I sat up at that, more intrigued than she could know to hear such news. “What was it like?”

“Nothing like you could ever imagine,” she whispered, nibbling her lip again. “The Father isn’t beloved like the Mother though.”

Humming with interest, even though I knew she wasn’t really focused on the curiosities of her new culture, I said, “I can see why you’d be perplexed.”

“Yes. But I’m perplexed about several things.”

“How mom would cheat on father when she was terrified of him? How father, no matter how low he sank, after a very short while, would find himself back on his feet?” I nodded. “Yes, they’re questions that need answering for sure.”

“Especially when I don’t think you’re his child,” she whispered.

“That’s nothing to mourn,” I told her, candid to the last.

“No. It isn’t. But would you say it’s logical to conclude that he owed the Lindowiczs enough to promise me to them, my trust fund with it, and when I married Kian and ruined that plan, he was angry enough to call for my death?”

“Yes.” I pursed my lips because the leap wasn’t illogical so I asked, “You think he pimped her out?”

“I can’t see her cheating on him.”

“No. Of course not. Not unless he sanctioned it.” Anger filled me, but I released it only with a mildly spoken, “Bastard.”

“And she loved him so much,” she replied, her tone mournful.

“She was a fool. That’s why I want nothing of love, Sabina.”

My harder tone of voice had her frowning. “You don’t have to worry about that, Lara. A mate bond goes deeper than love.”

“I don’t want that either. It was attraction. Nothing more, nothing less.”

She huffed. “You say that like you can avoid it. I saw it with my own eyes, Lara. His spirit called to yours. And like I said, he’s family because of you, otherwise I wouldn’t have seen his energy.”

Staring at my lap, I muttered, “What color was it?”

I heard the smile in her voice as she told me, “Have you ever been to Massachusetts in the fall?”

I scowled at that. “What does that have to do with it?”

“Have you or haven’t you?” she groused.

“Yes. I have,” I groused back.

“Think of the leaves just before they fall from the trees.” Her smile was deep. Warm. Happy. For me.

I gulped. “He’s grounded?”

“Yes. Very. Strong, careful as a leader. It goes deeper than just his aura, it’s a part of his being. He would be a good partner.”

The words ‘for you’ went unspoken.

“I don’t need a partner.”

“You’d be surprised what you need when you find the one.”

Sniffing, I chided, “Just because you’ve let three men into your panties, doesn’t mean I’m ready to drop mine.”

She gaped at me. “Did you just call me a slut?”

Had I?

Shit.

I shook my head quickly. “No! I didn’t mean that. I just meant we’re different, Sabina. I don’t want that. I don’t want a man in my life.”

“You’d never tell from how you looked at him last night,” was her cold retort, and I regretted the chill in her voice. Regretted it deeply.

Wincing, I muttered, “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Well, too bad, because you did,” she whispered, getting to her feet and twisting around to head for the door. “If anyone could understand the need to reach for all the happiness you’d never had, I thought it would be you, Lara. Looks like I was wrong.”

I didn’t say another word as she swept out, just let her go, because my words had been cruel. Unintentionally so.

Yes, her situation was unorthodox, and yes, our family would have shunned her for being with three men, but my family could judge no one.

If Sabina was right, our mother had been whored out to pay for our father’s debts, Sabina had been sold along to the Lindowiczs as another down-payment on money owed, and I would probably have endured a similar fate if I hadn’t run away from home when our father had started to lose it.

My eyes prickled with tears that I rarely allowed to fall. Crying was a waste of energy, and I didn’t stand well with self-pity, but I hadn’t meant to hurt her. Not after everything she’d done for me so far.

“Why’s the omega crying?”

I jerked at the question, but when I saw the alpha from last night enter the room, slipping inside like a ghost, my eyes widened. “What are you doing here? Eli told you to ask for a formal invitation, didn’t he?”

“He did. I asked, and he agreed.” His smile was small, but beautiful nonetheless. He had the richest brown eyes you could imagine. Deeper than the darkest of chocolates, and with striations that bordered on bronze and gold that intertwined as they met his pupil.

His nose was strong, his jaw firm. His brows were a deep jet black, but his cheeks were clean shaven. Last night, he’d had the makings of a beard. Not just stubble, but a few days’ worth of growth. His shirt was neatly ironed, a rich burgundy that offset his pale skin, and his jeans were new, as were his boots.

He wore simple things, but they were of good quality, and he was dressed, in his own way, to impress.

Only, there was no artifice.

He wore no expensive watch, neither did he wear any rings. His belt had a regular buckle, even though I could tell it wasn’t inexpensive because it was made from good leather. If anything, his cufflinks were the sole item that was of any merit in his outfit. They were opals that gleamed whenever the light hit them, flashing orange and green when he moved, taking a seat on the sofa where Sabina had just been resting.

“I didn’t think you ended things in a friendly way last night,” I rasped, crossing my legs as nerves filtered through me. “Why would he let you back onto his pack lands?”

“You’re very accepting of something that’s new to you, aren’t you?” he queried, and I’d admit to finding a strange kind of peace in how calm he was.

His emotions might very well be high, but he wasn’t broadcasting them for everyone to see.

I liked that.

More than I had any right to.

“I have no choice but to accept things that are new to me,” I told him, aware that he wouldn’t let the subject drop without an answer from me. As serene as he was, I sensed, equally, that he was determined by nature.

“Why is that?”

“Why are you so calm?”

“There’s no point in being angry.”

“Why not?”

“You say that when your temper is held well in check?”

“I have my reasons. I was raised in an angry household. I had no desire to continue that kind of misery into adulthood.”

His eyes narrowed at that. “Your father has a lot to apologize for.”

His anger was real. A slow burn emotion that wasn’t erratic. Wasn’t volatile. It soothed me even as I registered it was unnecessary, and I told him as much, “He’s dead now. No point in wasting any emotion on him.”

“He harmed you. I can tell.”