Auctioned Mates Revenge
Chapter 84

Glenda's

POV

The scent of blood and gunpowder pulled me out of my sleep. Jay's shriek of fear and his accusations rattled around in my head. Andrew's cold dead eyes looked at me in shock as if he had some right to blame me for his death. I killed him, but he was only going to kill me or worse.

I felt no guilt about how he and his father had died, but I was troubled. Would my parents approve of this? Maybe they would have found it in them to forgive Jay and Andrew and everyone else who was a part of the attack. Who else was out there that might know who I am?

My mind wandered to Matt.

What time was it?

I didn't know where my phone was and there were no clocks in the room I'd woken up in. The covers were dark and across the room on a shelf was a collection of small figurines of wolves engaged in battle at the base of a tall mountain.

Was it supposed to be Looming Height? Aside from the lovers who climbed to the peak, there were other myths about the mountain, pointing back to centuries ago when most werewolves still shifted regularly and used claws instead of guns. I couldn't recall the myth now, but it hardly mattered.

I slipped from bed hoping to replace Matt. I walked to the window and looked out across the ocean. We weren't anywhere I'd ever been before.

I left the room hoping not to run into Mordecai, but my luck had run out for the evening.

The large man turned the corner as I walked. I froze in place and jumped back. My heart hammered in my chest.

His lips twitched. They seemed a little hazy, and I smelled alcohol on his breath. Was he going to do something to me?

"Matt's in the gym." He nodded behind him, "Down those stairs."

"T-Thank you, Alpha Asra."

His lips twitched, "No need to be so formal. We're practically family now."

He walked past me and I couldn't even imagine what that was supposed to mean given the last time we'd been alone together, but I didn't linger in the hallway. I hurried down the stairs that he'd directed me to and hoped that when I found Matt he'd be willing to talk. I had so many questions.

There was a glass door at the bottom of the stairs. Inside looked like exercise equipment. I opened the door and heard the rapid thud of fists hitting something solid. I leaned around the corner and gasped as Matt growled and pummeled the punching bag with a bunch of hard strikes. His eyes were glowing red in the darkness of the room.

He was only wearing a pair of sweatpants, drawn tight around his waist.

"F**k!" He slammed his fist into it, punching through the bag. The sand inside began to leak out in a slow hiss before he leaned against the bag, panting and steadying himself. "Matt?"

He turned to me, stiffly, grimaced, and turned away, "This... isn't how I wanted you to see me."

I approached him slowly, not entirely sure what to say. He seemed nervous to have me so close, but I placed a hand on his shoulder. His skin was feverish and slick with sweat. He trembled as he held himself still. "Renda, you shouldn't be here."

I drew back, uncertain, "Do you not want me here?"

His hands wrapped around my arms, drawing me close enough to share a breath as he looked down at me. My heart sped up as I looked up at him.

"From the first moment I saw you," he breathed, "I have not wanted to part from you."

His voice rumbled with need as he pressed his head against mine, bumping his nose with mine.

"You must believe at least that."

I nodded. His heart was racing beneath my palm, but why would Matt be nervous.

"You've... known all this time." I said, "Yet you said nothing. Were you... ashamed of me?"

"Never." His eyes flashed a burning red; his wolf growled at the edge of his voice. "You are our mate. When I thought I would never have such a joy, you appeared in my life and have been such a gift. Never doubt that." My face heated and I felt Alyssa longing to respond, to push through and speak, but she was exhausted, whining in despair.

"I... We can't meet yet," I said.

"I know," Matt replied, "I can feel how much she wants to. You need not worry. I can hold him at bay for as long as you need."

He lifted my hands to press a solemn kiss on them as if I was the most precious thing he ever had.

"I meant what I said."

I nodded. I felt a little disappointed but relieved as he led me towards the door.

"Let's sit by the pool, hm? It's a nice night."

I nodded, clasping his hand and following him outside. He led me to a lounger and pulled me down onto it to lie half on top of him as if he wanted to use me like a comforter. "I'm not a blanket," I laughed. "And aren't you hot?"

"No, you aren't. And I just want you close to me." He chuckled and pressed a kiss to my head. "If... I used my fifth question now, would you tell me the truth?"

I looked up at him, "What is it that you want to ask?"

He met my gaze, "Who are you, Renda? Really?"

Fear made me hesitate. Yes, we are mates, but he was Matt Wallber.

"Tell me... why you hate Ben so much."

His eyes narrowed and he sat up a bit, eyeing me, "Is my... relation to Ben Wallber why you won't tell me?"

I didn't answer and his lips twitched. He nodded.

"I understand that much. I'll start from the beginning. My mother was Sharon Hammer, the great-granddaughter of Cathan Hammer, the alpha who established the Warhammer Pack."

For the first three years of his life, he lived with Ben, his mother, and his brother, Joel. I thought back to the photo on his bedside table. The youth in the photo with him had to be Joel. Where was he now? And his mother?

"When Joel and I were three, Ben came home with Sonia and Wade. My mother was heartbroken. We moved out of the Warhammer Estate to a smaller home. Within a few months, she was taken to a mental institution. A year later he tearfully announced that she had committed suicide."

I froze looking at him as he continued, "The problem is that my mother wasn't depressed when we left the Warhammer Estate, and we didn't spend all of our time at the second home either. When the mental institution came to take her, Ben was there and my mother was perfectly sane. She agreed to go."

His jaw clenched, "He had her killed and brought us back to the Warhammer Estate, pushing Sonia as our new stepmother, but I've never liked her or Wade."

"And...your brother?"

He looked away, "I... lost him when we were fourteen in a shifting accident."

He growled, "It was my fault. I knew... I knew he didn't have full control of the shift yet, but I took him climbing with me anyway. When... you asked me about ghosts, I could only think he would never come to see me. Why would he? Twins or not, I am the reason he died."

My heart clenched with grief. Twin werewolves were rare. There were a lot of myths around them. I couldn't imagine what it had felt like for Matt to lose Joel in such a terrible way.

I shook my head, placing my hand on his chest and curling into him, "Your brother wouldn't want you to think that way."

"-"

"You cannot blame yourself for an accident, Matt. You make it seem like you pushed him off the cliff."

"If I had been faster, I could have-"

"You were a teenager, Matt. You are a great werewolf, but you cannot blame yourself because you were unable to save him. Your brother wouldn't want you to live like this."

He said nothing for a long time, "My mother's will left the industry of Warhammer to me and Joel. When Joel died, it was discovered that he also had a will that left his portion to me." "He killed her thinking it would be his," I gasped. "Because they were married when she died?"

He met my gaze, "Do you believe me when I say that I have real, unmoving reasons to hate Ben?"

I didn't think there was any way I couldn't believe him now. I nodded and my jaw trembled with what I was about to tell him. I took a deep breath meeting his gaze.

"My real name... is Glenda Fluorite. On the day of my parents' anniversary, they came and killed everyone but young women."