s not pretty. I’m guessing you’ve been fed the usual story about her death?”   

I nod. 

“Then maybe not yet. Once you’ve heard everything, then you can tell your Beta whatever you like, as her situation and suicide are one of many.” 

“So it was suicide.” I murmur. I thought as much, but it’s still hard to hear.   

“She left a note for Dean saying something about refusing to bring her mate’s son into the world after he killed their daughters. Is that a common occurrence?” I ask, getting a feeling in my gut. 

“Yes,” Tess says, not beating around the bush. 

I close my eyes, trying to stifle the growl that wants to erupt in rage by taking a swig. I end up finishing my drink in one go and sigh. Anne holds the bottle up, silently asking if I want a refill. 

I nod. “Yes, please. Fill her up.” I sigh. 

I turn to Tess and jut my chin for her to continue. “It’s the men, mostly, causing the abortions all because, most likely, the women were carrying girls.” Tess says, suppressing the snarl.   

“But why? That sounds fucking ridiculous. From what my father says, the council is complaining about the lack of females. So how, why…” 

Tess starts snickering before erupting in laughter, like I have just said the most hilarious thing on the planet. 

It takes her a while to calm down and catch her breath. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just every time I hear that type of hypocrisy and bullshit, I have to laugh.” She says, wiping her eye. 

“Alpha Wyatt, let me tell you a secret or a few. The council are a bunch of fucking liars, your father and mother included.” 

My brows slightly go up, but I don’t say anything, wanting her to continue.  

She lets out a deep sigh and stands up. “I’m sure you’re aware of this ‘one girl pup’ law?” 

“Yes.” 

She nods, her expression darkening as she turns away from me. She looks at the wall with her arms crossed and sighs heavily. “That bullshit started with my father, who apparently likes to think he can play God. I don't know why; all I know is that they prefer that she-wolves be on the ‘weak’ end of the gene pool, mostly being born to omegas, sometimes warriors, but preferably omegas. I will explain the how part of that later. Oh, and omegas don’t have to worry about the one-girl pup law, but bad news if they have male pups. Let's just say most of those pups are lucky to see their 1st birthday, whereas, for high-ranking wolves, it's the opposite. You see, only ranked she-wolves are allowed to have unlimited amounts of male pups and one girl because, of course, you need to have some females around only for them to grow up and give their lives for those bastards and to have those all-important pure-blood male pups. However, and this is where it gets hypocritically interesting.." She scoffs. "If a she-wolf gets pregnant with a girl first, she's forced to get rid of it, medically, over and over again until she's finally pregnant with a boy, and then she’s allowed to keep one girl, and of course, as many male pups, as I already mentioned, after that. Apparently, one can’t have too many of those.” She sarcastically says, and even with her back to me, I can tell her eyes rolled all the way up into her head. 

“But it's gotten worse in recent years, which I didn't think was possible. Lately, I've learned that some, my brother included, like to abort their kids using their own hands, and from what I understand, with Xander at the helm, that's now the standard practice with many of the Alphas, Betas, Gammas, and Deltas doing the same whether it’s their mates or whoever they knocked up.” 

She finally turns around, and I see her holding back tears, but her voice stays firm. “And as if all that wasn't enough, she-wolves are often subjected to horrific abuse by their so-called mates, whether it be mental, verbal, physical, or sexual. Trust me, Alpha Wyatt, I have heard so much twisted, fucked up, sadistic shit that I no longer ponder if it can get any worse. Feel free to use your own imagination about what these women go through and have been through for decades, as we have reached way below the lowest depths of depravity. Anyway, I only mentioned that because, as you can guess, years of that type of abuse have left us broken, hopeless, weak, and many of us without our wolves. This is also why most only end up having one or maybe two pups if lucky, so yes, I agree with your earlier statement: we cannot carry on like this.” 

Holy fuck. This is…so beyond fucked up. I shake my head, rubbing my forehead. 

Just when I think it can’t get any worse, Tess speaks again. 

“You know, it’s a myth when they say that Luna Corinna is why many she-wolves began running away. In reality, a lot of us have been going on the run long before she came around, but they still like to blame her. Oh, the politics of it all.” She rolled her eyes again. “There was no way to hide it since Corinna was Xander’s mate, and he had many eyes on him. However, it’s the suicides that began happening not long after her disappearance. For many, they realized it’s the only way out, and in some cases, like your Beta’s sister, it’s also the ultimate fuck you to the men because they will do it before their heirs are born. I know it sounds horrible, but why should they get what they want, and yet these women have to suffer the deaths of their other children only for their boys to grow up and become the next generation of sadistic bastards?” She shrugs, reaching for her glass. 

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out because what the fuck do you say to all? Sure, I knew some were fucked in the head, but fuck me….This is…just diabolical, fucked up shit. 

"I give us about two decades before we die out unless someone steps in and does a massive cleanup." She murmurs ominously into her glass, taking a sip. 

“It’s fucked up, ain’t it?” Anne murmurs from her seat. 

I turn to look at her, and before I can answer, my head tilts to the side, and my eyes narrow on her sad expression. Due to my prolonged focus on her, I suddenly sense something else about her. She’s not a full or pure Alpha. 

I turn to look at Tess, and she nods. “Yup, her father is one of those Alphas. Roman is one of the many Alphas, like my father, my HALF-brother who had kids with omegas, and you are looking at two examples. The only reason Randall claimed me was because Xander’s mother never got pregnant after she gave birth to him. Like I mentioned, the pain and damage were too much. In Anne’s case, Roman only claimed her after I took her. Anne’s mother was a young, sweet omega who sadly didn’t know anything besides being a slave. During one of my secret visits after I left, Gwen noticed me and begged me to take her as she knew he was going to kill her during his ‘visits’ eventually. Sure enough, we got confirmation when I rescued some of the omegas a year later.” She sighed. 

I nod and turn to Anne. “I’m very sorry about your mother.” 

Anne gives me a sad shrug. “It is what it is. I now try my best to ensure the next little girl or boy doesn’t go through what I did, or Tess did. I will be forever grateful to both of my mothers, as one gave her life for my freedom and life, and Tess risks hers by keeping me hidden as best she can so I don’t become a forced baby-making pleasure machine, and I plan to use it to the fullest extent.” She says, with her back straight, giving us both an assuring nod despite the tear that rolls down her cheek. 

I give her a curt nod, clear my throat, and get back on topic. “Right, you mentioned these guys can knock these women up. How?” 

“We don’t know what it is, as the women don’t know either, and we haven’t been able to get close to figuring it out. All we know is that it’s a drug that boosts their fertility, and somehow, it surpasses the laws of nature.” Tess says, frustrated. 

“Well, allow me to bridge that gap.” I say with a smirk, pulling my phone out. 

On the fourth ring, the call connects, and the first thing I hear is loud skin slapping, a man lowly growling and grunting in pleasure mixed with a woman's muffled moans in the background. 

“This better be fucking important…” He growls, clearly annoyed at the interruption.