Page 93 of Family: Posy 4

"Better. Stronger."

"I can see she's gained some weight," I asked without asking.

"Yeah. About ten pounds so far. Doc at the clinic wants to see her gain at least fifteen more, but a slow gain is best. We haven't been pushing her to eat, just tempting her with new food experiences."

"And Roger's chicken tenders," Ash chimed in as he entered the room and wedged in between Wyatt and Jay on the couch. "She's obsessed with them."

Wyatt scowled and shoved Ash's shoulder.

"What?" Ash shoved him back.

"Dude! There's a whole other chair and loveseat over there!" Wyatt whined. "You can't sit here. You're too big—"

"That's what Posy said, too," he smirked, and Cole chuckled as Mase and Jay rolled their eyes.

"And you always accusemeof being crude." Wyatt narrowed his eyes and whapped Ash across the chest with the back of his hand.

"Crude?" Ash squawked. "Honest, you mean!"

"Enough," Mase snapped. "King Julian, what did you find out about the Everleighs?"

His no-nonsense tone helped me rein in my amusement at the guys' playful banter.

"Let me start at the beginning," I said and settled back in my chair. "My dad was so upset with himself for being fooled that he took the lead in the investigation. He discovered that everything Posy's mom wrote in that letter was true. Her name was Naomi, if you didn't know, and she was the only daughter of William Swift, the former alpha of Crystal Caverns. Dad talked to William, who confirmed that Naomi's agreement with Kendall Briggs included the stipulation that if either ever found their mate, they'd go their separate ways in peace."

"Soshedid become his chosen mate willingly." Cole frowned as he stared into space. "I'd wondered if he'd forced her in some way."

"No, as far as William knew, it was a mutual agreement. He didn't like it, but what could he do? Naomi was twenty-nine and had given up on finding her Goddess-given mate." I shrugged. "Anyway, Dad dug deeper and found several complaints against Briggs that were swept under the rug. That led him to discover that one of the royal office staffers was Briggs' brother and was keeping the dirt from sticking to him, so to speak."

"Bastard," Ash muttered. "I hope you have him in your cells."

"I do. You can visit him later if you'd like," I smirked, then got back on track. "Naomi and Logan Everleigh were living here at the royal pack when Briggs caught up to them. He killed Logan, faked Naomi's death, and dragged her and their two sons back to Green River. Posy was born seven months later, and you know the rest."

"Bastard," Ash repeated. "I wish you hadhimin your cells. Garnet and Quartz killed him too quickly, you ask me."

His brothers grumbled their agreement, and I nodded, understanding the feeling.

"On a brighter note," I held up my index finger and smiled, "the surviving Everleighs are all very excited to meet her."

"That's great!" Ash crowed.

"Yeah." I rubbed my hand over the back of my neck.

"Whataren'tyou saying?" Jay, of course, noticed.

"Just as Posy has a right to her secrets, so do her family members." I took a deep breath, held it for a second, then let it all out in a rush. "That being said, I am going to tell you something before you meet them, and you five can decide what to do with the information."

"Is there something wrong?" Wyatt tilted his head to one side and tried to read my face.

"Her oldest cousin, Ethan, is struggling with his wolf. He's worried he'll scare her off, especially if Maple ascends in her presence."

"What's going on with his wolf?" Mase asked.

"Well, Ethan is twenty-three and hasn't found his mate yet. Every year, Maple grows more and more despondent. Right now, he's in a deep depression and sleeps most of the time. When he is awake, he's sullen and silent." I paused, then carefully added, "Except for when he's not."

"And when he's not?" Cole raised one eyebrow.

"Well, so far he hasn't killed anyone, and Ethan's been able to get him back under control every time."

---