Jaded Hearts
Chapter 71

Drew

“It took you long enough, snowflake. I called for you hours ago,” I said as Lawrence walked in, wearing his signature scowl.

“Let’s get something straight. I don’t work for you—never have and never will. You don’t ‘call for me’ either. I come when the boss wants me here.”

“And yet here you are, so I guess that makes me the boss. When do I get my s**t? I made the call and got the information you wanted, so now I want what was promised,” I said.

“Alpha Witt’s not your biggest fan. He banished you, so how do we know that what he told you was accurate?”

“You don’t know s**t about Colt. He banished me because he had to; otherwise, he would’ve been attacked by Blue Moon. My brother would never turn his back on me. Whatever he said is true,” I replied.

Secretly, I’d wondered if Colt was f*****g with me on the call, but in all the years of us growing up together, he always went out of his way to help me. I’d never tell him to his face, but he was a damn good big brother.

“Well, if that’s true, then we can make an appointment for Monday afternoon. Would that work for you?”

“It will have to. I don’t see an alternative.”

I leaned back in my seat and looked him over. We’d been going back and forth for months, and I still hadn’t figured him out.

“What’s your deal? You’re the pastiest son of a b***h I’ve ever seen, so you’re clearly a vamp. But you’re out in the sun with no issue. How is that possible?” I asked.

“You can’t judge a book by its cover, Andrew. You should know that first hand. Do I smell like a vampire to you?”

He knew I couldn’t smell if he was a vampire—I could barely smell when I needed a shower. The evil smile that spread on his face told me that he knew exactly what he was doing. A*****e.

“f**k you. I just figured I could get to know you since you’re the only person I see on a daily basis. Excuse me for being cordial.”

“You’re excused. And don’t bother; our time together should be coming to an end soon enough, and we’ll be rid of one another for good. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

“What does that mean? Am I finally getting out of here?”

“Tell me, where would you go? You can barely walk, you can’t shift, and you’re a rogue. If any pack found you, they’d immediately end your life, so why are you so determined to leave?”

“Why I want to leave is none of your business. And I’ll be just f*****g fine. My wolf will come back, and when he does, I’ll finish what I started.”

Vincent threw his head back and laughed out loud. I’d never heard something so bone-chilling in my life. This dude was creepy as s**t.

“Andrew, Andrew, Andrew. How stupid can you be? You’re only alive because the boss wants you alive. You think you can take down that pack, on your own, with one arm and a hand oddly reminiscent of old beef jerky? Honestly?”

“Get the f**k out. I’ve had enough of your s**t for the day. Actually, do us both a favor and don’t come back until it’s time for my appointment.”

“Gladly. Oh, and just an FYI, the full moon is this Sunday. You’ve healed enough over the last few months, so maybe that’ll finally help that sad little puppy you call your wolf come out of hiding.”

He slammed the door behind him, and I listened as his footsteps disappeared down the hall. I hated that guy so much. After I was done with Blue Moon, I’d kill him too. That was a guarantee. Killian had to come back. There was no way I could survive out there without him. At least if I still had my wolf, I’d have my advanced senses to help protect me. Right now, I’m more helpless than a human. One of them could take me out without even breaking a sweat.

Maybe Colt would help me. All I needed was enough cash to set myself up somewhere. After I took out Blue Moon, he wouldn’t have to worry about retaliation from them.

That was it. I’d take out their pack, then take the cash and start over. No one would ever have to know that he helped me.

But first, I had to get Killian to stop being a f*****g p***y and wake up.

* * *

Matt

“I promise you that it gets better. The first time I had to leave Alaia and the kids at home, I was a mess. It’s like you’re leaving your heart behind,” Xander said to me.

We’d been sitting in meetings for a few hours, and we were finally stopped for a break. It had been almost impossible for me to stay focused. I constantly pulled up pictures of Taylor and Genesis on my phone and flipped through them. I missed my family.

“I can’t see this getting better. I’m supposed to sleep alone, then start my day without seeing her face? How?”

“You’ll figure it out. I can offer you a suggestion, though: put the phone away. Looking at the pictures over and over will only make you miss them more.”

I sighed and tucked the phone into my pocket. “Was life always this stressful?”

“Hell no! Do you remember when we were all bachelors, and Kade was still screwing his way through the pack? Now we’re settled down with kids. It may come with a little more stress, but it’s well worth it.”

As we were talking, Colton Witt walked up to us with someone I assumed was his Beta.

“Alpha, Gamma, Alexi, it’s good to see you. I’d like to apologize for all the trouble that my brother’s caused you and your pack. I give you my word that Dark Woods will do everything we can to see him properly punished.”

“Alpha Witt, I appreciate that. We hope to have Andrew fully behind us soon. He’s annoyed the hell out of us for long enough,” Xander said.

“I understand. It’s hard to see what he’s become. Our father was tough on all of us, but it was Drew’s decision to take the path he did. I can’t make excuses for him, and I don’t feel that he’s redeemable at this point. Gamma Stone, I want to personally apologize for what he did to your mate. No matter how he felt, he should’ve never laid a finger on her. From my family to yours, we are truly sorry.”

“Thank you. For you to apologize for something you had no control over is really big of you, Alpha Witt.”

“It needed to be done.”

He then addressed Xander directly. “Would it be possible while we’re here to discuss a truce between our packs? I’d love to align with both Blue Moon and Opal Moon one day, but I know that would be a hard ask with Andrew still hanging over our heads. But maybe small steps towards the larger goal would be achievable?”

“I’ll carve out some time for us to talk tomorrow before we all head home. Does that work?”

“We’ll make it work. Thank you. You gentlemen enjoy yourselves, I’ll see you around.”

When Colton was out of earshot, Alexi spoke up. “Do you trust him, Xan?”

“Not fully, but he’s yet to give me a reason not to. Unfortunately for him, he just happens to be related to a disgusting excuse for a wolf, and that’s what’s giving me pause. Family ties are stronger than common sense sometimes. I’m open to a discussion, but an alliance is still far-fetched at this point. We have to see what they’re offering; Dark Woods would benefit from aligning with us for sure, but I need to know that our pack will get something out of it as well.”

“The man in me says that I want nothing to do with the Witts ever again. But the wolf in me says that you don’t cut off a potential associate,” I said, folding my arms as I leaned against the doorway.

Xander nodded. “Exactly. So, we’ll talk on Sunday, and then on Monday, we’ll kill his little brother. What better way to start a relationship?”

“I can think of a few better ways, but Witt will just have to take what he can get,” Alexi said with a laugh.

* * *

Taylor

Alaia wasn’t kidding when she said that she’d have a party when her husband’s left. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and the three of us were sitting in the sunroom, enjoying fruity drinks and getting incredible massages. Life was currently very, very good.

Morgan was lying face-down on her massage table. “The men would be pissed if they saw the three hotties you hired for the day,” she murmured.

“The three of them aren’t here to do anything about it, so…” She shrugged her shoulder, then pointed to her lower back, where her masseuse happily went to work.

I was all for a good massage, and this was doing wonders for taking my mind off the fact that Matt was so far away. I missed him so much.

“Rub harder; oh, and get her shoulders. She’s thinking too much,” Morgan told my masseuse.

“Ohh, god!” I m****d as he set in on my tightly wound muscles.

“That’s it. Now we’re having a good time,” she said with her usual wicked smile.

Just as I was starting in on my third drink, in walked Tyson to ruin the fun. “Hey, gorgeous. I’m just about—”

He looked at the three of us lying face-down on the tables, naked from the waist up, then to the three men rubbing us down. “What the f**k is this s**t?” he asked.

“Massages. Now quiet down; you’re killing the vibe in here,” Morgan scolded.

“Should we take a break, Luna?” one asked Alaia.

“Nope, you three keep going. He’ll be alright.”

Tyson shot us all a dirty look, then smiled sweetly. “Kade! Come here for a minute!” he yelled.

“Aww, you a*****e!” I heard the sound of feet coming down the hall and sighed. The fun was about to come to a swift and abrupt end.

“Hey. What’s up, man?”

Kade looked in the room at the three of us before his eyes settled on Morgan’s back and the hands expertly gliding across it.

“Get your f*****g hands off her! All three of you, now!!”

The guys all stopped and took a few steps back.

“Damnit, Kade! What’s the big deal? People get massages all the time,” Morgan yelled out.

“Ladies put your robes on now. And you three assholes get the hell out.”

“Beta, we need to pack up our tables and supplies.”

“OUT!”

They quickly left the room while we regretfully sat up and got dressed.

“What’s wrong with you? You’re here letting strange men rub all over you, and you don’t see an issue with it?” Kade yelled at us.

“That’s usually how massages work. So no, we don’t see the issue,” I said.

“No? Xander, Lex, and Matt would lose their s**t if they knew what was going on in here. And you know better, Morgan. I should’ve killed all three of those fuckers.”

“Kade, when we first met, you were getting a lot more than a massage in that private room, ” I reminded him.

“That was before I had a mate! Find something else to do for ‘girls’ day,’ please.”

“Running the pack’s harder than you thought, huh?” Alaia asked with a laugh.

“I can handle the seven hundred wolves out there. It’s you three that drive me crazy! f*****g women …” He left the room, muttering under his breath, making us girls laugh.

Alaia chuckled. “He’ll think twice the next time he decides to cut us out of the action. Seeing the look on his face was well worth the loss of my massage.”

Tyson, who’d been leaning against the door and watching the entire interaction go down, stood and walked over to me. “If you were mine, that wolf would have been dead.”

“Lucky for him, I’m not. I’m sure he appreciates breathing,” I replied flatly.

“Yeah, lucky him.”

“What did you need?” I asked, remembering that he came in here for a reason, even if his entrance was poorly timed.

“Just your company, if you and your partners in crime don’t have anything planned.”

“Nope! You and Kade ruined our fun for the day. Take her,” Morgan quickly said.

“Cool, then be at my place in an hour.”

When he walked away, I felt the girls both staring at me. “What?!”

“Are you two still ‘dating?’” Morgan asked.

“We’re keeping each other company. We both decided that’s what we wanted.”

“I don’t think that’s what he decided, but when it comes to you, he’s too sweet to say any different. You guys have fun. We’ll take care of the little one while you’re gone,” Alaia said.

“Cool. You guys are the best,” I said as I hopped down and left the room.

“We know!” they both yelled after me.