“Ronan sent Garret to do his dirtiest deeds,” Sloane spat out. “Like when he had my parents murdered. Less messy, and Garret was the only one he truly trusted that wouldn’t turn on him.” Her tone turned to pleading. “You have no idea what it was like, being part of that clan and having no choice but to follow Ronan’s bidding. At least Ronan only had me steal things. The things he made Eli do, what they did to him when he was just a kid?—”
“Enough.” A pain stabbed at him in the chest as memories he tried to keep hidden threatened to resurface. “Sloane, stop?—”
“They have to know,” Sloane said. “He was a pawn, like everyone else under Ronan’s control. Like me. He was only fifteen. It started when Garrett took him in after his mom died and?—”
“I said enough!” Eli roared.
They can’t find out. Not one can ever know.
Not about his mother, and definitely not about the vials he kept in his pocket. He had told them everything, except one last secret. The last thing he promised his mother.
Never let anyone know, little bird. Promise me.
“Don’t shout at my mate!” Jacob shouted. As he raised a hand, a ball of fire began to form in his hand.
“Whoa!” Quinn jumped in between them. “Jacob, stop.”
“But he?—”
The older Martin held up a hand. “We’re already in enough trouble with the human authorities. The last thing we need is the FDNY to come poking around in here.”
“Jacob,” Sloane soothed, placing a hand on his chest. “It’s okay. Calm down. Mr. Martin—Quinn, surely the Lycan Council will be lenient on the clan members who were forced to do Ronan’s bidding, like me?”
“I’m sure they will be.” The fire dispersed from his hand as he lowered his arm. “But it’s not just that. As Uncle Killian said, Eli lied, and we vouched for him to the Alpha. Lucas Anderson may not be as forgiving. At the very least, he might banish Eli from New York.”
“No!” Olivia cried. “Dad, you have to talk to the Alpha. He can’t banish Eli.”
“I’m sorry, Livy, there’s nothing I—” He stopped short, his eyebrows drawing together. “Wait, why don’t you want him to leave? And how exactly do you know him?”
Olivia’s pretty face paled. “We met a while back.”
Her father’s tone turned dark. “And?”
“And …” She faced Eli, her violet gaze crashing into his. “I’m pregnant. Eli’s the father. And my True Mate.”
Chapter 3
This wasn’t exactly how Olivia wanted Eli or her father to find out, but there was no way she was going to let anyone banish him from New York.
The atmosphere in the room turned thick, and the silence overwhelming. Everyone waited for someone to speak, eyes darting around. Olivia glanced over at Sloane, who shot Jacob a look, who then glared at Eli, who stared back at her, his jaw nearly unhinging from his skull.
“Pregnant?” It was her father who finally broke the silence. “What do you mean, pregnant?”
“You know what I mean, Dad.”
“But did you even … what the hell?” He raked his fingers through his hair. “You got my daughter pregnant, Blake?”
“Excuse me,” she interrupted before Eli could answer. “We were both there when it happened,” she said, which was probably not the smartest thing to say, based on the way her father’s face blanched. “For God’s sake, Dad, I’m an adult with a job of my own. And may I remind you, Arch was born a few months after your wedding?”
“That’s different,” he shot back.
“How so?”
He turned to Eli. “And what do you have to say about this?”
Eli merely blinked at her. “You’re … pregnant.”
“He doesn’t know.” She sent him a sheepish grin. “Yeah, this wasn’t how I wanted to tell you.”
