Blood of My Blood (Part 2)
Thea’s POV
My body stiffened. What the hell had Kane done? Didn’t he know who he was dealing with? Even Chief Hawthorne had been hunting Graves for years without success, proving how powerful his dark network was.
“Seems he wanted to protect his baby’s mother, so he sent people to take care of me. Too bad he didn’t know that I’m the king of this city’s underworld. Guess who those people actually answer to? No one dares to touch me,” Graves spoke casually, as if discussing the
weather.
Shit. Don’t tell me Kane had made an enemy of Graves too. I didn’t go through all that trouble facing the man who betrayed me just for him to die before his child was born.
“But I don’t blame him,” he continued. “He didn’t realize that I would never hurt you.”
“Wh–what do you mean?” I stammered.
He seemed lost in his own world, continuing his monologue: “That day I wanted to play a game with Sebastian. I already knew Sebastian would choose you. If he chose you, I planned to kill Aurora; but even if he chose Aurora, I wouldn’t actually kill you.”
I stared at him in shock, unable to make sense of his logic.
“That’s impossible. Sebastian would choose Aurora, it’s always been her. You were
gambling with my life!”
“You’re wrong. Maybe he would have before, but not now. I’ve observed him for a long
time, studied him. If it really came down to saving only one, he’d let Aurora die without
blinking an eye. Some feelings might have always been there, he just needed to lose you
to realize it.”
I was speechless. Sebastian had told me he would choose me, but I refused to believe it at the time. Or perhaps, more accurately, I was afraid to believe it, afraid of the pain that would come from trusting again. Yet now even an enemy was saying this, making me more confused about my feelings for him.
I shook my head, trying to maintain clear thinking.
1/4
Blood of My Blood (Part 2)
The man sitting so casually in my kitchen exuded danger yet seemed completely relaxed. If I were him, knowing I could be caught at any moment, I would never be so calm.
“If you don’t plan to hurt us, what was the point of kidnapping us?” I demanded.
“I said I wouldn’t hurt you,” he emphasized the word “you.” “As for Aurora, she’s irrelevant
to me.”
This werewolf was completely baffling; every sentence he spoke was like a riddle.
“Aren’t you curious why?” he raised an eyebrow.
I took a deep breath, staying calm: “Why?”
Surprisingly, he gave what seemed to be a genuine smile: “Because you’re carrying my nephew or niece. I can’t hurt you under those circumstances, can I?”
I must have misheard.
“That’s impossible… I don’t have siblings, so you can’t be my baby’s uncle, unless you…”
The truth hit me like lightning. This couldn’t be! It was like fate playing a cruel joke on
- me. I had so many problems already, and now I had to worry about my child having a seemingly psychopathic crime lord for an uncle?
I examined Graves’s face more carefully, my heart racing. Graves’s eyes were brown, unlike
Kane’s, which were as dark as ink, but the shape of their eyes–that slightly elongated
outline, that specific expression when they raised their eyebrows–was almost identical.
The line of their jaws was also strikingly similar. The only obvious difference was their hair: Kane had a head of soft curls, while Graves’s was straight, combed back in a slightly
messy style.
I couldn’t believe I’d missed these similarities before. Maybe it was the age difference, or
perhaps their vastly different demeanors had masked these commonalities.
“You understand now,” Graves nodded, “Smart girl.”
“Does Kane know?” I asked cautiously, my thoughts still a tangled mess.
“No, he doesn’t remember. I was 12 when Kane was just 1. I was sent elsewhere to carry out ‘tasks‘ arranged by our father. I didn’t even know it was criminal activity at the time,
2/4
Blood of My Blood (Part 2)
didn’t realize he was grooming me to be his successor. By the time I got out, our father was dead, and Kane had been adopted.”
Shit, I recalled Kane telling me about his birth father being executed, never realizing what this meant beyond his adoption. I mean, what kind of heinous wolf would be sentenced to death? And now his background and all its consequences were laid clearly before me.
I watched Graves fall silent, his eyes revealing memories and sadness. Unlike those men Sebastian had killed, Graves had been forced into this dark world, woven into a web of
crime from childhood. I could see it clearly.
“Why didn’t you look for him after you got out?” I couldn’t help asking.
“I loved my little brother, so I chose not to disturb his happiness. With the Kincaids, he received love and care that he would never have gotten under our father. If he’d been in the foster system, or if his adoptive parents had treated him the way the Sterlings treated you, things would be different. But I saw him growing up loved, so I chose to walk away, even though it hurt. It was the only way to give him a normal life.”
Damn, I didn’t want to feel sympathy for him, but could someone who sacrificed his relationship with his brother just to give him a better life really be a complete monster?
“But he ended up in prison anyway,” I said quietly.
Despite these sacrifices, Kane still went down a criminal path and ended up behind bars.
“Yeah, I should have kept an eye on him. Maybe that would have helped him avoid
trouble.”
“Maybe by teaching him better ways to plan my murder?” I said sarcastically.
The evil grin returned to his face. “I’ve killed many wolves, so naturally I have some experience to share, to keep him from getting caught.”
Strangely, I no longer felt afraid. Perhaps knowing about this blood connection had replaced fear with other emotions.
I realized that at some point, I had put down the knife.
“So what do you want? Since you’re here, you must have a reason,” I asked
3/4
Blood of My Blood (Part 2)
straightforwardly.
“I want a chance to know my niece or nephew,” he admitted, “I haven’t had family for a long time. I want to feel that again.”
I was silent for a moment. “You know you’re the most wanted criminal, right?”
“Correct,” he gave me a charming smile, as if it were some badge of honor, “but I promise my ‘business‘ won’t harm him or her, and you and Leo will have my permanent protection.”
I studied him carefully. Despite looking dangerous and unhinged, there was a genuine light in his eyes. He was seeking family bonds, and that was something I understood
better than most.
“One condition,” I said, “Tell Kane the truth.”
“Deal,” he answered immediately.
He extended his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, I shook it.
I didn’t know if I’d made the right decision. Making a deal with a crime boss sounded insane. But strangely, it didn’t feel completely wrong. Maybe I’d already been assimilated into this crazy world, because this decision, however irrational, gave me an odd sense of
peace.
