Monster in My Bed

Chapter Forty-Two | Like Rabbits

I would be lying if I said that the idea of Matteo having to give up his land and pack if this all ended badly didn't cross my mind once or twice. However, it never occurred to me that he would start believing that he would have to.

In my heart of hearts, I always believed that there was not a source of power greater than Caedes Pack. It was a pack crafted by the Devil himself. My father certainly ingrained that into my head. He never taught me how to do basic multiplication, but he made damn sure that I never stepped over a Caedes border. That was enough to forever leave the impression that not even could the world coming to an end obliterate the power and legacy that Matteo's family had created.

It made me physically ill to know that I might be the sole reason that it would have to all be handed over to Adrian if he successfully removed Matteo and me from all future equations.

I wanted to burn the whole thing. I wanted to absolutely destroy it. Take all seventeen pages stapled together and chew it apart like a dog. Anything just so I wouldn't have to think about Matteo rolling in his grave knowing that he had to presign those papers.

This pack was his absolute pride and joy, well what little bit of joy he was able to muster every once in a while. It brought me to a new level of brokenness thinking about that being ripped away from him.

Was there a way around it? Sure. I could have gotten pregnant months ago and had a heir lined up to take over when we both end up with more blood surrounding our bodies than in them. Was it still possible to organize that plan? Sure, but the chances of me staying alive for more than another two months were slim at this point. I didn't want to spend my last few months round.

I always found that little part of packlife 'fun'. How when an Alpha dies, the pack is then placed in the hands of the next Alpha in line. If there isn't an heir to succeed the Alpha, the pack is then handed down to the Beta. If there isn't a Beta, then to the Gamma, and so on. However, in the case that an Alpha's life is taken by another Alpha, and only another Alpha, then the pack is given to the victor. A year ago, I believed it was a beautiful thing. Now, I wish I could curbstomp whatever dimwitted Alpha decided to make that rule.

Very rogue of them to declare that a murderer should receive reward.

I made a last minute decision to take the land agreement, and a last second decision to take the indecipherable note under it, as well. I wasn't sure if they went together, but I had a gut feeling that they did.

Why'd I take it? I don't know. To buy time, maybe? It made sense, in theory, so I folded up the thick wad of paper and shoved it in the back pocket of my jeans. It wasn't hidden whatsoever, but who was going to question me? I would figure out something to do with it before Matteo came back, so I wasn't worried about it.

I didn't stay in Matteo's office. It was too dark in there, and I wasn't just referring to the closed curtains that blocked out any sunlight. I didn't have to sit in that office with Matteo to know that he had to make a lot of difficult decisions in there recently.

No wonder he was crying.

And I was the bitch trying to force it out of him.

I found my way back into the kitchen. I had to have gained nearly ten pounds over the past month, and none of it went to my ass. Stress eating may just be my only weakness.

"Do we seriously have no milk?" I shouted angrily as I pushed a second carton of orange juice to the far side of the shelf. After another minute of moving the same three jugs, I gave up on making a bowl of cereal. "I can't have anything nice around here," I grumbled, pulling a poptart out of the cabinet. They weren't my favorite snack. The insides were too sweet, so I only ate the crust on the outside. It was more of a chore to eat them than it was a luxury, but I was hungry and didn't feel like finding someone in the house to teach me how to work the stove again.