The Alphas' Legacy (Alpha Eyes: Book 3)

Chapter 2

Zoey

They wouldn't even let me go outside to greet my own parents. I sat on a couch inside waiting for them, Jax's arm wrapped around my shoulders like a chain. He lounged back as if everything was fine, like he hadn't slept with someone else last night. I wanted to dig an elbow into his stomach to give him a taste of what he'd done to me.

To my relief, the front door reopened and my parents stepped through it. I sprang off the couch and ran across the room before Jax could grab me. My mom hugged me tight, and I forgot everything else for a second.

"Look at you," she gushed, holding me at arm's length. "You're still so beautiful."

My dad swept in for his hug next. Sandwiched between my parents, I could ignore the cloud of unease and mistrust pouring from my in-laws.

"Alpha... Luna... always an honor to see you." Jax's voice grated against my ears.

Of course it wouldn't be a 'pleasure' to see my parents. Their presence threatened to topple his whole image. They would believe me, and they had the power to do something about it. There was a reason they hadn't come to visit in almost three years, remember?

My mom looped my arm through hers and tugged me into her side. "We're so excited to able to spend time with you, sweetheart. We even brought your favorite bagel sandwiches for lunch."

Lady C sniffed in a breath, clearly understanding that her monitored activities were being overruled. I bit back a smile at Mom's calm way of handling things. She was a master of subtle subterfuge.

"How about some coffee on the patio?" Lady C forced a smile as she scrambled to regain some footing in the situation.

"That would be lovely," Mom chirped.

Jax reached for my hand as we all moved toward the back patio door. I instinctively leaned away, pressing into my mom's side. Whether she noticed the cause or not, she tightened her hold on my arm and walked a little faster. We brushed past Jax and left him to follow behind us.

When we stepped onto the patio, Mom steered us to the 3-person couch and settled me in the middle with a parent on each side. I tried not to shrink at the icy glare Jax sent me. He and his father exchanged a look that certainly meant something bad.

"This all looks lovely," Mom commented brightly.

Another forced smile from my mother-in-law warned me that we were walking on thin ice. Granted I hadn't said a word, but Mom was doing the fighting for me now. It just meant that I'd probably pay for it later.

My parents kept the pleasant small talk going for over an hour. Mom kept her arm looped through mine the entire time, an almost show of possession. I was thankful for the contact, especially because of one reason we never tell anyone. We established private, undetectable minklink when we touched. It was rare, but we'd quickly learned the value of it. Now we were able to communicate without alerting anyone else.

You look pale, sweetheart. Are you sick?

No; I'm not sick, just tired.

Have you been eating enough?

Yeah; it's... it's not anything like that, Mom.

Is there something going on? Zoey?

If I wasn't sitting across from my stone-faced mate, I would have burst into tears. But years of hiding my emotions kept me in control.

I'll tell you about it later when we're alone.

I knew you weren't okay! she erupted in my mind. Honey, we're ready to take you out of here. Just say the word.

It's not that simple, Mom, I stated. They won't just let me go. They'll make a big show that Jax is a dedicated mate and that there's no proof that he isn't. They'd only let me go for a good reason, and there's no proof of one.

Mom squeezed my hand as she laughed at something Dad had said.

Then we'll sneak you out of here and hide you until we decide what to do.

Mom...

Leave it to us, Zoey. We will protect you.

I clung to that promise like a lifeline. I had no idea how they'd rescue me, but I had no doubts that they would. Even if it was a blatant demand for Jax to reject me, they would find a way. More than likely, there'd be some planning to do. I would just hope that we wouldn't be discovered in the meantime.

After his third cup of doctored coffee, my dad rose to his feet. "Well, I'm in need of a walk after all that sitting. Is it all right if we take a stroll through your woods here?"

Jax stood quickly. "Allow me to show you the way."

Mom waved him off. "Just point us to the path, and we'll be fine. You don't need to babysit us while we catch Zoey up on all the boring news."

Jax flinched, and I knew Mom had stuck a possessive chord. While he couldn't outright refute being brushed off, you could see that he wanted to. He'd wait on the patio until we returned, and then he'd pounce on me, demanding to know what I'd said.

"The path starts there," he growled, pointing to a gap in the trees. "When the path forks, keep to the left. That will loop back around."

"Much obliged. Ladies..." Dad bowed to the hosts and held out a hand to me and Mom. "We'll be back by lunch."

Don't do anything stupid, Jax hissed in my head.

I gave him the tiniest nod to let him know I'd heard him. Arm still looped through Mom's we followed Dad across the lawn and into the woods. Once we were out of sight of my in-laws, Mom slipped a small earpiece over my ear.

"What's this, Mom?"

"It's a mindlink block. It prevents anyone from contacting you, and it also prevents anyone from listening to us. If you look very closely, you can see the shimmer of the sphere around us."

I squinted and glanced around me. After a minute, I saw the shimmer she mentioned. "And... they really can't hear us?"

"Not a thing..." Dad confirmed. "You can tell us anything you want, and they'll never know."

Mom wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "Honey, we can tell that something is wrong. Is it Jax?"

The tears came so fast that I didn't even feel them well up. "Mom, you have no idea... He... He lives as though he's not mated, and he intentionally sleeps with someone else when I go into heat. He rejected me but refuses to let me accept it because his parents will disinherit him if he doesn't have a mate. So I'm stuck in this hell with no way out."

Dad growled, and Mom hugged me tight to her side. Now that I was finally able to speak of what I was living, I felt a bit better. The fear of what would happen when we got back to the house still gnawed at me, but it wasn't as terrifying as before.

"We're taking you out of here," Dad growled, "today."

"But how?" I sobbed. "They constantly monitor me, so I can't sneak out. And they won't let me just walk out."

"We have technology that can make it appear that you are somewhere else," Mom explained.

"Wh... What?"

"We have ways that will make everyone believe that you are in your room or out on a walk."

"But... my scent..." I sniffed. "They'll track me."

"You know how easy it is to mask a scent," Dad murmured. "Once you're out of their territory, we'll hide you where your scent can't be traced."

"Your territory is the first place they'll look," Dad. How will that be hiding me?"

Mom had tears in her eyes now. "We're not taking you home, sweetheart. We'll hide you somewhere they'll never dare to think to look."

That didn't sound encouraging. "Where?"

Dad patted my hand as we turned to circle back to the house. "...with friends. For now, that's all you need to know."