I nodded, but knew there was zero chance of Mom leaving Dad’s side. I didn’t leave Skye for three weeks.
“I’ll catch you guys at home,” I said, the words easily rolling off my tongue even though technically it was only home to Katy and me. It didn’t matter; Larkin and Ryder were as much my family as Katy, Dax, and Sam.
They were already debating different things on the map as I walked away, veering towards the food tent on my way to my truck.
Addie smiled at me as I entered. “How are you doing, Remy?”
“Okay, I guess,” I responded with a shrug, shoving my hands into my pockets. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
I watched as she stiffened, almost like waiting for a blow.
“Is Skye okay?” Her voice shook as she forced the words out. “Did Nikolai—”
“She’s fine,” I assured her quickly, but my mind tripped over her almost-question. “What did you think Nikolai would do?”
Addie wiped her hands on her apron and stepped around me, going outside the tent until I had to follow.
“He wouldn’t hurt her,” she promised me. “But I do wonder if he’ll be able to charm her. I often thought about the life she might have had if I had been able to get into contact with him. If he had raised her outside of Long Mesa.”
“Probably would have saved her a lot of pain and heartache,” I admitted quietly. “But then you guys never would have come here, and I wouldn’t have her. Any choice that didn’t end with her and me together isn’t something I’m willing to think about.”
She smiled, nodding slowly. “She loves you, Remy. So much. And you know, she once said the same thing to me. Any road that didn’t end end you wasn’t one she wanted to travel.”
Pain flared in my chest, so sharp it rocked me back a step. The absence of the girl I loved was like a hole being carved in my heart by a rusty spoon laced with acid.
God, I missed her. I needed her back.
I cleared my throat, refocusing my mind. “I spoke with Paul Warren today.”
Her eyes went wide. “The Stone Valley Alpha?”
I nodded. “He’s agreed to join us.”
She blinked in surprise, her hand rubbing absently at the spot where her neck sloped into her shoulder. “I never thought … wow. He knows I’m here, right? Because the way things ended the last time I saw him weren’t good.”
“He knows,” I said. “I also reminded him that his pack and his son never had any claim to you since you were bonded. That means more than any pack treaty or marriage agreement.”
“But I wasn’t bonded when the marriage was supposed to happen,” she admitted quietly, the pain in her tone undeniable.
“Because you broke the bond,” I finished for her. I still didn’t understand how anyone could break their bond. It just seemed untenable.
Something must have shown on my face because her shoulders hunched and she seemed to curl into herself.
A shudder rippled through her before she looked at me. “I didn’t break my bond, Remy. It was broken for me.”
“What?” I whispered the word, trying to figure that out.
Addie lifted a shaking hand and waved me off. “I can’t talk about this right now, Remy.”
My jaw dropped. “Addie—”
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly and walked away.
18
Skye
My hand was already blindly reaching for the phone I had left on my bedside table before my eyes even finished opening. Weak sunlight spilled through the narrow gap between the ornate drapes of the windows across the room, indicating it was early morning.
I rolled onto my side as my fingers closed around the phone and pulled it into the bed with me. Clicking the power button, I smiled when I saw five text messages, one from Remy and one from Mom, the other three were unnamed contacts. It wasn’t hard to guess who they were when I scrolled through the text.
MESSAGE (UNKNOWN NUMBER): Larkin and I are going to see if Ainsley wants to be our new bestie if we don’t hear from you today.
I rolled my eyes at Katy’s message. Such a drama queen, but I totally owed both of my best friends a call.
MESSAGE (UNKNOWN NUMBER): I know you’re probably super busy, but I just wanted to let you know we love you and miss you. And Rhodes wants me to remind you that you need to get your butt back here at the end of the week.
Of course Rhodes would make Larkin relay a message, and I didn’t doubt the beta who had become like a brother to me would follow Remy straight to Russia to get me if I wasn’t home when they wanted.
MESSAGE (UNKNOWN NUMBER): It’s Dimitri. Just realized you didn’t have my number. Text when you wake up if you want a personal escort to breakfast.
Yeah, an escort would be needed since odds were I would get lost trying to find my way back. Maybe after I got done talking to Elias, I could poke around this palatial estate and see what I could find out about my—
About Nikolai.
I brushed a lock of hair off my cheek and read the next message.
MOM: I love you, Skye.
That message warmed my heart. I missed my mom. Yeah, there was a lot currently hanging unsaid between us, but she was my mom and the only source of support I’d had most of my life. I didn’t stop loving her just because she omitted a few crucial details.
The last message made my heart pound.
REMY: Call me when you wake up, babe. I need to talk to you.
Anxiety tangled with the always present longing that coursed in my blood as I opened his contact info, selecting the video chat option. I could have called, but I needed to see him.
I winced as my face filled the screen while waiting for him to pick up. I should’ve at least brushed my hair or something because I looked freaking exhausted and my hair was a wreck. I frantically smoothed it down as best as I could before he answered.
It only took the span of a few heartbeats before he picked up.
“What’s wrong?” The words tumbled out of my mouth before he could say anything.
Remy’s lips quirked into a small smile. “Hi, babe. I miss you, too.”
I sighed and back-tracked. “Hi, babe. I miss you, I love you. What’s wrong?”
“Hang on,” he said, the phone’s screen darkened as he walked through a barely lit hall. A second later, the light came on and he sank into a chair.
“Are you in your dad’s office?” My nose wrinkled as I looked around behind him. I had only been in his dad’s office a few times in the days leading up to the Summit. Gabe and Remy had wanted to prepare me for what was to come.
Oddly enough, a bombing wasn’t something we covered.
“Yeah.” His eyes looked around the room, a small frown pulling down the delectable corners of his mouth. “I’ve been using it for meetings.”
“Wow,” I replied, a little stunned. “But seriously, what’s going on? Your text was pretty cryptic.”
“Couple things,” he said, his tone firming as he settled into Alpha-mode. “I spoke with the Alpha of Stone Valley. They’re planning to join us. We also have six other packs who plan to do the same, including Windale.”
“Griffin’s pack?” That surprised me. After Blackwater and Norwood, Windale had the largest pack in the United States.