“After my last call with Dermot,” Liam begins. “I lost my mind a little. One minute I was holding the phone; the next, I was standing on the edge of a cliff. I couldn’t think about anything other than what I’d lost. How was I supposed to go on without the woman I loved?” I keep my eyes on Liam, both my wolf and I reading the man for lies. I don’t sense any right now, but he’s only just begun his story. “I was part of Riverside Pack, but they didn’t have much to do with me. Jay, my wolf, was too dominant for them, so they pretty much outcast me. I had no one to talk to, no one to give a damn, and no one to miss me. Having my father trick me into thinking I could finally go home was the last straw. Call me what you will, but at that moment, I no longer wanted to live.” He shrugs, and I see such sadness in his eyes. “I let myself fall,” My mother gasps, eyes wide, and I see the tears in her eyes. However, she doesn’t say anything, not wanting to interrupt her mate as he speaks. “I don

“You’re awfully quiet.”I turn my head and look at Liam.After leaving Orrin’s office, I sent Liam to our room and checked on my children. The girls were all fine, and I explained that Liam would be staying, but I couldn’t find Adrian anywhere. I mind-linked him, but he didn’t answer.I’m worried about my son, and I pray that he’ll come around. He didn’t take well to the news that Orrin was not Dermot’s biological son or that Liam is now my mate.I will never regret my children, and I can’t say that my life with Dermot was utterly awful. It wasn’t, and there were times I was happy with my mate. However, I could never forget Liam, and I know it was wrong, but I never stopped loving him.When Liam walked passe

Having my whole family around the breakfast table brings a smile to my face. Cedric and Lysette haven’t arrived yet, but they’ll be here soon. They’ve been travelling since Adore’s ceremony because Cedric wanted to show Lysette how much Zidiah had changed in the time she’d been blind. Mother hadn’t mentioned Liam to them because Mother wasn’t ready. Jasper couldn’t contain his excitement to see Liam, which is crazy when he's never met the man. Though I suppose he's heard a lot about Liam from Cedric. Dermot may not have spoken about Liam to his children, but Cedric was never shy in speaking about his big brother. Dermot forbade Cedric from saying anything to my siblings and me, however. Jasper was shocked to learn that Liam was my father, as I imagine everyone was. Jasper has been sworn to secrecy because I don’t want it getting out just yet. I haven’t decided what to do about this whole thing yet. My sisters have gotten used to the fact pretty quickly. All three have been talking t

I can’t take all that I’m seeing. I never saw the side of my father, who beat and belittled his mate, but that’s what he did. Every time he and Mother were alone, he’d hurt her in some way, physical or mental. How could she claim he was her best friend when he hurt her so badly? Father blamed Mother for the death of the woman he loved. He took no responsibility for what he’d done; it was all Mother’s fault. I never realised how like his father mine was. Of course, I knew he took Orrin and me from Mother, but the rest is a shock. Did I know the man at all? From Liam’s point of view, I’ve seen the bullying that went on within his own family. The constant put-downs and the only person ever to stand up for him was my mother. I see the moment my grandfather and father gloated to Liam that he’d lost my mother to the mate bond. My father raped my mother, yet she couldn’t bring herself to tell Liam the truth. She couldn’t because my father had threatened to kill Liam if she did. My moth

We all turn to see Cedric walking through the door with Lysette. Jasper walks over to his mother and hugs her tightly. I forgot Jasper was in the room; he was so quiet. “Cedric,” Liam gasps before pulling away from my mother. Cedric practically runs to Liam and throws his arms around his older brother. Cedric was the reason my siblings and I knew so much about Liam. Whenever Dermot was out of earshot, Cedric would tell Adrian and me stories, and they’d always make us laugh. Looking back on things, I remember seeing my uncle Cedric was I was seven. Dermot granted him a visit with me at Cedric’s request. I’d been so lonely for days because I hadn’t seen anyone other than the Elders. Cedric sat with me and told me how much my mother loved me. He told me to hold that in my heart and never forget. Then he sat stroking the back of my hair, and he said, ‘You look so much like your father,’ I remember laughing and saying, ‘I don’t look like Father,’ Cedric laughed nervously and said, ‘No