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"Why didn’t Thad hold Hector responsible?" Nick’s tone held no judg to do, doesn’t it? Straightforward Just If he was guilty, he should pay You can’t know until you’re in that situation whether you really could give up your own child Thad didn’t feel he could He felt responsible for Hector being the way he was Felt like he was a failure as a father And if Thad had accepted that our son was guilty, he would have had to kill Hector" As Alpha, it would have been his duty "So he protected hiht "Did Hector know about the blackmail?"

"Yes," replied Adriane "We’re not sure how he found out, but he was enraged that Jerold had ‘stolen his life’ fro sense of entitleht he was next in line to be Alpha Being the son of the Alpha pair gave hies, and an element of power He lost all that"

"He deserved to lose it," stated Nick

"Oh yes," agreed Adriane "But Hector didn’t see that because he didn’t care that his actions rong He probably still doesn’t care And in his world, everything is always so"

Nick was quiet for a moment "Is Jerold still alive?"

"No He was the victilanced at all the Mercury wolves "What will you do to Hector?"

"The sa to us," Nick told her

"I won’t ainst him He’s my son Andand I don’t want him back in my life" She didn’t want his attention on her, because she feared hi up outside, Jesse cocked his head "Sounds like your htaway You should open the door for him now, let him see that you’re unhurt"

Everyone stood as she made a mad dash for the front door She opened it and raised a cal toward her "I’ht," she assured him "Really"

The male entered quickly and shifted his body protectively in front of hers By that tiathered in the hallway "Get out of rowled

"They’re here because of Hector," Adriane told hi to take their territory from them, just like he’s done to others They just want to understand what drives him to do so"

Thad’s features settled into a mask of pain