Billionaire Wolf's MateDate - Serena Meadows Page 0,6

last. “Okay, tell me what’s brought you here; it can’t be good.”

Jacob shook his head. “Your brother’s death really rattled your father,” he said. “It’s pretty clear that it was intentional, that someone set out to kill him. There’s been talk of some rival clans trying to take over our territory, little things like missing money, or drops that never happen. But this is different, an outright challenge; the only problem is that we’re not sure where it’s coming from.”

“I still don’t see what this has to do with me,” Reggie said. “I made it pretty clear that I’d never participate in what the clan calls business. I walked away, and Marco’s death doesn’t change that. My father can just appoint a different successor. I’m sure there’s plenty of shifters who would be happy to take his place, maybe even you.”

After a long pause followed by a sigh, Jacob took a drink of his soda, set it down, then turned and faced Reggie. “You know he’s never going to do that, and just so you know, nothing has changed. I don’t want the job any more than you do,” he said, making Reggie feel guilty for his outburst.

It was his turn to sigh. “I’m sorry, Jacob, I know you don’t. I’m just upset and frustrated with the situation,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. “The worst part is that there’s a small part of me that wants to go home, a sense that I belong there.”

Jacob shrugged. “No matter what you do, you’re still part of the pack. You can’t unlearn those instincts,” he said.

Reggie thought about that for a second, knowing that his old friend was right, that there would always be a part of him connected to the clan. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to give in and go home,” he said, then saw the look on Jacob’s face. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Your father thinks it will strengthen his position to unite our families,” Jacob said. “He’s going to petition the council to reinstate your marriage contract.”

***Janice***

Janice sat in her darkened living room, boxes of pictures and papers spread out on the floor around her, tears streaming down her cheeks. After hours of searching everything multiple times, she couldn’t find any trace of the first few years of her life other than a birth certificate and a single baby picture. Now she was frozen on the floor, a picture of her mother clutched in her hands, wishing she was still around to make sense of what she’d just learned.

A knock on the door pulled her out of the trance she’d fallen into and shoving the picture aside with a little more force than she intended, she climbed unsteadily to her feet. When she opened the door, Melanie and Heather were standing on the porch but quickly pushed their way into the house when they saw her face.

“Okay, a cup of tea first,” Melanie said, pushing her toward the kitchen, “and then you’re going to tell us what’s going on. I hope you don’t mind, but I called Heather. I thought she could help.”

Janice managed to smile at her two friends. “I should have called her myself, but calling you was hard enough,” she said. “I just can’t believe...”

Melanie looked at her, alarmed. “Let’s just worry about that tea for now,” she said, pushing her into a chair. “It’ll only take a second.”

A few minutes later, Melanie set a steaming cup of tea down on the table. “Drink some of that, and then we’ll talk,” she said, sitting down next to her.

She took a sip of tea, grimacing at the sweetness, then set it back down. “Drink it; the sugar will help,” Melanie said.

After she’d drained the cup, she did feel better, less shaky, less unbalanced. She sucked in a huge breath of air, then let it slowly out, feeling some of the tension leave her shoulders. But flashbacks of the breakfast with Jacob kept popping into her mind, mixed up with bits and pieces of things her mother had told her about their past, making it impossible to think clearly.

She fought the idea that everything her mother had told her about her father was a lie, couldn’t believe that the one person she trusted most in the world had deceived her so badly. For that, she felt guilty, but there was also deep curiosity mixed in, and a little elation that she might actually have a family somewhere waiting for her.

“I have a brother,”