Page 26 of Ruthless Reign

I can't mask my surprise, eyebrows shooting up. "What about her?" I ask, not disclosing the fact that I also looked into her history.

"Did you know she apparently had seven children?"

Nodding again, I start to wonder where this conversation is heading. "I did, actually. What does that have to do with anything?"

Cade leans forward, holding my gaze. "She had more than one mate—that's how she was able to bear so many children."

The revelation is a shock to my system, my entire body tensing up. In all my research of the Goddess Ophelia, I never came acrossthatparticular piece of information. Cade must see the shock on my face, eyes softening. "Sound familiar?"

"Yes," I mumble. "But I'm still unsure why you thought I was your mate."

I ignore the fact that Iamhis mate, still refusing to believe and accept it—in every way possible. I might not want to kill him at this moment, but that doesn't mean I want to be connected to him for the rest of my life.

Cade strums his fingers on the edge of the desk. "Take a look at the photographs," he requests, tilting his head toward the black and white portraits on the wall. "What do you notice?"

I turn my head, looking at the different moon phases again. "They are all different lunar cycles," I point out confidently. "I don't understand what you are trying to hint at."

"Which phase is most displayed?"

Frowning, I scan over them again, mentally counting. I realize there's only one each of most of the phases, except for one in particular.

"A new moon," I say, looking back to face him.

Cade nods, staying silent as he waits to see if I fill in the blanks. I try to think back to my readings, all the pages I marked in the books stacked in Alpha Daxton's office.

I remember that Ophelia was apparently the reason the Great War ended. She created alliances with multiple packs—which makes sense now knowing she had more than one mate. Treaties were initiated and it was thought that she was responsible for negotiating peace after she found her mate… her first mate anyway, from…

A chill runs through my body as it dawns on me. My lips part, mouth feeling dry as I lock eyes with Cade. "This is the New Moon Pack."

"Yes," he confirms happily, a proud smile on his face. "Goddess Ophelia's main associated pack."

Thoughts whirl around in my head as I struggle to comprehend the revelation, until another horrifying thought comes to mind.

"Oh, ew!" I gasp. "Are we somehow related? That's disgusting."

Just when I think it can't get any worse, now there's a chance that I might be somehow related to Cade—and fated to him.

Oh, no.

No. No. No. No.

Cade bursts out laughing, leaning back in his chair while he tries to calm himself after my repulsed reaction. "We're not related. Chill out."

"Chill out?" I repeat, practically recoiling at the thought.

Alpha lineages are the epitome of strong bloodlines. They are passed on through the generations, moving from father to son. If he's insinuating that I'm somehow related to the Goddess Ophelia, then by logic, so is he as Alpha.

"I know what you are thinking, but no," he starts, finally managing to contain his laughter. "While I definitely believeyouhave familial ties to her, I do not. A few generations ago, our alpha passed without an heir, and my grandfather stepped into the role of alpha."

"Oh," I mutter, feeling relieved that the universe isn'tthatcruel. I'm not sure how much more I can take.

Cade taps his knuckles on the desk. "We believe history is trying to repeat itself. So, when we heard that there was a wolf out there with multiple mates, it made us believe that perhaps we were tied into it again. Especially since I've been mate-less for the past five years and it was clear that my mate was not in my pack."

"I still don't understand how you even knew about it," I mutter softly, referring to my second mate. "We never made it well-known. Only a few people know about me and Maverick."

"Because he doesn't want to take a mate?"

"How do you know that?" I ask, suspicious again. "That's not common news either." I don't know if the last part is true. When Mason disclosed it to me the night of Tyler's murder, it sounded like a big secret. Maverick doesn't speak about it, so I have no reason to believe that other packs know.

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