“I know. But I’ve known her my whole life and she’s... manipulative.” Her blue eyes saddened. “Her brother was Dermot... He died in the Lunarmorte against Lucien.”
Caia’s eyes widened at this new piece of information. “He tried to take Lucien’s title?”
Jaeden nodded solemnly.
Caia was quiet for a minute, absorbing this. It didn’t seem right to condemn someone for their family’s mistakes. Then again, Alexa was pretty scary. Ruthless her middle name. But... nah... she shook her head. “That doesn’t mean Alexa’s the same. Look at my grandfather. He tried to take Lucien’s dad’s title and my father was nothing like him.”
“Cy,” Jaeden’s voice was firm, “Alexa wants to be Lucien’s mate. She’ll stop at nothing to do it.”
“I’m not standing in her way.”
Her friend shrugged, starting the engine up again. “Apparently, you are.”
Caia laughed humorlessly. “Are you all crazy?”
“Just promise if you need me you will come to me?”
“I feel like I’ve landed in a bad mafia movie.”
Jaeden giggled as she started backing up the car. She leaned out of her window as she passed Caia. “You’ve lived the life of a human too long. Pack politics are normal for us.”
Caia rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, Irini could have at least warned me about them.”
Jaeden pulled to a stop now that she’d turned the car around. Her face was suddenly serious. “Yes, she should have.”
Caia raised a questioning eyebrow. These lykans confused the hell out of her. They were so blasé one minute and the next as serious as if someone had just killed their mom.
“See you tomorrow, Cy.”
She waved silently as Jaeden pulled away, and then turned to look at the house. When she had stood in the airport unable to breathe for panic at the sheer thought of returning to the pack, she hadn’t been afraid because she knew what was awaiting her, she’d been afraid because she hadn’t known. If she had... well... she might have jumped on the next plane to anywhere else.
As she entered the house she could hear Lucien talking to someone in the kitchen and being answered by an unfamiliar female voice. What she really wanted to do right now was run upstairs to her bedroom, shut the door, and have an uncharacteristic crying session.
But that would be rude.
Heaving a sigh, she walked cautiously into the kitchen. Lucien had obviously caught her scent because he was looking towards the doorway when she stepped through it.
“Caia.” He smiled, and she was surprised that he looked genuinely happy to see her. She tried not to blush and strolled slowly towards him, her gaze flicking between him and the attractive older blonde across from him.
“Hi.”
“Caia, this Yvana, Ryder and Aidan’s mother.”
She smiled at the older woman, catching the resemblance now. She held out her hand formally. Yvana had been staring at her, expressionless, but as she’d stepped closer, freezing icicles had crept into her eyes, and she cringed back from Caia’s outstretched hand. “I hadn’t realized how much you look like your mother,” she spat.
Caia flinched, completely taken aback. The venom in this woman’s voice was uncontrolled and so heartfelt. First Alexa, now her?
“Yvana,” Lucien’s voice rumbled darkly in warning. Caia had never heard him use that tone before, but she was still too shocked by Yvana’s reaction to look at him. She was caught in this woman’s bleak gaze. What had she done to her?
“Griffin died because of your parents... because of you.” Yvana was standing up now, trembling with anger and grief.
Caia looked to Lucien for answers. Who was Griffin? But Lucien’s face was mottled with anger as well, the muscles in his forearms taut as he rounded the table. “You can leave now.”
“Lucien,” Yvana protested, her eyes breaking from Caia’s as she realized how angry she had made him.
“What’s going on?” Irini’s voice drifted towards them from the doorway.
“You can’t expect me not to be upset. That you would even expect me to be in the same room as that,” she spat again, flicking her hand distastefully at Caia.