Page 73 of Wicked Fate

I didn’t notice anything, Ember. I swear. I was freaked out.

“Stay here with Briar,” Ryker gritted through clenched teeth. “My mate and I are going to put some fucking clothes on.”

The three guys hurried deeper into the room so I could walk past them without risk of running into them. We hurried down the hall, and Ryker slammed the bedroom door behind us.

“Fate,” Ryker muttered, pressing his forehead against the wood. “That was not how I wanted our post-sex glow to go.”

“I think I just trauma-bonded with everyone in that house,” I groaned, scrambling for the sweatpants I’d laid out earlier. “I can’t unsee their expressions.”

Ryker turned to grab his jeans from the floor—then stopped cold.

The air shifted. That pulse of warm, familiar energy slid against my skin.

And just like that, Many-Greats Grandfather appeared, sitting in the same damn chair Ryker had tossed his shirt on earlier. His legs were crossed, and he wore a bored expression, like we weren’t standing there half-dressed. Like this wasn’t the second time he’d justappearedin a private space without invitation.

Ryker stepped in front of me, jaw clenched. “Are you serious right now?”

Greats-Grandfather tilted his head, gaze flicking between us. “I was going to wait, but I heard you all were napping, and curiosity got the best of me.”

“So you broke into my sister’s room while she slept?” I snapped, dragging a shirt over my head. “Again—are youserious?”

“I wasn’t going to speak to her.” He shrugged. “She wasn’t supposed to wake.”

“That’s not the reassurance you think it is.” Ryker shoved his leg into a pair of jeans. “You’re creeping around this house like some nightmare who doesn’t understand personal boundaries.”

“Personal boundaries? We’re family.” He steepled his fingers. “I didn’t think a formal entrance was required.”

This guy was a whole level of frustration I’d never experienced before. “A formal entrance isalwaysrequired. Why are youherenow?”

“To talk.” He glanced around like this was just another meeting room, not our damn bedroom. “I informed you that I wanted to speak to only you, but I understand your fated mate is an extension of your soul, so I will tolerate him.”

Ryker crossed his arms. “I didn’t realize we had to specify we were to be clothed and for you to knock before entering, especially our bedroom.”

Greats Grandfather offered a tight, amused smile. “I didn’t realize modesty still reigned in the shifter world. Noted.”

I stalked forward a step, fists clenched at my sides. “You didn’t answer the question.Why now?What’s so urgent that you had to scare my sister and creep through our house?”

The smugness slipped from his face, replaced by something heavier. “Because something feels off in this realm. I need to understand what’s going on.”

Ryker’s posture tensed. “What do you meanoff?” He came to my side and took my hand in his, presenting a united front.

Greats Grandfather didn’t answer immediately. He just stared like he was trying to decide how to explain it, a bit like how I looked when doing algebraic equations. “I don’t know how to put it. There is something disturbing in the air, like a warning. The one time this occurred in the fae realm, a catastrophic war broke out, and our lineage was created to ensure it never happened again. If you inform me of your troubles, I may be able to help decipher the problem with the help of Fate.”

I laughed bleakly, unable to hold it back. “Fate? She hates my guts.”

“No, child.” He shook his head and jerked back as if I’d offended him. “Our line is blessed by her. Sometimes the trials Fate decides to put you through are to make you into the person she wants you to become… a version that is worthy of her blessing.”

The fae were cult members. That’s what I got from that, but I didn’t want to dispute what Fate was truly like. All I wanted to know was if he actually did have insight, even though I doubted it.

So we filled him in.

Everything from the witches in the cells to the cloaking spells, the vampire ambush, the little girl’s magic, the witch’s warning—the royals.

I finished with a tight breath. “The whole thing just feels… personal. Like the vampire queen isn’t just trying to gain power—she’s pissed. Like she’s holding a grudge over something.”

Greats-grandfather’s mouth twitched like he found that amusing. “Of course she is. I told your grandfather from generations ago it wouldn’t go over well.”

I blinked. “Wait. What?”

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