After a couple of the guys noticed my dad's reaction, the entire bar eventually quieted.

Dad looked utterly devastated when he looked over at Andy. "Where did you get this?"

"You know where."

"How is she?"

Andy crossed her arms over her chest., "Now, or when you left her?"

"Both."

"You are a right b.a.s.t.a.r.d; you never checked up on her, did you?"

"I thought that was best."

"For who? You or her?"

"Both."

"Well, aren't you a man of many words." She rolled her eyes and stared at the floor, shaking her head.

"Dad, what is she talking about?" Ja'lyn had stepped closer to me and looked just as confused as I felt.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else to talk," Dad said in Andy's direction.

She didn't look up when she asked, "Afraid of what everyone else will think?"

"I did what I had to do."

She looked at my father and glared at him. "Pretty d.a.m.ned easy for you to say; you never had to lay eyes on the consequences of your actions."

"I read in the paper she ended up marrying Robert, so I a.s.sumed...uh...well, I hope he treated her well."

Andy grunted. "You knew him, right?" My dad looked liked he was bracing himself for impact before nodding once. "Do you think theirs was a healthy and loving marriage? Or was it more reflective of how you met Grams?"

"Grams?" half the bar said at the same time, and we all turned our eyes on Andy. My dad growled low and deep from his chest. His eyes turned yellow as if he were about to shift. Holy s.h.i.t! My dad was losing control. My father never lost control. What the f.u.c.k was going on?

"Oh, calm down, Fido. There's no amount of huffing and puffing that can change the past," Andy growled in exasperation. Every shifter in the bar turned to her wearing shocked expressions on their faces. She glanced around. "What?"

"Fido?" Gunnar asked. "Huffing and puffing?"

Andy looked slightly embarra.s.sed. "Oh, I'm sorry; is that offensive to you? I know he-" She pointed at my dad, then Abe. "-well, they aren't wolves." She gave Gunner and his brothers, who stood behind him, the once over. "But you guys are, aren't you?" They all tilted their heads, and she smiled. "Yeah, you are."

"I can't believe Mel broke her word," my dad said, and Andy growled-literally growled.

"You have no idea what she went through after you left, or what my mom had to deal with growing up. How could you? You never looked back!" Andy's eyes filled with tears, and several of the guys reacted by growling. "Oh, stop! If ya'll are freaking out because I know all about shiftersspecifically the Lupinski Clan-don't. I've grown up knowing my mother has known since before I was born, and the one man who could and would expose you is dead. You don't need to enact whatever law you have about killing off humans for the good of the clan." Her voice cracked on the word clan, so she made her way over to the bar. "I need a drink."

Sam nodded and grabbed the whiskey.

"Get her the good stuff Sam. I think she needs it." I went to stand beside Andy and reached for her, but she shrugged out of reach before I could touch her.

"Don't. I know what happens next. It'll just make it harder."

All I wanted to do was hold her and kiss her tears away, but she was on the brink of breaking down, and I wasn't going to contribute to that. Ja'lyn went to her other side and opened her arms. Andy walked into them; her body racked a moment later by sobs.

We all listened to her cry for what felt like forever until I couldn't take it anymore. "Dad?" He was still standing by the dartboard. Half the guys in the bar were snarling at him, and the other half gazed at Andy with sympathy.

"What!" he shouted, his tone harsher than necessary, prompting several guys to growl their displeasure.

"Why do you guys keep doing that? I am not a danger to you!" Andy stepped back from Ja'lyn her hands clenched in fists.

"Sweetheart-"

"Don't call me sweetheart!" Andy cut me off.

I nodded and continued. "Andy, They're not angry with you. My dad, on the other hand, might not make it out of here alive if he doesn't start explaining what the f.u.c.k is going on."

"Really?" She sniffed and looked around. "Don't you guys follow some rule like, clan first and humans second to you peop-shifters?"

"You became one of us the moment you walked through that door. Didn't she?" Shi asked the crowd, and they all nodded and murmured their agreement.

Andy looked around the room, and fresh tears sprang to her eyes. "I love ya'll too." Her smile lit up the room.

I was captivated by her incredible beauty; I think everyone else was too. Ja'lyn brought us back to the moment. "Dad? Why did you lie to us all these years?"

Dad lingered by the dartboard. He pulled the knife free and held it like it was the only link to a life he was never allowed to live. He clutched it gently and made his way over to the bar. Everyone cut him a wide path, not out of respect as they always had before, but because the entire group appeared ready to tear him apart if they didn't soon get some answers. I glanced at Andy wondering if she could pick up on what was truly going on.

Her face held surprise. Not even she could believe the men's reaction to her pain. She was the Alpha's mate.They felt her sorrow as deeply as their own and would die defending her if need be. They chose her over their former Alpha, not only because it was written in our DNA to do so, but because every single one of them had fallen a touch in love with her over the course of the night. They knew in their hearts she would be the future of the clan.

My dad downed the shot Sam had put in front of him before facing the crowd. "I was already engaged when I met Mel. Arranged of course-"

"For the good of the clan." Andy rolled her eyes and leaned back onto the bar. She raised her eyebrows at Dad as a signal he should continue.

If the situation hadn't been so grave, I would've laughed. I never would've thought I'd see the day when a little slip of a thing could put my dad in his place. Then again, I was finding that I didn't now my father as well as I'd thought.

"I took the summer before my wedding to explore the world. My father's health had been poor, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I became Alpha-it was my last summer of freedom. In the first city I visited, Mel worked in the diner I stopped at for lunch. She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, and when she came to take my order, I knew instantly she was my mate."

"She said the energy around her changed when you walked into that diner, and that she knew her life would never be the same."

"I can't believe she told you all this."

"I gathered much from clues, hints, and misspeaks over the years." Andy shrugged. "I wanted to know why they were so lonely. It was the tequila I brought back from Mexico which finally earned me the whole story."

"That's not the first time you've said they," I told her.

"Buckle up, b.u.t.tercup. The story of our intertwining family history is just getting started." She scanned the room, stopping to give a once over to a couple of my shifters.

My dad looked at her like he had no idea what she was talking about, but continued with the story a moment later. "I knew it was wrong, but I asked her if she would go to dinner with me." He stared wistfully off into s.p.a.ce. "I can still see her smile after I'd asked." It only took a second before the hard-edged man I knew was back. "I was late meeting her. All of my plans changed when I saw her. I'd spent the afternoon finding a room to rent and a job for the summer. When I got to the diner, she was nowhere to be seen. Then, I heard her crying. I found her in the back alley, bruised, b.l.o.o.d.y, clothes torn, with Robert on top of her. I should have killed the b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

"Why the f.u.c.k didn't you?" I couldn't believe he would let that pa.s.s.

"Because Grams needed him to hold her more than she wanted Robert dead."

"She wouldn't go to the cops, said it would make things worse, and I stood by her decision. And when she said I couldn't kill him, I respected that as well. That woman could have asked me to do anything, and I would've done it."

"Robert had shown up to tell Grams they were getting married. Not to ask her, to tell her. He and great-gramps, who was also a t.w.a.twaffle, struck a deal, and Robert was going to make her live with their decision, even if he had to go to extreme measures to secure her to his side. Like, raping her so she would get pregnant and be left with no choice."

"She said he didn't get that far."

"She lied."

My dad looked like he'd been run over by a bus. He plopped down on the stool closest to him. "Your mother?" Andy nodded. "I didn't know."

"She didn't right away either, and by the time she did, you'd told her everything."

"I took care of her while she healed. She liked hearing my stories, and that's what she thought they were-stories. Until one day when Robert showed up, and she saw me lose control and shift. I wanted to kill him. She didn't flinch when she saw what I was and was able to stop me just by saying my name, a true Alpha Mate. I had to come clean with her about everything, including the fact that I was engaged to marry someone I didn't love for the good of the clan because it was my destiny to lead my people. She never asked me to stay."

"You never offered."

"I couldn't; I wasn't strong enough." Dad looked at me and nodded. "I'm not like Walt."

THIRTEEN ~ Andy.

Not like Walt? What does that mean? I looked his way, and he returned my gaze with such longing that my heart fluttered. Would choosing to be with me violate the Good of the Clan law? I couldn't think about that now; it was almost my turn to take over the story.

"She believed in you, Graham. She thought you were meant for great things, so that's why she didn't tell you she was pregnant. She had accepted the fact you needed to leave her, and she didn't want to make it harder on you. She also knew her father would force her to marry. He wasn't exactly a women's rights supporter and was disappointed she wasn't barefoot and pregnant already."

"He was an a.s.s," Graham stated.

"Yes, he was that, and also a drunken gambler who'd sold her to Robert to clear his debt."

"What?"

"Oh, you couldn't have known that, because she didn't find out that little detail until her wedding night. You never looked back after you ran away, so how could you know?" It was a petty thing to say, but it felt good to say it. "She planned on running far away, so she could start a new life and raise Mom on her own. But she hadn't wanted to lose a moment with you by leaving early, so she was packed and ready to run as soon as you rode away."

"That was the worst day of my life; it felt like I was being torn in two."

"It was worse for her. She watched your bike fade into the distance until she couldn't see the taillight anymore. Afterward, she meant to go and retrieve the bags she had hidden and catch the next bus out of town, but when she turned around, Robert was standing there. He told her that since you'd gone to be with another woman, the time had come for them to marry. When she said no and tried to walk away, he said the one thing he knew would make her agree to marry him."

"What did he say?" Graham asked.

"That he knew what you were. That he had proof and would expose you and your kind if she didn't go with him at that moment."

He looked shocked when he muttered, "How? How could he possibly expose us?"

"At the time he'd shown up when you lost control, he'd seen you through the window. He followed you for the rest of the summer and eventually caught you shifting on camera. If Grandpa had been anything, he was determined...besides being an a.s.shole." I waited for Graham to say something, but when he didn't, I added, "She didn't hesitate if you're wondering. They were married within the week, and she stayed with him all of those years, suffered all of his abuse, to protect you." My eyes roamed around the room. "To protect all of you."

"I had no idea."

"And we're back to that. How could you? You didn't look back..." I winced suddenly, realizing I was done with being petty. His face was pained as if I'd just sucker-punched him in the gut. I plopped down on the stool next to him and took his hand in mine. "I'm not happy about your leaving her, but I don't blame you for what my grams and mom had to deal with; that was on Robert, not you. And even though I don't like the fact you left her, I do understand. Doesn't make it suck any less, though." He looked at me and gave me a half smile, before squeezing my hand once and releasing it.

n.o.body moved or spoke for what felt like forever until Walt finally sat next to me. "Did he hurt you too?"

"Who? Bobby?" Walt nodded. "No, I never met the man. Grams had already killed him before I was ever born."

He reeled back in shock, as did most of others in the bar. "And now, we move on to the second act." I gazed around the room again. I had a feeling I knew who it was but wasn't quite sure. "Mom was seventeen when she got knocked up with me, and she made the mistake of telling the daddy-to-be. He was a controlling, abusive p.r.i.c.k like Robert, and he wanted to beat me out of her." I heard several gasps and sharp intakes of breath. "He only landed one punch, though. Grams had been adamant about my mom knowing how to defend herself. She very nearly put him in the hospital." I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "All I can say is that I'm happy I took after my mom. My father was a wuss. When she showed up at home afterward, Robert was home, but not my grams.

"He demanded to know what had happened to her. When she explained the reason behind her black eye, her dear old dad didn't appear happy about becoming a grandfather. Robert lost it." I paused for dramatic effect. "He said he wouldn't pay to feed a b.a.s.t.a.r.d. He slapped her so hard she fell, and he began kicking her in the stomach. Thank G.o.d Grams chose that moment to come home with her groceries, or I wouldn't be here. She dropped her bags on the floor, pulled out the knife you'd left with her, and stabbed him in the kidney."

"I taught her that move," Graham said with pride.

"I know." I rolled my eyes. "The most disappointing part of the story is that she gives you credit for saving my mom. She executed the killing move, you just pointed at part of the human body and said, Stab there.' Honestly, that p.i.s.ses me off. But whatever, moving on."

"He used his last breath to threaten you again, promising them both that even in death he would win. They had no freaking clue what he was babbling on about. Grams broke into his safe and found the original tape...but there was another copy in there with it. And if there were one copy, could there be more? She was terrified he'd given a copy of the tape to someone else as insurance. But he'd had no friends, and they were broke, so she didn't believe he could've paid a lawyer to do his dirty work. She decided warning you was of the utmost importance. She and Mom would find you to inform you, and then disappear. Grams would never have left him and placed you at risk, but she'd plotted their escape for years just in case. She remembered every detail of your time together and knew the general area from which you came, so they went there-"

"Stop." Everyone looked at Abe, who was staring at me.

I sighed. "I had a feeling it was you."

"Abe?" Graham stood. "Why should she stop? What do you mean? And why the f.u.c.k don't I know about whatever this is already? I was the G.o.dd.a.m.ned Alpha at the time!"

Abe stood his ground for a moment. He looked utterly defeated when he lowered his head, locking his hands in place on his hips.

Graham looked to me. "Andy?"

"Grams found a bar you'd mentioned to her once. She left Mom in the car when she ran in to see if anyone knew you or how to find you. It was the middle of the day, and there weren't very many folks in the bar, and those didn't take kindly to an outsider asking about one of their kind."

"What do you mean by didn't take kindly? She was just asking someone's location," Shi said, a moment later appearing as if he thought he'd been wrong to speak up.

I gave him a quick smile to let him know he was okay before I continued. "I believe that it had more to do with the fact that she was a human female asking about a mated male within the clan." He shrugged his agreement but didn't look happy about it. "They decided to teach her a lesson. Two of them shifted and knocked her down, holding her to the floor by locking their jaws around her forearms." I breathed in sharply and then released the air very slowly before I continued. "A third one, half-shifted and used her claws to carve her name into Grams' back."

The room gasped collectively as one. Ja'lyn spoke from behind the hand which covered her mouth in shock. "Why? Why would they do something like that? That's horrible; it's not who we are."

"That's who they were. Grams had been in there for a long time, and my mom became worried. She walked in in time to see a wolf, coyote, and something else being pulled off her bleeding and unconscious mother by another man. The two animals ran off, but the half-shifted chick lunged for my mom and the guy shifted so he could stop her. Grams had only told my mother she'd fallen in love with someone a long time ago and still loved him with all her heart, even though they couldn't be together. My mother only knew this mystery man had been the one Robert had threatened, and that they were going to warn him.

"She was frozen in place by the sight of this half-beast, as he changed back into human form, but the moment their eyes met, she'd fallen in love with her knight in furry armor. It was much later she'd learned their connection ran much deeper than mere love. He'd been her one true mate."

More disbelieving gasps sounded, and every eye in the room fell upon Abe.

Walt broke the silence. "Not only did you lie about never meeting your mate, but you're also her mother's mate? The daughter of your Alpha's true mate? What the f.u.c.k?" he practically screamed.

Graham ignored his outburst. "What happened to Mel?"