“I didn’t even notice!”
“Why? Don’t you have a gaydar?”
“Normally I am quite good at noticing,” he mutters. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, Rory, I am sure that I am gay,” I say.
“Sorry, foot in my mouth, remember?”
“To your defense, I have been in the closet for so long that the closet might have turned moldy.”
He sighs. “Really, I didn't mean to question your sexuality. Do Forest and Rose know?”
I nod. “And Griffin knows.”
Rory stares into his drink. “I know that Clemmens is not an excuse for how shitty I am being to others, but I really can’t get over what he did. It’s not just that he was my mate, he was also my best friend before that. And it’s not just him. It’s me too. Ican’t get over the fact that I didn’t protect my family. I should have protected Rosea, I should have protected her family. They took me in and raised me like I was their own. Rosea was like a sister to me. But I didn’t do shit.”
“Rory, it’s not your fault.”
“I should have tried harder. I saw Jordan and knew he was full of shit. I had met someone like him before, and it just instantly… you know… clicked.” He groans. “But instead of staying calm and trying to convince them, I just got impatient and annoyed.”
“And Clemmens didn’t believe you either. Honestly, all of this just sucks. None of it is your fault, or Rose’s or her parents’.” I pause, eyeing him over. There are lines on his face, making him look a little older than he is. The last couple of years must have truly worn him down. “Say, why did Jordan try to kill you? I realize no one told me until now.”
“Because no one knows,” he admits.
“What happened?”
“Rose’s mother got sick. The bond and her wolf should have healed her, but it didn’t. Her father died shortly afterward.”
I know that much already. I wait for him to continue the story, but when he doesn’t, I can’t help but frown. “What are you implying?”
“I was snooping around back then. Never bought it that they just died, you know? I mean, it can happen. Jordan kept saying that Rose’s mother was suffering from a rare illness and that her father was stricken by guilt and heartbreak. That’s why they passed so shortly after each other. But then one of the omegas in the kitchen staff told me that one of Jordan’s most trusted men constantly brought food to the two patients.”
“Wait a moment… what?!”
“I dug around in the guy’s cabinet. You know, the warrior who was tasked with bringing them their food. I found spices and potions that looked unusual. One of my best friends in the packwas a nurse. She helped me analyze everything. Well, you can guess the rest.”
“Jordan poisoned them?!”
“Yeah. And I still need to find a way to tell Rose,” he says quietly.
“You can’t postpone it,” I say. “Why don’t you come with me when I tell them what I found out today? You need to tell them,” I urge. “This is a major secret.”
“I know, I actually scheduled a meeting with them for tomorrow”—he glances at his watch—“or rather, later today. I hate hurting Rose again, but she needs to know the truth.”
“She was suspecting something like that,” I say. “She actually had the elders, Griffin and me do some research. The only reason we hadn’t dug deeper yet was because of you. We heard about you possibly being alive, and you were our priority.” I pause. “Say, that most trusted warrior you mentioned. What’s his name?”
“A guy named Jonah,” he says promptly.
“Why am I not surprised…”
“You know him?”
“He is my contact and basically kisses the ground Jordan walks on,” I say, taking a deep breath. “We’ll get them, Rory. We are onto them. Let’s be their downfall.”
Rory nods grimly. “Time to bring justice to all their victims, and to Rose.”
forty-four
