“You can stop lying now, because no one believes you anymore,” I growled. “And since when were the two of you so close?”
Henry’s eyes flashed. “We’re not lying! I’m the baby’s omega-father, and Mav is the alpha-father!”
Their lie began to unravel in front of my eyes. In the heat of the moment, I’d been too full of rage to see the truth. But it was all becoming clear to me now. I had them cornered, and now they would pay.
“That’s not possible,” I growled. “I know you’re working together to get back at us, and I can prove it. First of all, youcan’thave had a baby together—Henry only recently joined Cinderhollow tribe, and the time I saved your sorry ass from Mav at the bar was the first time the two of you ever met.”
Mav looked dumbstruck, like the realization he was caught in his own lie knocked him ass-backwards.
But Henry hadn’t given up just yet. He glared at me. But something about him seemed different. Like he wasoffsomehow. An air of prickly paranoia surrounded him. Whatever his problem was, I was going to rip his lie apart.
“Fine. Mav isn’t the alpha-father. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t give birth to Angel. I—I brought her with me from outside. I hid her from the guards.”
I couldn’t help but groan. He’d just dug himself an even deeper hole. “You’re so stupid. If that was true, Angel wouldn’t even be inside the barrier. You need a guard’s magic to change a person’s energy signature for entrance. So unless you know some fancy magic, you’re fucked, Henry.”
His eyes widened. “I do know magic.”
“Then why didn’t you defend yourself from mine when I attacked you just now?” Ryu asked sharply.
“I couldn’t! I was holding onto the baby!” Henry spat back.
This time it was Ryu’s turn to roll his eyes. “If you were as skilled at clear magic as you say, you could defend yourself without even lifting a finger.” He shook his head, angry at himself. “I can’t believe we were such fools to even entertain your lie for even a second.”
Henry stepped forward with a snarl. “I can still prove it! Let go of me and let me shift. I’ll show you she’s my real daughter!”
“I’d like to see you try. But one step out of line and the snake eats you,” I growled.
Nate flicked his tongue out menacingly.
Henry wrenched his arm out of my grip and shifted into his fox form. He shook out his pelt and glanced at Angel.
“Come on, sweetie,” Henry said. “Show them what you can do.”
Cautiously, I watched Angel. She blinked at Henry, and for a moment I held my breath, ready to laugh at his last-ditch effort to prove us wrong.
But then my gut wrenched.
Angel shifted. Ryu stiffened as her form changed right in his arms. Where a baby girl had been a moment earlier, now was an entirely different creature.
My heart sank.
She shifted into a fox, the same as Henry.
“What?” I cried. “That’s not possible!”
Henry swished his tail back and forth, self-satisfied. “I told you.”
“That doesn’t prove anything,” Ryu declared. “It just means that one of Angel’s parents had to be a fox shifter. It still doesn’t explain where her magic came from, seeing as neither ofyoucan use it.”
“Well, obviously it came from her alpha-father!” Henry retorted, but it was clear from his flustered expression that he’d lost the end of the rope that was his lie.
As if rebelling against Henry, Angel shifted back to her human form and clutched Ryu’s arms. She huddled close to his chest, and he held her tightly. She was completely safe under his protection.
Henry scowled deeper when he saw the little girl throw off the fox form, like it was the final betrayal against him.
“Give it up, Henry,” Ryu snapped. “Nobody believes your story anymore.”
Henry’s face twisted into one of rage—but also, strangely, with a hint of relief. “Fine! Take your stupid baby back! I hated taking care of that thing for two weeks anyway!”
