The Chef's Sick Mate (Book 17 of the Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 26

The thought of drinking someone's blood made her stomach roll and she was suddenly glad she hadn't known that back then. She probably wouldn't have been able to keep it down.

Ana sighed softly, as Aidan studied her. "That's what turned you. He gave you blood from another werewolf named Xavier. Dad and his partner were holding Xavier hostage and taking his blood."

Gen felt her heart stop at her sister's words. What the hell had her father been involved in? He'd been holding a werewolf hostage? "Is that what got him killed?"

"Not exactly. They kidnapped some other werewolves, and their pack came in to rescue them. That's when your father was killed along with his partner," Aidan said quietly. "They were experimenting on them."

"What?" She felt her throat tighten as fear suddenly gripped her. If her father had found out that she was a werewolf, would he have experimented on her too? Or Ana? Or Aidan? It was scary to think about.

"Dad's partner was draining Xavier of his blood. He wanted to sell it. Dad just wanted some to help you," Ana said. "Dad's partner was psychotic."

Gen felt sick to her stomach at her sister's words. That poor guy. "They killed him? This Xavier?"

"No. They didn't. And he's safe. He's home with his family now," Ana told her.

Gen breathed a small sigh of relief about that. She couldn't even imagine. She wasn't sure she wanted to know anything else. "I didn't know Dad gave me someone else's blood to drink. He didn't offer any explanation, just asked me to drink it for him. If I would have known ..." she stopped and squeezed her eyes shut.

"It's better you didn't know," Aidan told her quietly. "But Xavier is aware of you and knows the situation, and he's alright with it all."

Gen looked up at him and swallowed. Aidan didn't seem upset. Her gaze moved back to her sister. Ana looked tired, and she leaned into Aidan who wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"It had to be a shock when you started hearing a voice in your head," Aidan said.

Her gaze moved to Aidan. "I thought I was losing my mind." She'd thought she was delusional for quite a bit there, even with Jules telling her she wasn't going insane.

"And now?"

She smiled. "I'm adjusting to the constant commentary in my head." Jules talked so much, but Gen liked it. She hadn't realized how lonely she'd been until Jules came into her life.

Aidan laughed and Ana just smiled and shook her head.

"But how did you... change?" Gen asked curiously, her gaze darting back to her sister. "You weren't when I last saw you."

"Same way you did. Xavier gave me his blood," Ana said.

Gen frowned. "The same guy?"

"Yes. He is a member of Aidan's pack." Ana looked up at Aidan.

"Why did you change though?"

Ana glanced back at Gen again. "So I could be with him."

Gen's eyes widened. So, Aidan really was her mate.

Aidan's eyes were still on her. "Do you know about mates, Gen?"

She looked up at him. "Sort of. Jules has kind of told me." And she'd read about it in those romance novels Ana had supplied her with. She'd known it was a thing only from what Jules had told her.

"Ana is my mate," Aidan told her.

Her gaze darted to her sister, then back to Aidan, before going back to her sister. "And you marked each other?" Her cheeks turned pink as soon as it came out of her mouth. That was such an intimate thing, or so she thought. She couldn't believe she'd asked them that. She wanted to smack herself upside the head.