The Designated Mate novel Chapter 88

"Does anyone have any idea how Kiara ended up in my birth pack?" I asked, looking around at the various faces in the room before finally settling on Kiara's own.

"I called the people I'd grown up with and they confessed everything as soon as I told them that I knew the truth" she murmured. "Just before I was born, our uncle paid a visit to a new family that'd just recently been transferred into our pack. It was a couple in their late twenties that hadn't been able to conceive due to the male being infertile. Our uncle found this out after over hearing the female's conversation with some other pack women. He approached them and bribed them with a massive wad of cash and an opportunity they apparently couldn't pass up. Since they were new to the pack and not well known, their disappearance wouldn't have been noticed. My uncle set up their next transfer to your birth pack, Poppy, and forced them away days before I was born and destroyed the paperwork so there wouldn't be a paper trail to follow. When I finally popped out, he took Knox and I and fled. When he showed up with me to the border of their new pack, he'd already gotten rid of Knox and just dumped me into their arms. They claimed that he threatened their lives if they ever spoke up about it and that he would always have someone watching them. I guess the stress of keeping the secret and always being around me got the best of them and that's why they retired to Alpha Aaron's pack in Montana. They told me that if my real parents were to ever come after them for retribution due to their silence they'd be under the protection of a strong pack with a competent Alpha."

No one spoke as Kiara's words hung in the air.

"I can't believe I was so blind to everything he was doing; I can't believe how easy I made it for him to tear my family apart," Jim growled, his hands clenching as he began pacing the room.

"Those with greedy hearts will stop at nothing to get what they think is owed to them," I responded, hoping to sooth Jim's aching heart. Angela placed a comforting hand on his arm and whispered a quiet she's right to which he gave a disgruntled nod of agreement.

"What's happened is in the past. We can't move forward if we're dwelling on the actions of those against us. While I'm hurt that I've lost so much time with you both, you're here now and I want to focus on being a family again," Angela spoke wisely. Looking around, everyone was nodding in agreement.

"First order of business is ordering takeout. We haven't had a proper fucking meal in years," Jim grunted much to everyone's amusement. I could feel the vibration of Knox's laugh through my body, something that had my blood heating with the need for his body over mine. I scolded my brain for instantly going into the gutter at such a sweet moment, desperately trying to put out the flames of desire before Knox sensed them and took care of them.

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