Chapter 68

Cora

It was one of those quiet early afternoons, the kind where the mansion didn’t have any noise beyond what was carried through the open windows, and the sun filtered through with the wind, setting everything aglow in gold.

I was curled up on the couch with a blanket and a book that I wasn’t truly reading, half-listening to the sound of Riley playing in the other room. For once, I felt… still.

I couldn’t help but savor this rare moment to breathe. With everything that had happened in the last few months, I almost couldn’t fathom this sense of ease. It had been so long since I had felt such peace, and I couldn’t help but credit Kingston for it.

Kingston was still gone after he had left for a pack luncheon that morning, leaving a note to assuage any worry: I’ll be back before dinner. Lock the doors. Don’t answer unless you’re sure it’s someone safe.

So as I enjoyed the sunlight and my afternoon, I hadn’t expected company. And I definitely had not expected her.

The knock came with the rhythm and volume of someone who thought they belonged there.

I hesitated, every muscle in my body going still, the bond with Kingston pulsing faintly in the back of my mind like a second heartbeat. I didn’t sense danger. Not exactly. But I felt something. Something sharp and familiar.

I opened the door a crack. And there she was.

Daisy.

With Billy.

She blinked once. Twice. Then she ripped the sunglasses from her face, and her mouth parted like she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.

“Cora?” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

I stepped back instinctively, heart racing. “Daisy…”

“What the actual hell?”

Billy’s brows furrowed, confused, his little mouth parted as well. “What’s going on? Aunt Cora, is that really you?”

Daisy didn’t answer her son's questions. She pushed the door open fully, stepping inside with confidence but looking like she’d been punched in the chest. Her gaze swept over me, and noticing that I was alive, breathing, in a soft sweater and socks instead of ashes and bones.

“You’re alive,” she breathed. “You’re actually alive.”

“I— I can explain—”

“You faked your death?” she cut in, her voice rising. “You faked your death and didn’t tell me?”

Billy’s eyes widened. “What? Aunt Cora—”

“Not now, Billy,” Daisy snapped, eyes still locked on me. “Are you kidding me, Cora? I thought you were dead. I cried actual tears for you. I grieved you.”

“I didn’t feel like I had a choice,” I said, stepping forward, my hands trembling. “They were coming for Riley. The Silverfang pack was threatening him, Daisy. I had to disappear.”

“So you disappeared from me too?” Her voice cracked, raw and hurt. “You left me to think you’d burned alive. You couldn’t have just… sent a sign? A message? Anything? I’m your sister, Cora!”

“I had to cut ties with everyone. For your safety. For mine. For everyone’s.” My throat felt tight. “It wasn’t because I didn’t trust you. I swear.”

“And Zach?” Her brow arched. I didn’t like what she was implying.

“I didn’t know he was there,” I insisted. “We had problems, but I never would have done that.”

Daisy sighed. “I know, I know. It’s just… This is a lot.”

She turned away, pacing like she didn’t know what to do with the storm brewing inside her. Billy stood awkwardly near the entryway, confused and watching us like we were strangers.

“How long have you been here?” Daisy asked.

“A few days,” I whispered.

“A few days,” she echoed. “And you didn’t tell me.”

“I didn’t want to put you in danger,” I said. “And now… now it’s more complicated than ever.”

Her head whipped toward me. “How?”

I swallowed hard. “Because I’m mated to Kingston, and I think—” My voice faltered. “I think Kingston might be Riley’s real father.”

Silence. Dead, devastating silence.

Daisy blinked. “Hold on. What did you just say?”

I wrung my hands together, trying to keep my voice steady and steel myself. I was always so bad in the face of Daisy’s anger.

“Kingston and I completed the mating bond. We’re tied together forever,” I said. Daisy watched me in awe as I continued.

“There are pieces that don’t make sense about Riley,” I added. “The dates. The timing. I’ve seen your sperm donation paperwork, and there are flaws. It couldn’t be Kingston.”

Daisy raised her chin like she was trying to appear defiant. “I know.”

I nodded. “It makes more sense with Riley. I’m going to get it tested to confirm, but we were never really sure of the true father with him. It definitely wasn’t Zach. And now, between the paperwork and Riley’s allergies and his blood… Well, I have my suspicions.”

“This was over seven years ago,” Daisy hissed, eyes wide. “You’re telling me now that you’re certain it wasn’t Zach?”

“I didn’t want to believe it,” I said. “But the more I think about it… Riley’s strength, his wolf instincts, even the way Kingston looks at him… It’s like something inside him knows. And when Kingston and I mated…” I broke off, swallowing dryly..

“Everything changed,” I continued with a sigh. “My wolf has been whispering things to me I don’t understand. Prophecies. Bloodlines. Everything leads back to Kingston and Riley, so it would make sense if they were tied together in a deeper way.”

Daisy stared at me, horrified. “You think Kingston’s the father of your child, and you just forgot to mention it until now? You’ve been living in his house, under his roof, and you didn’t think that maybe this might be important to tell someone? To tell your sister?”

“It’s not that simple!”

She laughed, sharp and bitter. “It’s always that simple, Cora. You tell the truth, or you don’t. And now you’ve got a whole web of lies.”

“I didn’t ask for any of this,” I said, my voice rising. “I didn’t ask to be hunted, or mated to the Alpha King, or to have a son whose parentage puts them both at risk. I’ve been trying to survive. That’s all I’ve ever been trying to do for so, so long.”

Her mouth pressed into a thin line.

Billy, still lingering nearby, finally cleared his throat. “So I’m… not Kingston’s son?”

I turned to him, guilt stabbing through me. “I don’t think so, bud,” I admitted.

He nodded once, tightly, then looked away. I could see tears welling in his eyes.

Daisy stepped forward again. “You realize what happens if this gets out? If the pack finds out you faked your death and that Kingston helped you? That you’re mated and hiding it?”

“I know,” I said. “Believe me, I know.”

She stared at me for a long moment, long enough that I thought maybe, just maybe, she would understand.

Then she shook her head, anger flashing in her eyes. “You should’ve told me. From the start. I need some time to process all of this.”

And without another word, she grabbed Billy’s arm and began to storm out. Before she could slam the door, though, I called out, “Can you forgive me?”

Daisy turned back, pursing her lips. “I think so. But I need time, Cora.”

“Ok,” I said quietly.

The door slammed shut behind them like a thunderclap.

I stood in the middle of the hall, the silence pressing in. Riley’s laughter floated from a few rooms down, unaware of the storm that had just passed through.

My knees buckled, and I sank down onto the floor.

This was supposed to be a new beginning. A second chance.

But now Daisy knew. And Daisy was hurt. And Daisy was angry enough to set the whole damn thing on fire.

Yet she was often angry. This was the way it had always been with us. We fought and we made up.

All I could do in the meantime was wait and hope she didn’t take her anger too far. I had to trust her when she said that she could find it in herself to forgive me. It was all I could hold on to.