The Next Step–1
Thea’s POV
“How have you been, Thea?”
Contact between us had been limited at best. Mostly just occasional messages. Usually him telling me he’d sent a package, and me texting back a quick thanks.
I knew it was dangerous, but right now he was the only person I could think of who might help me. I won’t lie, that second threatening note had scared the absolute shit out of me.
“I need your help, Graves,” I said bluntly. No point in small talk, and from what I knew about him, he didn’t appreciate bullshit anyway.
Asking him for help was a calculated decision. After weighing my options, I’d chosen the most practical solution. When Kane’s people kidnapped me, the police were completely fucking useless, but Graves knew everything about the situation. As the lord of the city’s underworld, he might be able to help me find who was tracking me, who wanted to hurt
- me.
“Sure, what’s up?” he asked, curiosity in his voice, probably because I’d never asked him for anything before.
“Someone seems to be stalking me.”
“Oh, about those notes you’ve been receiving?”
I was shocked, but not entirely surprised. See? This is why I thought he’d be the best person to approach. He was always one step ahead of me.
“Yes,” I answered. “Do you know who’s behind them? How did you know about the notes?”
I crossed my fingers, hoping he had answers. Better yet, if he was already handling the
situation. After all, hadn’t he promised to protect me and the baby?
“I have my sources… I don’t know who’s doing it, but my informant told me,” he paused, “the person leaving the notes is being careful, always wearing a long coat and a mask. He thinks it’s a woman, judging from the build.”
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I tried to think which woman would want to harm me, but couldn’t immediately come up with anyone. I’d pissed off plenty of people in the past few months, Aurora being the most recent. It was hard to say who would hold a grudge strong enough to threaten me.
“Why didn’t your guy just stop her?” I asked.
It seemed logical. If you see a stranger leaving these kinds of notes, you should intervene.
“He didn’t think much of it until he saw the second note. That’s when he started getting
suspicious.”
I couldn’t really blame him. I hadn’t taken it seriously myself until the second note.
“What did the notes say?”
“Give me a second, I’ll send you a photo.”
I took pictures of both notes side by side and sent them to him. He studied them in
silence.
I couldn’t help thinking that Graves was still a wanted criminal, and how much trouble I could get into if people from the police station found out I was in contact with him. I might end up in jail for being his accomplice and concealing his whereabouts.
To be honest, I didn’t know where he normally hid, and we rarely communicated, but I didn’t think that would be enough to convince a jury of my innocence.
“This person has a deep hatred for you,” he finally said, “not just trying to scare you.”
“How insightful,” I couldn’t help the sarcasm, “I couldn’t tell from the ‘have you said goodbye to your loved ones‘ part.”
I didn’t mean to be bitchy, but I was really fucking nervous. It’s terrifying to know someone’s planning to kill you. Even more terrifying when you’re pregnant. If I died, my baby would die too. I couldn’t accept that.
“Beyond that, I can’t tell much more for now,” he sighed. “Who have you pissed off in the last few months? Who do you think would be angry enough to want revenge? Let’s start
there.”
“Honestly, I don’t know, Graves. You seem to know everything that happens around me, so
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you should know I’ve pissed off a lot of people these past months.”
“Alright, make a list of these people and send it to me, and I’ll see what I can do. Okay?”
he asked.
I nodded, then realized he couldn’t see me. “Okay.”
“Don’t worry, Thea. We’ll catch this fucker. I won’t let them hurt you.”
Chapter Comments
The Next Step–2
After hanging up, I just sat on the couch. There were countless things to do around the house, but I had zero energy left. Plus, with all the worrying and fear, I couldn’t focus
even if I tried.
I don’t know how much time passed before I heard keys and the front door opening. I
turned as I heard footsteps. Seraphina and Maximus walked in hand in hand.
I smiled at them. My parents were both the intimidating Alpha and Luna of their territory and such a loving couple, always inseparable. It was honestly adorable despite the
contrast.
“Hey,” I sat up straighter as I greeted them.
Seraphina sat next to me while Maximus took the seat opposite.
“Hey, baby girl,” Maximus said.
“Are we interrupting you, dear?” Seraphina asked.
The love in their eyes when they looked at me meant everything. With them, I didn’t have to guess or doubt. It was all clearly written on their faces.
“No, I’m happy to see you.”
They exchanged a glance, then Seraphina turned to me.
“Well, we wanted to discuss a few things with you,” she said, and I nodded.
“First thing, I want to thank you, my sweet girl.” She began, tears in her eyes. “Kane called us yesterday. I know he did terrible things to you, but you have no idea how good it felt to talk to him. He told us it was you who encouraged him to contact us, that after thinking
about it, he realized he couldn’t live without family, and we are his family.”
I smiled at her. Kane and I mainly communicated through letters. He called occasionally. I hadn’t visited him in prison since the first time, but I knew that would change after the
baby was born. The child should know their father.
“It’s nothing, Mom.”
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“No, it means a lot,” she insisted. “Thank you, because I really missed my son.”
I felt a bit uncomfortable hearing that. Given I’d slept with the man, it was still weird hearing her call him that. I’d never get used to it.
I hugged her, kissing her cheek. “I’d do anything for you guys.”
We hugged for a moment before separating. Maximus waited until Seraphina had wiped away her tears.
“So what’s the other thing you wanted to talk about?” I asked, noticing their expressions
became more serious.
Maximus cleared his throat. “We want to formally introduce you as the daughter and heir
of the Kincaid family to all Packs.”
I’d been expecting this moment in some ways, but that didn’t stop my jaw from dropping.
“Are you sure? I’m…” I paused, “I’m wolfless.”
I was actually hesitant, but I’d been putting this off for a long time. They’d always wanted to announce our relationship, but I kept delaying. It wasn’t that I was ashamed to be their daughter; I just didn’t want to go through the scrutiny again when people discovered I was wolfless yet part of a powerful Alpha family.
Seraphina took my hand: “Darling, you’re stronger than anyone with a wolf. Your worth isn’t in that, but in your heart and soul. You’re our daughter, and we just want to share
that with the world. That’s enough.”
I thought about it for a moment. What reason did I have to refuse them? Especially considering that Leo and I had been seen with them multiple times already, and there were plenty of rumors.
“Okay,” I finally agreed, “I’ll do it.”
Seraphina squealed, nearly pouncing on me. “Wonderful! Perhaps we can do it the traditional way, with a grand ball under the moonlight, and all the important Packs will
be invited.”
I tried to share her joy, tried to feel happy and excited, but I couldn’t. As she and Maximus
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discussed the details of the ceremony, my thoughts kept drifting back to those blood–red
letters.
I gently rubbed my swollen belly, worrying about the danger that was coming. This time, I had to protect not only myself and Leo but also the baby growing inside me. Whoever was threatening me, I wouldn’t let them succeed.
