“We have an onsite daycare. We saw it on the tour.” That’s where Blaise’s baby would be when they came back to work.
Given everyone in my pack seemed to want a stack of kids, maybe we should borrow some and then see what they thought.
“I’m sure we’ll figure it out. It’s just tough with Adriana in jail. We now have one less income, one less adult. I don’t regret what I did, but it’s affecting us more than I expected, and it hasn’t even gone to trial yet,” he explained.
“Is it going to trial?” I didn’t know how things worked here, and I’d been letting Spencer and Brennan handle both cases–me being trafficked and her stabbing Spencer.
He nodded slowly. “They found Thora’s mom. She turned over thecontractand all the details in exchange for a lighter sentence. It was her, Rosalind, and Adriana who did this.”
“Shit.” I hadn’t realized that Thora and Rosalind’s mom was part of this, too.
It could have been her idea. She’d already lost one daughter, so why not save the other?
“Was she surprised that you found me?” I was still curious about who the contact was.
“She was more interested in how her daughter was. Not how I’d expect a grandmother to behave. My parents and siblings send their love. One day they’d like to meet you.” He frowned as he poked at his food.
“Okay. I… I’m trying here, Professor.” This was a lot. Today was a lot.
“I appreciate you trying so much, Grace. What did Rosalind do to you? Those scars…” Pain clouded his eyes as he took a sip of his drink.
“Do you really want to know?” While part of me wanted to spare his feelings because he’d been through a lot, another part of me wanted him to fully understand what his pack did to me. It felt so much worse now that I knew the truth.
I understood Rosalind’s hatred of alphas and her fear I’d upend her life. But still, how could she dislike me that much? Okay, I wasn’t her daughter, but I was her niece. I never asked for that life.
Nate nodded slowly. “She did that to you? Why?”
“Technically, she sent me someplace, and they did it. It was because of Wes. I started dreaming of him when I was ten. I was seventeen when she found out about it and got upset that I was convinced that I had an alpha soulmate out there. That was how they made me forget him.” My voice was quiet as I toyed with my food.
“You and Wes are scent matches, right? She made you forget him?” He sucked in a breath.
“Yeah. For a long time I thought he was a childish fantasy.”
Nate frowned. “Wes didn’t try to find you?”
“He did. But when we stopped dreaming of each other, he thought I was dead.” I took a sip of my drink.
“But you found each other, eventually.” Worry creased his brow.
“We did. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if we’d found each other sooner.” It was a pointless thought. If she hadn’t made me forget him, we wouldn’t have found each other sooner, I just would have had him to keep me company.
And if I’d grown up with the professor…
My childhood would have still been shitty, because I would have been 100% parentified and there would have been resentment from the other parents.
“I don’t understand why she would make you forget him. Dreaming of your soulmate is a beautiful thing. Pip and I didn’t even do that. Yes, Rosalind wasn’t the best person, but how hard would it be to take you to a Center and have them help find him?” Anguish rolled off of him.
“It was a threat to her existence. I don’t think she gave much thought to what raising kids would mean. Until we grew up.” I was glad my brothers were in another world and didn’t have to worry about illegal genetics.
“Oh.” Nate nodded. “I can see that. It’s still awful.”
“Yeah. Did she even love me? Or was I always just a tool?” I sniffled. I’d been wondering about that. Maybe when I was little?
“Honestly, I’m not sure she’s capable of love. I’m sure marrying, having kids, and everything else was just all part of the construct she made to protect herself without thinking about how her actions affected those around her,” he admitted honestly.
“True.” While she didn’t seem as harsh towards some of my brothers, I wasn’t sure that she loved them, either. As for the man who raised me, she was kind to him in a way I seldom saw her be to anyone else. Sometimes I saw them being flirty and having little stolen moments.
She could have loved him–or lusted.
