Leo’s POV

​The jet hit the ground with a hard thud, but the real turbulence was in my head. I felt like I shouldn’t be here. The air in our territory felt heavy, thick with a history I was starting to question. It was already 7:00 AM when I arrived, and my mother’s memorial was only two hours away.

​I sighed, rubbing the exhaustion from my eyes as I stepped down from the private jet. The cool morning air bit at my skin, but I hardly felt it.

​"Welcome home, Alpha Leo," the guards said in unison, bowing their heads as I approached the waiting black sedan. I didn’t answer. I just climbed into the back seat and stared out the tinted window.

​The drive to the packhouse was a blur of familiar trees and fences, but my mind was thousands of miles away. I kept thinking about Scar. I kept thinking about the way she felt in my arms, the way she tasted, and the sheer impossibility of her being alive. But then a dark thought struck me.

​Scarlett couldn’t have faked her death alone. Someone had provided the scattered bodies and bloodied clothes. Realization hit me; my grip tightened on the armrest, my claws peeking out.

​Ethan.

​That bastard. It had to be him... he faked her death and kept her hidden for three long years. But why? What was his end game?

​I thought of her in my arms again, and a wave of possessiveness surged through me. God, I couldn’t wait to get back to her. All I had to do was deal with this memorial, speak to my brothers, and find a way to disappear again.

​I arrived at the packhouse to find it buzzing with activity. It was my mother’s fifth-year memorial, and we were making it a massive event. We had invited neighboring Alphas, decorated the entire grand hall in white lilies—her favorite—and commissioned a massive hand-painted portrait that was to be unveiled today. The grounds were immaculate, but the atmosphere was tense.

​The first person I saw was Liam. He was standing in the foyer, barking instructions at the workers about where to place the floral arrangements. When he saw me, he stopped and nodded.

​"You’re back," he said, his voice flat.

​"Yeah," I replied, trying to sound normal.

​Leon walked in a moment later, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Welcome back, Leo. I really wanted to visit Nigeria. I should have gone, but I wasn’t in the right headspace to travel."

​I swallowed hard, a cold knot of guilt and selfishness forming in my stomach. I was silently grateful that he hadn’t gone. I was glad I was the one who saw that letter. If Leon had gone, he might have been the one holding her. He might have been the one she gave herself to. I wanted her for myself. Not us. Not my brothers. Me. I didn’t want to share. After all, she was my mate—even if the bond was strangely quiet.

​"Where is everyone?" I asked, looking around the crowded hall.

​"Our fathers went out early this morning," Liam said, crossing his arms. "Lana and Lyra are inside helping with the banquet prep. Jameson and Jane are in their rooms."

​Leon stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. "Everyone is behaving strangely, Leo. Like they are keeping a huge secret."

​"Remember what Lana said?" Liam added. "She said something about a big truth being revealed today."

​I felt my heart hammer against my ribs. My mind raced. Did that mean our fathers knew Scarlett was alive? Were they going to announce it? Panic flared in my chest. For a strange, selfish reason, I didn’t want my brothers to know yet. I wasn’t ready to let them back into her life. Not until I knew where I stood with her.

​"What’s wrong?" Liam asked, noticing my silence. "You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

​"Nothing," I snapped, perhaps too quickly.

​Leon moved closer, his eyes scanning my face before they dropped to my collar. He stopped dead, his expression shifting into a deep, confused frown.

​"Leo," he said, his voice dropping to disbelief. "Tell me those aren’t what I think they are."

​"What?" I tried to adjust my shirt, but it was too late. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

​Leon reached out, pulling my collar back to reveal the dark, angry marks on my neck. "Those are fingers around your neck. And those... those are bite marks. Leo, did you fuck a woman in Nigeria?"

​The air in the room seemed to vanish. Liam stepped forward, his eyes wide with shock. None of us had been with anyone since Scarlett "died." We had been celibate, mourning, and practically dead inside. To them, this was a betrayal of our grief.

​"This lady must be a hell of a woman to make you break a three-year streak," Liam said, his voice sounding caught between anger and disbelief.

​I swallowed hard, the faint scent of Scarlett still clinging to my soul. "It was nothing," I lied, though my heart screamed otherwise. "I just... I lost control for a night. It didn’t mean anything."

​Liam rolled his eyes, a harsh, disbelieving scoff leaving his throat. "Indeed. ’Nothing’ usually doesn’t leave bruises that look like someone was trying to claim your very soul, Leo. We’ve been rotting in this house for three years, and you go on a business trip and come back branded? It’s pathetic."

​I ignored the sting of his words. They didn’t understand. They couldn’t. If they knew the "nothing" was the girl we had all buried, they wouldn’t be standing there judging me—they’d be burning down the world to find her.

​"I’m traveling again tomorrow," I said, my voice steady despite the chaos in my chest.

​Leon stepped in front of me, his brow furrowed. "Tomorrow? Leo, the memorial is today. We have a pack to run. You just got back from Nigeria. Where the hell could you possibly need to go so urgently?"

​I had anticipated the question. I needed an excuse that wouldn’t raise suspicion, something boring enough that they wouldn’t want to join me.