by Kate Wendley
“But how did you get Torin to let you do that?”
She chuckled. “Torin doesn’t own me. I scratch my itches with him, but he doesn’t tell me how to run my pack. Besides, you wolves think you’re above every other animal and rarely pay attention to what we do. That includes Torin. I never hated you, but I also wasn’t about to get in between two alpha wolves who despised each other.”
“Then you’re just another person who let the bullshit in my life continue to happen.”
She chuckled again. “What was I going to do against an Alpha Wolf?” She leaned forward and pointed at him. “I helped you by not saying a damn thing when my pack worked side by side with you.” She sat back and stared him down before snapping, “Get over yourself. You weren’t as alone as you thought you were. Sheesh.”
She turned to Jade with that same devilish grin. “You got your guy in the end.” She put her hand out for her. “Friends?”
Jade looked in confusion from Sebastian to Suzanne, then reluctantly shook her hand. “Ok. Friends.”
Suzanne gave Vince a sharp look. “Remember that. The Alpha Wolf’s girlfriend, who’s also your pack mate, says she’s friends with the coyotes, so no funny business with Penny. You do something that a low down dirty dog would do and I’ll break your face. Got it?”
He frowned. “Um, sure. What are you talking about, though?”
She leaned closer and said in a low tone, “Cheat on my girl and I’ll be your worst enemy.”
“Ok… I’m not sure who I’d be cheating on her with, but I get you.”
Suzanne stood up with a smile on her face and pat his head. “That’s a good boy.” Then she turned on her heel and strode off.
**
Vince ate by himself since Sebastian and Jade left soon after Suzanne did, and Penny didn’t join him or even reply to his text. She was either mad at him, or busy at work. He was guessing mad. It was probably for the best anyway. He was too tired to figure out how to tell her he was handicapped, and didn’t really want to see her disappointed face when she realized what that meant, which was that the times he was tired weren’t just him being sick once in a while. It would keep happening for the rest of his life.
It was after five by the time he headed back upstairs, and his mood perked up when he ran into Penny in the foyer, even though the monkey on his back let him know he needed to tell her the truth, and soon.
He reached out to take her in his arms. “Hey beautiful.”
She side stepped him and pursed her lips while her already ample chest puffed up even more. “You said you were running with your mom on full moon night. I saw her and you weren’t with her. Who did you run with?” She stepped closer, then, and actually scented the air near him.
Scrambled, incoherent thoughts ran through his foggy brain. He couldn’t make sense of a logical answer that would make her less mad at him, so he weakly offered, “No one.”
The escalating tension was quickly interrupted by Zach rushing in and stopping in front of them, though he was focused on Vince. “Where’s your mom?”
“Huh? I don’t know. Shopping or something. She’s with Ed.”
Zach already had his phone out and pressed to his ear as he stared him down. He could hear Ed’s voice on the other line before Zach said, “Get home now. And bring Charlotte. Min-chul’s here and he wants to see Vince.”
He cut the call off and Vince went still with shock. “Why does he want to see me?”
“Don’t know.”
“How’d he even know I was here?”
Zach’s expression soured. “Good question.”
Penny irritably said, “Are we talking about Yi Min-chul from Savannah? Why would he come here for Vince?”
He couldn’t look at her. He didn’t want to see the expression on her face when she realized what a vile man he was descended from.
And Zach kept talking as if Penny wasn’t even there. “Can you do this? God you look like hell. Does full moon always do this to you or is it just this month? Never mind. We’ll work on that later. Let’s go introduce you to your dad. I don’t know what he wants, so stay beside me. If he makes a move, fall back. I’ve already got people outside watching him. There’s enough of us here to handle him if we need to.”
**
His dad? Realization hit Penny like a semi-truck to the gut. She’d talked smack about Min-chul early on when her and Vince first started hanging out, and he never once told her that was his dad. Hadn’t she asked him if he knew his dad? Had he lied to her? And what was Zach saying about full moon and something always happening to Vince? Not that it made a difference now because she couldn’t ignore it any more… Vince was keeping everything personal about himself at a distance since he obviously didn’t want to get serious with her.
Damn him. And she’d actually been thinking about babies and family and all that kind of crap because of his stupid, stupid question to her. She’d been letting herself believe someone might actually see a future with her.
She wanted to scream and yell, maybe throw a drink in his face, then go have a good cry with her mom and sister consoling her. Instead she stood frozen in numb heartache as he walked out the door without even a look back.
Chapter 24
“I’ve got you covered, man, and so does Sebastian, Torin, Suzanne, Jade, and the guards. And whenever Ed gets his butt home, he’ll be here, too.”
Vince’s head spun as he followed Zach outside. He wasn’t mentally prepared to meet his father, but even if he was, he wasn’t sure he wanted to meet a man who had low enough morals to beat up a pregnant woman.
But he also guiltily wanted to see him in person. He’d dreamed so many times about meeting him, though that was before he knew who he was. He had a brief moment of panic because if his dad really was outside, he didn’t want him to see him like he was now. Not as this weak, shaky mess. But it wasn’t like he could back out.
It was late in the day, but it was still light out. Light enough to clearly see Min-chul. Vince stopped where Zach gestured, in between the alphas and guards. He was smack dab in the center of everyone, staring straight at his father. If that was really him. He was Korean and looked like he could be a relation, but his mom had lied and kept so many things from him throughout the years. Would she lie to him even now about who his dad was?
Deep down he knew it had to be him, and his heart hammered at the sight of the man he’d been wanting to meet for so many years. Would he recognize him as his son? Would he welcome him with open arms? Seeing him somehow helped validate Vince’s existence in a way he’d never thought about before. He finally felt real standing here staring at the other half of the creator of his world. There was now one less person that he wasn’t invisible to. Here in Brookhaven, in Anthony’s home, he was more free to be himself, but not fully. He was still hiding the fact that he wasn’t fully shifter. But now, seeing his father… it felt like the man was looking straight at Vince’s soul and knew everything about him. A comforting feeling, even though Vince knew it was a lie. It was a nice fantasy, though.
Min-chul looked stiff and calculating in his tailored suit, a definite regal air about him. Something changed in his gaze when he saw Vince, though, and it made him nervous.
Without preamble he said, “What’s your name?”
Vince startled at the sound of his voice. It felt familiar even though he knew it wasn’t.
“Vince.”
Min-chul said something to him in a foreign language, probably Korean, and when Vince frowned in confusion, his father seemed unimpressed and turned his attention to Zach. “I’d like to speak to Vince alone.”
“Hell no.”
His face showed no emotion at first, but the more Vince concentrated, the more he could tell that Min-chul was getting mad. His expression was cold, emotionless, and becoming more so as he talked.
“Chaperone us, then, but this is jaguar business, not your entire family’s business, especially with how loose lipped they are. We hear about what’s going o
n in Brookhaven all the way down in Savannah. That is not how Yi family affairs are handled.”
Zach glared at him, then snapped with an evil grin, “This family isn’t a prison. Not like your family.”
Min-chul puffed up a little, but Zach put his hand up. “Vince, come on. Jade, join us. Everyone else, hang back a little.”
His father flicked an irritated look at Jade as she stepped forward, but after a quick pulse in the air, he sharply nodded in agreement. He straightened his jacket in a look of peevish irritation and locked eyes on Vince as they walked.
Vince was more than a little disappointed that Min-chul didn’t have a stronger reaction to seeing his son for the first time, until he realized he might not know. He decided to keep his mouth shut for now. His father was a dangerous man, but it felt unfair that he was right here and didn’t even know who Vince was.
And he knew better than to try to open up his already weak senses, especially since he was still recuperating after full moon, but he did it anyway because he wanted to get a feel for his father’s aura. He felt disgusted with himself for wanting to know more about him, though.
Min-chul seemed solid and self-confident, and as soon as Vince pushed his senses open wide, a wave of strong, sure energy surrounded him. His father immediately flicked him a glance up and down, but he kept walking, still looking unimpressed.
When Zach finally stopped in the greenway behind the basketball court, Min-chul faced all of them, his shoulders wide and his chest puffed out, though Vince didn’t think it was on purpose. He was just a large built man, like Vince, except stronger and healthier.
Jade hung back a little as Zach kept himself between Min-chul and everyone else. His father’s eyes were dark and sharply focused on Vince, though.
“What are you doing in Atlanta?”
He didn’t like how cold and clinical the man sounded, but he answered him anyway. “I live here.”
“Since when?”
“Since I was born.”
Min-chul sniffed the air and frowned. He flicked a look at Zach, then back to Vince. “Who’s your mother?”
Vince’s heart thumped harshly as he stared him down. If he told him the truth, would he try to kill him? Here and now?
Zach broke the silence. “Go ahead Vince.”
He tried to calm his racing pulse, and finally managed to say, “Charlotte LaRue.”
Min-chul’s oh so steady self-confidence evaporated instantly, and the barely hidden shock in his eyes left Vince feeling even more vulnerable.
He slowly shook his head, then snapped, “That bitch.”
The growl came before Vince had time to think about it. “So it’s true. You beat my pregnant mother. You’re a fucking dick.”
A slow, evil smile spread across his father’s face. “I did. I hit her until she bled, and then I hit her again.”
Zach grabbed him before he could slam into the asshole. “Vince, no!”
Min-chul snickered. “It’s all right. Let him come at me. Let’s see what he’s got.”
Zach snapped, “Fuck off. You know he’s no match for you.”
He casually removed his suit jacket. “I swear on my family name that I won’t hurt the boy. Let him go.”
Zach said, “Vince?”
“Let me go, dammit!”
Zach seethed, “If anything happens to him, I’ll rip you to shreds. Got it?”
His father looked excited by the violence in the air. “I understand and agree to your terms.” He waved his hand in the air in a come and get me gesture.
Vince should’ve been nervous about his father’s lust for a fight, but his head was a mess as he struggled against Zach. He wanted nothing more than to beat the living hell out of this poor excuse for a human being that his mother once thought she loved.
Zach finally let him go and he plowed into his father. He barely staggered backwards, taking Vince’s blow as if he did this every day. Maybe he did because he somehow managed to fling Vince away from him, but he pivoted around and came at him again.
His father kept taunting him, obviously way more experienced at fighting than Vince was. And every time Vince got near, he’d say something nasty. “Your mother cried that night. She cried and I just kept hitting her. Even when she bled, I hit her again.”
“Fuck you!” Vince punched him and the bastard just took it with a smile.
“She begged me to stop. She was on her knees and I just kept going.”
Vince roared and hit him again and again. The bastard took each punch in stride, his eyes bright and wild, looking ready for a whole lot more.
Vince was insane with fury. He refused to believe a man so evil could be his father. How could someone do that to a woman, let alone to the mother of his child?
He went after him again. “You sick bastard! If that’s what the Yi’s are all about, you can all go to hell!”
The smile disappeared from Min-chul’s face and the next thing Vince knew, he was trapped in a headlock. He struggled to get free, but it was no use. His father was too strong and too well trained for this.
He jerked Vince closer and whispered in his ear. “She wouldn’t leave. I needed her to leave. She thought she could get my father’s sympathy by telling him she was pregnant with my child. He would’ve killed her instead, just like he killed my brother’s mistress. The Yi’s are a proud family, and disobeying my father’s wishes only brings misery.”
He shoved Vince away, and he took his time before facing him again. When he finally did, the evil smile was nowhere in sight.
“I saved your lives that night.”
Vince curled his lip. “You beat a pregnant woman.”
He frowned uncomfortably. “I made sure I didn’t hit her near… you. She’s shifter. I knew her physical pain would heal quickly enough.” He scoffed and said more emphatically, “I needed her to be scared so she’d leave town and never come back.”
Vince clenched his fists over and over again as he panted. “You beat a pregnant woman!”
“I kept you alive! Both of you!”
Vince was so blind with rage, and frustrated at the way of his hellish life that he snapped, “Maybe I don’t want to be! Not like this!”
That shocked Min-chul and Zach both. “What?”
Vince fumed at this man that was supposed to be his father. “Did you ever love my mother?”
“We were nineteen.”
“Did you love her?”
His father was silent a time, then said, “I didn’t know what love was until that day. When Charlotte told me the news, I knew I had to decide if I would let my father find out about you both and kill you, or go behind his back and save you.”
“You’re a liar.”
“I’m many terrible things, and sometimes I lie, but I’m not lying about this.”
Vince felt dizzy, still tired and exhausted from full moon. He was panting too fast, but he was too furious to walk away.
“You’re not well. What’s wrong with you?”
Vince barked out a laugh. “What’s wrong with me? You beat my mother while she was pregnant with me! I’m crippled because of you!”
“What?”
Min-chul frowned and slowly looked to Zach, who seemed almost ashamed when he said, “He can’t shift. He’s never been able to.”
The horror on Min-chul’s face only enraged Vince even more.
**
Vince couldn’t shift? He was crippled? Penny’s heart sank to her toes as she stood back with Suzanne and listened as carefully as she could to the conversation going on across the lawn from them. They were all being pretty quiet, though with the heated yelling Vince and his dad were doing, it wasn’t hard to hear what they were fighting about.
She exchanged a confused look with Suzanne, who just shrugged, looking like she didn’t know anything more than Penny did. She flicked a look at Sebastian next, who had a strange, sorrowful expression on his usually stoic face. He mostly looked ready to race over there and help, and she wondered how he
held himself back.
Memories of asking Vince about his shift and where he went to run came barreling back to mind. Oh hell. He’d immediately changed the subject every time she brought it up. And was that why he’d started talking about having kids and a family? That bastard. He was just trying to distract her. He hadn’t meant any of those things he’d said, he just didn’t want to be honest about himself with her.
Fuming, she focused on the conversation again even though none of it mattered any more.
**
Vince shook with the need to keep beating on his father as Zach said, “We’re not sure what’s wrong with him. He’s only been with us about a month. The doctor thinks it’s malnutrition, but nothing we’ve tried seems to help.”
The conflicted look on Min-chul’s face only made the fury inside Vince all the more bitter.
“Oh now you’re sorry.”
“No, I’m not sorry. I’ve never been sorry for saving your mother’s life that night, and yours as well. You may not believe the truth of it, but my father’s ruthless. He’s a traditionalist and has always done whatever’s necessary to preserve our family’s bloodline. Your mother isn’t pure Korean, and she isn’t from a family my father would approve of for my wife or for the mother of my children. I saved her life by scaring her away from Savannah.”
Vince stared the man down, angry that he’d never been in his life, and now angry that he was here. His head was spinning and he was mad about things he couldn’t even put a name to.
“Perhaps some of the vampire blood in this family would help him. It appears to do wonders for you, Mr. Johansen.”
Zach hissed at him, which only made his father laugh.
“Not much is hidden in your family.”
“Like I said, we’re not a prison… like your family.”
Min-chul cocked an eyebrow. “Touché.” He reached down to the ground for his jacket and pulled something out of one of the pockets. He handed a business card to Vince, and one to Zach, though he looked at Vince as he spoke. “Text me your number when you’ve cooled off. I don’t want to see something happen to you, not after years of being unknown by my family. Now that the gossip has started, let me know if you see anyone sniffing around you or your mother. I’ll do what I can to help keep you safe.”
