Reckless Regrets
Chapter 21

Kade

As weird as this room was, it had one bonus; it was soundproofed. I planned to take full advantage of that fact while I got Marisol to fill me in on everything her father had been up to. But before I could do that, my curiosity got the better of me, and I felt the need to explore.

I walked around the space and stared at the items hanging from the walls like I was in a museum. I’d had a full s*x life, and Morgan and I were known to get more than a little dirty regularly, but I didn’t see a need for a butt plug that was almost as wide as my face at its base. This was insanity.

“So, there’s an uncomfortable question coming but, is your dad into this kind of thing?”

“Eww! I don’t know and don’t want to know. He probably figured it would be more up your alley,” Marisol replied.

“Mine? Why? I don’t need toys to get the job done; the goddess gave me all the equipment I’d ever need naturally.”

She rolled her eyes and plopped on the deep red bed.

“Alpha Black is a dom, isn’t he? There’s probably a room just like this at Blue Moon. It makes sense that all of the ranked members would utilize it.”

“Wait. How do you know about Xander’s s*x life? What the f**k are you talking about?”

I was getting upset because even though there was nothing wrong with it, what Xander and his wife did behind closed doors was private. No one, especially not someone from a different pack in another state who didn’t know him or Alaia, should have any knowledge of it.

“I know a lot about your old pack. My dad made it his life’s mission to research you guys. Blue Moon has been his obsession for years. Remember the meeting we had when you first heard about Cameron? My dad introduced you as Blue Moon’s Beta, and I was a little weird?

Well, that’s because I’ve heard about your pack my entire life. How well ran, wealthy, large, and powerful you all are. It was a little daunting to be in a room with the Alpha and Beta of such legend.”

“Legend? That’s a little extreme; we’re just a well-oiled machine because we have a great leader. That doesn’t make us legendary.”

“To us, it does. Anyway, my dad knows all about you guys. Everything from your previous Alpha Xavier and his team, which included your father, down to the current squad, is common knowledge to us. The addition of the bears was revolutionary. And you’ve even got a vampire hunter!”

“How do you know all of this?”

“As far as I know, it’s pretty well publicized. A pack of your size doesn’t move in the shadows. You’re always in the spotlight because other packs want to see what makes you successful and mirror it for themselves. The personal info comes from spies, or Dad paying people off.”

“For what?! I mean no disrespect to you, but it’s obvious that no one here is paying attention to what makes Blue Moon successful because if they were, things would be a lot different. And why does something as personal as s****l fetishes even come into play?”

“For power. My father has been trying to take over your pack for years.”

I leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. Her words put me in a daze, and it wasn’t until the spiked c**k ring fell off its hook and grazed my cheek that I was jolted back to reality.

“I hate it here,” I thought out loud.

“Join the club. So, can we talk to Alpha Black now and see if he will help Nate and Cameron? I don’t want to hold information for ransom, but I can’t tell you everything and hand over the proof unless the guys are gone and guaranteed safe.”

“This is going to be cluster-f**k,” I replied as I pulled out my phone to make the call.

I placed it on speaker while I waited for Xander to answer and tried to figure out how we could make this all work. When he answered, he immediately started talking.

“Kade, what’s going on? I’ve got the guys here for a quick meeting, wanna say hi?”

“I wasn’t calling for that, but I guess it won’t hurt. We’ll probably need all five of our heads on this one anyway.”

“More Marisol drama?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest when she heard his question. I just looked up at her and smiled.

“You know it. Marisol’s day wouldn’t be complete without f*****g with mine. So, listen. I’ve got you on speaker, and our little troublemaker is here with me. She’s willing to give you everything she knows on Thorne, with evidence, on one condition.”

“Okay. I’m listening.”

“She needs you to give her son and mate asylum until it’s all over. She feels that they could be in danger if they stay, and she’s not willing to take that chance.”

“I can look into a house in the village for thirty days. That should be sufficient.”

“No! I’m sorry, Alpha Black, I don’t mean to be disrespectful by interrupting you, but that won’t work. Could the asylum be in the packhouse? That’s where it’s safest, that’s where I’d feel most secure,” Marisol stated.

“Oh, then the answer is no.”

Marisol’s eyes bulged from her head, and her jaw dropped. It looked like there was yet another man who had no issue throwing the word “no” her way.

“B-but may I ask why not?”

“You can, and it’s simple. I don’t know anything about your mate, so I have a hard time opening my home to him and potentially risking my family or pack. The packhouse is the safest place for a reason, and it’s because of that same reason that I’m selective about who is welcome in it.

So, they can take a house in the village. There will be constant surveillance for both my and your peace of mind, and after thirty days, they are free to go. That is the offer, and it’s final.”

Xander sounded every bit the CEO making a deal for his company where he held all the cards and wasn’t afraid to show it. But Marisol was a woman, and women were stubborn.

“Are you willing to turn me down and risk losing out on the information I have? I’m not asking for much, and you’d be getting a lot in return. You need me to talk, Alpha Black.”

“Not at all, Ms. Thorne. I don’t need anything from you. I’ve got plenty already and plan to have much more with or without your help. Do I want to know what you know? Yes. But do I need to? Absolutely not. You said your child and mate are in potential danger? Then if that’s the case, it seems that it’s you who needs me.”

She put up a good fight, and her arguments weren’t terrible, but I didn’t think there was anyone who could out-negotiate Xander.

“Fine. When can they come?” She finally replied.

“When can you get them here? I’m sure we can have the house ready in a matter of hours.”

“Tomorrow morning. I’ll make the arrangements now.”

“Wait. Before you do that, I need to know that whatever you have to tell me is legit. A little preview is needed so that the rest of my team and I can be comfortable that the right decision is being made.”

Marisol looked nervous, then turned her face to me and gave a small, sad smile. The next words out of her mouth stole my breath away.

“In 2012, when Alpha Xavier ran Blue Moon, your pack was attacked; Canyon Woods was behind that attack. It was my father who was the cause of the death of your Beta female; of your mother,” she looked into my eyes and stated.

As if I was underwater, I heard Xander and Matt yelling at me through the phone. What they were saying wasn’t registering, but I still heard their voices none the less. It was déjà vu and took me back to that day, all those years ago, when my life was forever changed.

*** Flashback***

“Kade! Get dressed for breakfast now. I’ve already told you that I don’t have the time to be your personal assistant anymore. You’re old enough to fend for yourself, and I’ve got the twins to look after. I won’t be here forever, you know,” my mom walked into my room and yelled.

Correction: It was the closest thing to yelling she could muster, with her soft-as-silk voice and joking tone. The woman was an angel, and even though it was clear that the last three weeks of getting little to no sleep were kicking her a*s, she was still checking on me, making sure I was alright.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll be down in ten,” I stretched and replied.

“Five. Don’t make me come back in here.”

I jumped from bed to wash up and throw on some sweats before I headed for the stairs.

Matt was leaving his room and smirked as he saw me walk out. He’d murdered me in Assassins Creed on the PS3 the night before and was still gloating.

“f**k you, Matt. When I’m Beta, I won’t have to take this s**t from you,” I proudly stated as we walked down together.

“You’ll outrank me, but I’ll still kick your a*s. And I’ll still be better looking too.”

He flashed his perfect smile at me, and I wanted to punch him, but I loved him like a brother, so I just shoved him into the nearest wall. We wrestled all the way to the dining room, where Xander was sitting next to his dad, going over some contracts for one of the packs businesses.

Xander had been training to be alpha since he turned twelve, and most days, he didn’t have time for a lot of playing around. But when he did, we made the most of it and raised hell.

Matt and I parted ways and went to sit by our parents while our breakfast was served, and I looked over to mom, who was bouncing Lily, or who I assumed was Lily, while Rose softly cried in her bassinet.

She looked exhausted.

“Mom, let me take them for a few hours. Matt and I can keep them alive while you get some rest if you’d like,” I offered.

Matt’s face dropped across the table, but just like everyone else, he loved my mom and would do pretty much anything for her.

“You don’t have to do that, baby. I can manage,” she replied with a yawn.

I stood up and took the baby from her and passed her to Matt, then got the other from the bassinet.

“We can manage. You eat, then take a nap or go for a walk. You can have the girls back at lunchtime.”

“We’ve got them, Aunt Vanessa, you can trust us,” Matt threw in when she looked at the two of us skeptically.

“I could use a run and a shower. And a nap,” she said with a laugh.

“Alright, but if anything comes up, just let me know,” she looked to me and said.

“Got it.”

I took my seat and stared down into the face of my tiny little sister. She was a lot smaller and squirmier than I expected. And squishy. A bottle was placed in front of me, and I looked over to see my dad with a proud smile.

“This is a very kind thing you’re doing, Kaden. Thank you.”

“No problem, Dad.”

Matt and I somehow managed to balance the girls, feed them, and feed ourselves without dropping them on the ground and with me only dropping a bite of waffle on Rose’s face once. That seemed like a win in my book. After breakfast, my parents left to let their wolves out for a while, leaving Matt and me to our nanny duties.

When I’d volunteered him, it was as payback for beating me last night, but he was a natural with the twins and made this whole thing a lot easier. Countless disgusting, weird colored diapers, ruined throw-up covered shirts, and micro-naps later, it was edging closer to lunchtime, and I was more than ready to pass these babies back to my parents.

That’s when we heard it. The siren that only went off for extreme emergencies. Whatever was happening was not a drill.

“Boys! Get to the bunker with the twins now,” Xander’s mother and our Luna, Katherine, rushed to the living room and yelled.

“Are we under attack? We’re old enough to fight Aunt Kathy, let us help,” I pleaded.

“Absolutely not. You’re the next generation to lead this pack, and we need you safe. Xander! In the bunker now!” She yelled at his back as he tried to sneak out the back door.

The tone was undeniable and final.

“Yes, Luna,” the three of us stated before we followed the crowds to the underground hideout we had for times like these. It was chaos, and once we were locked in, I realized that I didn’t think to bring bottles or diapers.

I hoped this didn’t last long. Otherwise, we were going to be screwed. Little did I know how bad things were going to get.