Chapte 143 1
Chapter 143-1
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It took two days for Finn and Willa to find the healer. In that time, the pack was quiet. Not even a
whiff of rogue activity outside our territory. No word from Claudine.
I studied the withered face of the older man. He looked like he’d just been riding the storm until it
ended. When Kiana came into the frame, his eyes gentled, and he smiled. “Bet you don’t remember
me,” he said gruffly.
“I’m sorry. Most of my memories were locked away. You’re Hector Ramirez?”
“Hadn’t heard that name in years until Finn uttered it. Always knew one day he’d come to me and
know it. Boy turned into a good man. I’m glad. I doubt it would have been that way if he’d stayed.
Still, hate that he had such a rough life. You too, Andrea. Had no idea. No idea.”
His eyes filled with tears, but he blinked them away. “Finn had questions. Guess you do too.”
“I might be repeating some of the questions,” Kiana admitted. “I hope that’s all right.”
“You deserve the truth. Whatever I can give you.”
My office was getting crowded. Amelia was perched on the chair, her pen to a notepad. Saul was
the same. Jenson and Lunessa had each taken a corner. Jenson kept glancing at the clock. No
doubt he wanted to get back to Irene.
“Why did you tell Claudine that her daughters had died?”
“She’d ordered them killed.” His eyes narrowed. “Claudine was a good and strong leader until she
became pregnant with her first pup. The witch that was here at the time, Adiya, was a seer. Old as dirt then. Old as I am now,” he laughed dryly.
“Claudine wanted her to see her kid. To know that she was going to be okay. Damn witch told her
that the heart of her daughter would destroy the mountain. First, she thought it might be kid’s
future mate, so she sought out another witch. Out of the pack. Never knew what the witch said,
but when the child was born, Claudine ordered her killed. I couldn’t do it. Smuggled her to a different family.”
I leaned forward. “Claudine didn’t want to take over the mountain?”
“Not then.” Hector sighed. “She got pregnant again. Another girl. Same order. I smuggled her out too. When she got pregnant a third time, she started to go a little mad, I think. She left the mountain again, but when she came back, she was at peace. Fourth kid was Finn. She was at
peace with a son, and I thought maybe she’d be okay. By then, Adiya was dead and Katherine was
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Chapter 143-1
the new pack witch. Shoulda known something was up. The way Claudine was obsessed with Katherine, especially when she got pregnant. She became desperate for a second child. Started taking fertility drugs. She got pregnant again, another girl, but she miscarried. When she had the last girl, she handed her over to me and told me to kill her but give her the baby’s heart.”
Kiana gasped, and Hector shook his head. “I couldn’t do it. I smuggled the baby out again. I told
her the baby had died almost immediately, and I’d buried her. Told her it wasn’t right what she was doing. In retaliation, she killed my mate.”
Tears streaked down his cheek, and he wiped them again. “I left after that. Changed my name
because I knew she’d be looking for me. Figured I’d die out here in these woods without my mate,
but there are too many wolves who need me. Then I learned that Finn was out here on his own, and
I knew I had to wait until he knew. Until he came back and got his answers.”
“I don’t understand. You married again,” Kiana said.
“Maris? She’s not my wife. More like my daughter, although she’s no wolf.” He cackled a little bit at
some private joke. “She’s a good doctor, and she needed a place to hide. She’s gone, now. Moved
on about a year ago, but not before making me promise that I wouldn’t take my own life. She’d
know, I suspect, too. Knows too damn much, that woman.”
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