Zane - Confessions of a lycan

Chapter 42

Lily

Cassian nuzzled me as he sat down in a chair with me on his lap in the conference room.

Mason was already in there waiting for us along with Henry. Damien and the twins entered seconds after us, closing the door behind them. "Are you going to let Zane come forward again, Cassian?" I asked sweetly, but he only growled playfully in return.

I rolled my eyes at his antics. “And why is that, huh?” I continued.

"What if I hadn't taken control when I did, Lily? That guy was about to grab you when I came out into the hallway.” He grumbled and pulled me impossible closer. I understood his fear, I did, but at the same time he couldn´t watch over me every step of the way. "Baby, I had Adam and two guards with me. But we'll talk about this later. Just let Zane come forward for a little while, okay?” I said as I brushed away his black lock of hair that kept falling in his face. Cassian nodded and kissed my cheek before letting Zane take over again and we turned our attention to the others. Damien studied us intently with some concern in his eyes. I understood why.

Zane and Cassian had to start working together or there could be deadly consequences at crucial moments.

“Is everyone ready to pick up where we left off?” Mason asked with a frustrated expression.

“Those punks had it coming, Mason. Together with Alfa Corbin's son Jake, they have been terrorizing young werewolves since they were in preschool.” Henry interjected. Mason ran his hands over his face, clearly frustrated with the situation.

I lowered my gaze. If I hadn't gone off on my own, none of that would have happened. As if Zane could sense my mood, he nuzzled against me, whispering encouragement in my ear to make me feel better.

"Yeah, I thought as much. However, starting out as an alpha by punishing my pack members isn't a very fun beginning now is it?" Mason stated, making my wolf whimper. Everyone's heads spun around, looking at me where I sat curled up in Zane's lap.

You've got to be kidding me. Of all the moments my wolf could make her presence known, she chose this one?

Shame washed over me, and the ever-cursing blush rose on my cheeks. I tried to make myself invisible in Zane´s arms as he growled at Mason. “Sh*t, I´m sorry, Lily. I didn't mean it was your fault. What happened was inevitable sooner or later. It wasn't just you they bullied. As Henry said, they had it coming.” Mason said with a shame-faced expression.

“It´s alright, Mason. Please continue with why where here.” I answered, wanting to drop the subject.

He gave me a curt nod before continuing. "Pierce Ledger, who is he and what do we know about him?"

“We met him at a party just a few weeks ago. He is a well-known figure in our circles. He is extremely rich and owns a company that does shipping all over the world,” Theo explained.

"Me and Lucien have made a criminal pyramid of names, starting at the bottom. We think Nolan is at the bottom based on what he told Lily. He owns the facility for holding the prisoners and caters the venue and organizes the auctions. We have men who are working on locating the premises as we speak, so we can rescue the women who are being held captive there. We also met Mark Bancroft on the night of the auction. He is a security expert and clears digital traces. However, we believe that he is only one part of the chain in the digital network, as the money moves through several different shell companies. What is interesting about both men though, is that they both belong to prominent noble families where both their fathers hold seats on the royal council.” Zane mentioned with a deadpan expression all while he stroked my arm lovingly.

"It's definitely interesting that they belong to high-ranking families. It makes you wonder if the person at the top of the pyramid is someone even higher? Nobility rarely interacts with the lower classes, their pompous snobbery won't allow it.” Damien interjected with clear disdain on his face. “You know you're at the top of the hierarchy, right, D?” Tristan mocked.

“Ugh, that doesn't mean I like it. Our poor father probably got two changelings instead of little obedient princes, right Zane?” Damien asked mockingly. “Nothing would make me happier than to find out I don't share blood with the thick-headed bastard.” Zane grumbled in return. It made me wonder how horrible the king really was. Maybe he was just being strict? Or was there more to the story?

My thoughts were interrupted by a guard rushing into the conference room. “Alpha Mason, you need to come with me at once,” he said out of breath. “What is going on now? Mason grumbled as he started to head for the door.

“It’s the former Alpha Corbin. There is a fight in his room.” For goddess sake, what shenanigans are going on in the atmosphere today? I thought to myself as I started to get off Zane's lap. “With whom?” Mason called out in a raised voice as everyone hurriedly rose from their seats to follow. “With former Alpha Connor…”

Shitake mushrooms!

Connor

I sat in my room on the edge of the bed, staring at the suicide note that Eloise wrote to Lily as the guilt ate at me from the inside.

I was only 2 doors away from Corbin, but I had yet to find the strength to face him. He needed me, but at the same time, I was so insanely angry and disappointed that I didn't know if I could be the father he needed right now.

A deep sadness lay in my chest. Regret, shame, for abandoning my son who wandered completely lost in life. I failed as a mate, as a father and others paid the price for it. But you cannot change the past. What´s done is done. But that didn’t make the guilt any easier to bear.

Lily was such a sweet girl. She was caring and kind to the core, while Adam had a sensitive soul, kind and artistic. But life had been hard on both of them. While Lily had been repressed, Adam had been forced to be someone he wasn´t. Both fates cruel.

With Adam, I had a feeling that there was more to him that he hadn`t yet dared to show. I just hoped that in time I could prove that I could be trusted, that from now on I would be there to support and accept him as he is. I intended to start by reading this letter and dealing with my own feelings before I faced those who hurt my pups. I took a deep breath, trying to brace myself for what would be written.

To my darling, Lily.

I don’t want to die, because I don’t want to leave you, but I don’t have the strength to live on my darling.

I trusted the wrong man even though my gut told me I shouldn’t. It pains me to say that your father had a bad reputation.

I know some of it to be true because I saw him treat pack members badly with my own eyes on several occasions growing up.

Yet I thought that I was special because I was his true mate, because we were destined for each other.

I was wrong and I must pay for it with my life.

I want you to know that I tried. I tried to reject him, I tried to escape. But he caught me every time. Yet every pain, every heartache was worth it because it gave me you. You are the only true love in my life I will ever have, but the only one that truly matters.

But please learn from my mistakes. A mate is a blessing. However, even the Moon Goddess can make mistakes and she cannot control the fate given to us. So, trust your instincts and listen to your heart. Because the right mate fights for you, the right mate shows up when you need them, the right mate cares. Don’t ever settle for anything less, because if a man expects a woman to be an angel in his life, then he must create heaven for her first, because angels don’t live in hell. Remember that, my darling.

I know that life threw you a curveball and it won’t be easy for you to find your way on your own.

Always be yourself and never accept less than what you deserve, and you deserve the stars and the moon, darling, don’t ever believe otherwise. My grandmother used to say that if you have been brutally broken but you still have the courage to be gentle to other living beings, then you’re a bada*s with a heart of gold. So be gentle, be kind even to those who don’t deserve it.

I know one thing, and that is that everything changes with time. There is no sadness or anxiety that never goes away. Because everything passes, but everything has its time.

I love you, always.

Mom



I growled, pacing back and forth. The anger, the hatred me and my wolf felt for our own son at that moment was so overwhelming that it almost suffocated me. The pain he put Eloise through.. His cruelty was unimaginable, while her kindness and love for their child shone through in every word she wrote. Without noticing my own actions, I went to Corbin’s room. I yelled at the guards to let me in and was met by my son lying on the bed, relaxed, watching TV. I rushed in, growling, ready to pounce on him for what he had done.