bChapter /bb279 /b

    Cyra

    After Hacker and Wendy leave to go to the other pack to set up the security system, since we apparently don’t have one at all, Yorick and i we back down with Warren.

    “That was smart to get him out here so quickly,” he says, still frowning at his daughter who is happily watching the screen in front of her and periodically clicking keys and quietly cheering to herself.

    “Let it go, Dad. Just because they didn’t end up working in a hospital like Kennedy, it doesn’t mean that imy /isisters aren’t more like mom bthan /byou. They’re just finding a different mental path to follow.”

    “I guess so,” he says, still frowning. He shakes his head and refocuses on us. “So, tell me about this money.

    Wey it out for him, just like Hacker told us.

    He whistles low and sits back in his chair. “I can understand why you nearly ran off the road. What are you going to do?”

    “Well, I have family I didn’t even know about until today. I want to call them. I don’t even know where their pack is. bI’d /blike to make contact and see if I can meet them, develop a rtionship with them. I mean the imoney /iis great, but we already had a n with Quirin, so that’s icing on the cake. What I’d really like is to get to know my mother’s family and hopefully learn more about her. I have no idea how old my cousin is, but I’d think he’d have to be close to my age. Geez, I don’t even know if my Uncle Ramin is older or younger than my mother was. But they’re family and thanks to all of you, I know how important that is.”

    I reach out and take Yorick’s hand, squeezing it. He pulls my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles while holding my gaze and sending waves of love through our bond.

    Damn I love this man.

    “Let me look up the contact information for Alpha Ramin,” Warren says.

    “Hacker gave it to ius/i. He talked to him earlier this week.”

    We hear Yana squeal behind us and softly p her hands. I grin looking at her.

    “Sorry, they’re going green. This is so exciting!”

    I look back to see Warren frowning at his daughter.

    “Why don’t we go find another iroom /ito call my Uncle,” I suggest to Yorick, just as Luna Yara knocks and enters the room.

    I watch Warren turn to look at her, the frown reced by a loving smile. When I look at Luna Yara, I realize she must be feeling her mate’s disgruntlement at not knowing iabout /ihis daughter’s new interest.

    As Yorick and I stand, shees to sit in her mate’sp, wrapping her arms around his neck.

    “You can’t know everything, my love,” she says as we walk out.

    I hear him grumble something I can’t hear as we step out of the room.

    “Are iyou /inervous?” Yorick asks. I know he can feel my nerves. I have no idea what to expect from my uncle. Does he even know about bme/bb? /b

    “I didn’t know my mother at all, so I have no idea what to expect from my uncle. He could be like your father, or he could be like bmine/bb, /bbor /bsomewhere in between.”

    Inub, /b14 bAug /b

    “No matter what he’s like, we’re fine. I love you. You’re mine. We have a beautiful life ahead of us and if they want to be part of the me great. If they don’t, their loss,” he says.

    I pull my mate into a hug, loving how supportive he is of me every minute of the day, I take a deep breath of his scent, letting his strang art s that he’s wrapped around me give me strength.

    He kisses my neck as I pull away, but takes my hand in his, keeping a physical and mental connection to me as we sit at the bdesk /bin beta

    Lewis‘ office.

    “After this call, do you want to head over to the other side and get settled for the night? I’d like to talk to Beta Eric before we go to bed, make sure all is well and check in with Hacker and Wendy too,” I say.

    “Sounds good. I’m with you, Cyra, always,” he says.

    Did I mention how much I love this man?

    I take a deep breath and dial the number Hacker gave me putting it on speakerphone.

    “Alpha Ramin,” a deep voice answers.

    “Alpha Ramin, my name is Cyra Teymoori. Do you know who I am?”

    I hear a chair creak, like my uncle is sitting back in his seat.

    “Well, that didn’t take long, did it?”

    I frown. “I’m sorry? What didn’t take long?”

    *You’re calling about the money, right? You had your private investigator search for the money. He found it a couple of days ago and here you are, calling to get it.”

    I feel Yorick tensing beside me.

    “I didn’t know anything about you, my cousin, or any money until today.”

    “Wowi, /iless than a day and you’re already calling to get it. Your father raised you well,” he growls.

    “What is that supposed to mean?”

    “Your father was a money–grubbing asshole, and I see he raised you to be the same.” His tone is practically a snarl.

    “You don’t know me at all,” I say softly.

    “Right. Well, there are stiptions on that money. You can’t ess it until you’re marked and mated.”

    “My mate and I marked each other a week ago,” I say, feeling disappointment wash over me. I was hoping, hoping so much that he’d be like Yorick’s family, not mine.

    Heughs, but there’s ino /iihumor /iit.

    “One week. Wow, I see Arden trained you well,” he says contemptuously.

    Yorick begins growling beside me,

    but I’ve had enough. This asshole of a man doesn’t even know me. To think that I’m just like bmy /bbfather /bwithout even getting to know me makes him no better than my father in my book.

    “I will have you know that my father is in jail for embezzling money, money that he tried to repay by selling bme /bboff /bbin /bban /bballiance /bbbond /bbwith /bba /b

    b2/3 /b

    b18:22 /bbTH? /bbTA /bbADG /b“C

    neighboring pack. He did it when I was seventeen and didn’t care about me finding my fated mate.”

    “So, you need the money to pay of his debts. Sounds about right,” he says,

    obviously not caring that my father used me to bpay /boff his deber

    I’m about to speak, but my mate has had enough.

    “Alpha Ramin, my name is Alpha Yorick. Are you familiar with name Alpha Quirin?”

    “Everyone is familiar with Alpha Quirin. If they didn’t know the name before, they certainly do after his recent, violent takeover of banother /bAlpha’s pack. I don’t see how that has anything to do with this,” he says.

    “Alpha Quirin is my brother–inw, mated to my sister. He used his own money to pay off that debt and get my mate out of that alliance bond He has alsoe up with a n for us to pay him back for that loan within eight years. So we don’t need your fucking money, and byou /bbcan /bgo to hell,” he snarls, ending the call.

    I stare at the phone while Yorick pants angrily beside me.

    “Well, that didn’t go like I hoped it would,” I say softly. I guess my entire family is a bunch iof /iassholes. Alpha Ramin probably paid my father so he could get rid of my mother.

    Yorick stands and pulls me into a hug. “This changes nothing. I know it’s disappointing, but we already had a n to repay the money. We already had a n to live a beautiful life together. That doesn’t change.”

    I nod. “I guess I hadn’t realized just how much I wanted to have at least some family that was decent.”

    “You do. You have a great family. They ijust /iaren’t blood rtives.”

    I let him hold me, breathing in his scent and breathing iout /imy disappointment until I feel ready to face our next challenge.

    i“/iAlrighti, /ilet’s get to the other side. We have work to do,” I say.

    He leans backi, /inot releasing me from the hug. He icups /imy cheek and leans in ito /ikiss me, gently, lovingly, taking his time and reminding me that I’m not alonei. /i

    biAD /i/b

    mment