Auctioned Mates Revenge
Chapter 83

We got back to Mordecai's estate quickly. He'd updated it more than I had realized the last time I'd been there to include a pool as well as a view of the coast. Renda had remained sleeping for the entire ride. The bruises on her face looked to be healing more quickly than I thought they would. I supposed her wolf was much stronger now than it had been before. I lifted her out of the car and into my arms, following Mordecai into the house. "You can stay in your old room," he said with a glint of humor in his eyes. "I think all the action figures are still there too."

My face heated and I scowled at him, "How kind of you."

He laughed and shrugged out of his jacket as a butler I vaguely remembered showed up and led me down the hall to my old room at Mordecai's house.

True to his words, it looked just as it had when I'd last stayed in it. It seemed like it had been a lifetime ago. I carried her to the bathroom to clean her up as much as possible and change her into something more comfortable, a t-shirt from my youth and a pair of boxers. I lay her in bed and placed a bottle of painkillers by her bed, a glass, and a pitcher.

I kissed her head and tucked her in before leaving the room and preparing myself to speak to Mordecai. There had been a shift between us that I still had to navigate to my best ability. I found him outside by the pool with a pair of tumblers and a decanter of alcohol.

He'd changed into loungewear and was sipping from his glass.

"Blue Ice." He chuckled, "Hell of a pickle we've gotten into, little one."

I eased into a chair and poured a glass, "If you had children, we wouldn't be in this situation."

He laughed, "What makes you say that?"

"Ben wouldn't be eyeing Midnight like he is."

He laughed, "You don't seem to understand Ben at heart. He's a cold, cruel, selfish son of a bitch whose goal in life is to be greater than what he is."

He drained his glass, "That jackass would have come after me sooner if he didn't have you and Joel to worry about."

"Me and Joel?"

His lips twitched and he glanced at me, "You think Ben's the only one who knew about Sharon's will?"

I watched him as he drank.

"As I said, Sinner's Haven is yours. Plan on giving us another nightclub?" He chuckled, "I will say that brunch is pretty damn good."

"I was considering a lounge... It's more in line with the name."

"A kink club and lounge, hm? I suppose you get enough business in the basement of Club Heaven."

I sipped, "You approve?"

"The set-up? Of course. Why wouldn't I?" He chuckled, "All of your precautions are well-thought-out. How's Felix doing?"

I glanced at him, "He'll be fine."

"Kid's a nervous wreck like usual then. He finally cracked?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"Why else would you be asking about Gulf Waves?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, "I'm getting the feeling that you know a lot more than I think."

He cackled, "It's finally my turn to surprise you. Good. About time. Maybe I can teach you a thing or two."

He laughed again to himself f as he poured another drink.

"Gulf Waves used to be on the west side of Fireash before they annexed the land. Or rather before Ben washed the pack's streets with its own blood and called it a hurricane. He likes using natural disasters to explain massive losses of life."" Ben had given the Gulf Waves land and industry to Fireash, solidifying his hold on them.

"I think you know that Ben doesn't have what it takes to build anything."

I nodded, "Why are you telling me this?"

"You asked."

"You're saying you'd answer any question I had?"

"If I can."

"Why?"

His lips twitched, "Except that one. Not yet."

I sat back, contemplating the answer. It was a sort of answer. The possibilities behind those words were troubling. There was an odd tone of care in his voice. One I couldn't remember Ben ever having, but Mordecai was right.

Ben didn't know how to build anything, not even relationships. I didn't think even he and Wade had a decent relationship if Wade was so willing to go behind Ben's back.

"How long will it take Warhammer Guard to get to Skyfall and secure the border?"

"It's probably mostly secure right now. I suspect securing Frost Pelt might be a little more difficult, but I have a plan for that."

"You're sending Gordon and Emoni home."

I lifted my glass, "Are you going to tell the man not to take his daughter home?"

"Of course not," Mordecai laughed, "That would be madness and get me nowhere. I rather like Blue Ice."

I looked at him, "What's your grudge against Ben?"

His lips twitched, "You're really aiming for all the questions I can't answer yet, aren't you?"

"How am I supposed to trust that we're on the same side? For all I know, you're after the same thing Ben is."

He didn't even flinch at the words. His jaw set in a firm line, but I didn't know if that meant I had struck a chord or made him deeply uncomfortable with the idea. I felt like I was grasping at straws, trying to get an idea of what he wanted from me and how I could use it to my advantage. Maybe I was still reeling from the night's events or I was just overthinking it.

"Smart," he said after a minute, swirling his liquor. "You've always been... so smart little Matt. Conniving. I'd dare say sneaky. You're right to be suspicious. Moon knows you have every reason to be, but I meant what I said." "Which part?"

"From the moment you were registered in Midnight, you became one of mine."

The words felt heavier than they should have been. My stomach churned uncomfortably. His eyes glossed over and seemed to stare into the distance. I would almost say he seemed vulnerable, tired, and world-weary. I didn't want to look at him, but every twitch of emotion on his face could be a clue to what he wouldn't say.

Lucas almost whined in pain, What is he saying?

I didn't know.

Then, a thought crossed my mind that never had before: I had never met Mordecai's wolf. I didn't know his name and there was so little information about his wolf circulating in the world. I knew he was vicious. I knew he was powerful, but there was nothing more concrete than that.

Mordecai had never made a show of shifting, but a part of me knew he could.

It was as if he kept everything that could be used against him hidden. To be fair, not many people even knew that I could shift, let alone anything more concrete than the fact that I could. It was at once a wish for privacy and a move to protect myself.

The Warhammer Council would jump at the chance to put me on proving ground if they knew anything about my abilities. Ben could shift, but it was taxing for him and he only did it for show. To my knowledge, Wade couldn't shift and though we weren't beasts fighting in the forest anymore, there was an old-world charm and sense of assurance that came with following someone who could shift. The myths surrounding Warhammer's establishment were still too salient to the majority of the masses. "Karma comes for everyone," he said solemnly. "I just want to be alive long enough to see Ben's."

His lips twitched, "When that happens, I'll tell you everything you want."

He sat back, "If it makes you feel any better... Joel trusted me."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Why would you bring up Joel?"

"Because, sometimes little Matt, the words of the dead carry more weight than the living. Your mother... trusted me. Isn't that enough to trust me?"

"Did she know you have a thing for blondes?"

He laughed, "Oh, if only you knew."

I sipped my whiskey, "I get the feeling that I'll never stop having questions."

"No, I don't think you will. Too curious. Too smart. You see too much." He chuckled wryly, "Though maybe not enough at the same time."

"What does that mean?"

He grinned, "Not yet."

I frowned. His tone poked at something at the back of my mind, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"You've got that look your mother used to get," Mordecai said, gesturing at me vaguely. "Stop thinking. Blame Ben for everything. Finish drinking, and pretend that you know how to be an obedient child and go to bed." I snorted, "There is nothing obedient about me."

"I said pretend."

I finished the drink and stood, "Have it your way, old man."

"If only."