“It’s a spelled tattoo,” I continued, trying to get it all out before I lost my nerve. “It makes it so I can’t recognize mates. It… blocks the bond.”
Lucus pulled back like I’d slapped him. Horror twisted his expression, and I couldn’t blame him.
We were all taught from birth that a mate was a sacred blessing that not everyone got. The mate connection was stronger than anything else. Something to protect. Something to cherish.
That night, the night we became bosses, I’d had too much on the line. Too much to prove. I couldn’t afford the distraction. My family was counting on me, and I refused to let anything derail that—especially something as messy, as permanent, as a mate.
The truth burned within my mind.That’s part of it… but not all of it.
A buzz on my wrist saved me from the spiral. I nearly thanked the universe out loud.
Ezra.
Fuck, I was supposed to call her an hour ago, and it was already twenty-seven minutes over.
Perfect.
I ducked under Lucus’ arm without looking back, even though they all called out my name. Pulling the earpiece from my watch, I shoved it in my ear.
I’d rather be yelled at by my big sister than face the judgment swimming in the eyes of the men in my living room.
Any fucking day.
20
ANIYAH
“You better have a fucking amazing excuse for not calling me.”
Ezra’s voice was tight with controlled rage. I bolted to the one place I could get away from these men and felt the safest, the closet. Shutting the door on them, I locked them out and prepared myself for Ezra’s fury.
“I’m sorry. I was handling things I didn’t expect to,” I muttered.Like fucking mates I shouldn’t have.
I could picture her in her office, probably elbows-deep in spreadsheets and operational briefings, and the guilt hit me hard. I was supposed to help ease her load, not add to it. Not make her worry.
As I dug my toe into the carpet, mouth opening to apologize again, her voice cracked, something I’d never heard from Ezra in my life.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Do… you need anything?”
That broke something in me. Maybe it was the overload from the last twenty-four hours or the fact that five angry men were pacing outside this door, waiting for answers. Or maybe it was just hearing my cold, ruthless sister’s genuine concern for me that pushed me over the edge. My eyes stung, and I felt everything in me reach out for her, for someone familiar, someone who knew why I’d done what I had without needing an explanation.
“Yeah,” I croaked, then I took a second to clear my throat and force more confidence into my voice. “I’m not hurt. The club’s still standing after a bomb attempt, and the assailants who stormed in are… taken care of. Everything’s fine.”
A pause. Then she snapped back into usual form.
“Do we know who did this?”
I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “Not yet. We’re working on it. We’ll go through the tapes, trace the entry points, and examine the room they tried to bomb. Someone had to have helped them. It was too clean to be an outside job.”
“Understood. Nova’s heading your way,” she said, flat and final.
“I got it. I don’t need?—”
“She’s worried.” Her tone cut through mine like ice. “She wants to see you with her own eyes. You know how she is.”
Yeah, I did, but it wasn’t just Nova. I had a strong feeling Ezra pushed her to leave her Canada scouting trip. Classic Ezra, always two moves ahead.
I opened my mouth to argue again, but she rolled right over me.
