“I just got off the phone with your mother,” Deedee said as she entered the kitchen.

“And you didn’t tell her the truth, right?” Astrid asked. “You made a pinky promise not to tell her.”

“Of course not.” She sat on the barstool next to her. “Pinky promises are 100 percent valid, no matter how old you are.”

“Do you think she suspected anything?”

“I don’t think so. I told her I had asked you to drive me to a conference I had to attend and that we had made the arrangements even before the Alpha punished you.”

“Thank you. For everything.”

“Anytime, Astrid.” Deedee frowned. “So, what are you planning to do now?”

“Well,” she began. “First I’m planning to eat this delicious chicken.” She pointed to the whole roasted bird currently sitting on a serving plate in front of her. “Then I’m going to work on those potatoes and the cornbread. After that, there’s the pumpkin pie—hey! Give that back!”

Deedee had taken the plate and held it high over her head. “I’m not talking about food, you ninny.”

“What’s more important than food? I’m starving,” she whined.

“We just demolished seven boxes of Chinese takeout while we watched a bunch of scary movies.” Deedee put the plate down, but slid it away from Astrid. “You can’t possibly still be hungry.”

“Yes, I am.” She reached for the potatoes instead.

“Astrid, please. I can only lie to your mother for so long.” She placed an arm around her. “Talk to me.”

“I’ve told you everything. That—that— he—” She stuffed her mouth full of mashed potatoes and swallowed. When she arrived here last night, it all came pouring out of her and she confessed everything to Deedee. About Zac. And what he said about Daric. Even thinking about it now hurt. Eating seemed to be the only thing right now that could help distract her. It was a good thing her stomach had turned into some kind of bottomless pit lately and she could pretty much shove food in her mouth every few hours.

“Yes, I know,” Deedee said in a quiet voice. “And it’s still hard to believe that … about your dad. I can’t believe it.”

Neither did she, but here she was. Hiding out at her best friend’s house while her entire world collapsed. It all turned out just as she predicted, but she’d allowed it to happen anyway. At first, she thought that maybe, just maybe, Zac would at least fight for them. But it sounded like he didn’t even try. And if she were honest with herself, that was what hurt the most.

She still couldn’t believe it about her father. Surely, Nick was lying. No, her father wasn’t evil. He would never try to do anything to Cady or anyone else. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” The sound of her spoon hitting the bottom of the bowl of mashed potatoes made her cringe. “What’s been going on with you and Cross?”

That question made Deedee’s eyes bulge. “Nothing,” she croaked.

“He’s back in town, right?”

She shrugged. “Kind of. He’s still busy and stuff and—”

“You just need to get off your ass and tell him.”

Deedee raised a brow at her.

“Oh, boo. Don’t look at me like that. Just because my love life’s a disaster doesn’t mean yours has to be.”

“So, are you admitting that you love him?”

The question had her reaching for the cornbread. Hopefully this would keep her mouth busy and prevent her from answering that particular question. Did she love him? If she did, then she only had one thing to say about that: Love sucked. Big time.

“I came as soon as I could, skatten min.”

The sound of her father’s voice startled her more than his sudden appearance in front of Deedee’s breakfast bar. “D-dad?” Bits of cornbread flew from her mouth and she reached for a glass of water to clear her air passage. “What are you—” She turned to Deedee. “You pinky promised,” she accused.

“I pinky promised not to tell you mother,” Deedee said. “But not your dad.”

“Traitor,” she mumbled.

“I’ll give you guys some privacy.” Deedee turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Daric gave her a nod and then walked around to Astrid’s side.

“What did Deedee tell you?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“Enough.” He placed an arm around her and pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For everything. For not being truthful. And that my past actions have caused you pain.”

Her heart dropped all the way to her stomach. “So it’s true. What Nick said about you. That you—”

“Yes. I used to work for Stefan, our enemy.”

“But … why … I don’t understand.”

He let out a deep sigh and sat down on a stool next to her. “Stefan came to our village when I was a boy. He killed my father, your grandfather Jonas, so he could gain his powers. Then, he took my mother captive and forced me to do his bidding.”

She gasped and then reached out to cover his hand with hers. “That’s terrible, Dad. I’m so sorry.”

“It was … a gruesome time for me. I would have done anything to keep my mother alive.”

“Including … kidnapping Cady?”

He swallowed audibly. “He made me do a lot of horrendous things and to this day I have never quite forgiven myself, even though I did it to stop Stefan from hurting Signe. Kidnapping Cady seemed inconsequential then, just one of the many things I had to do to survive and keep my mother’s life safe. Had I known how much it would have hurt you so, I would never have done it.”

“But you didn’t … do anything else. I know you couldn’t do that.”

He shook his head. “No, I did not. Nick Vrost and the Lycans were able to save her before Stefan’s plan came to fruition. And for that, I’m glad.”

“What happened after, Dad?” she asked.

“Well, there’s much more to the story, but basically, I met your mother, and she changed my life.” His mouth curled up into a fond smile. “She was the light I needed in my life, to take away the darkness that had consumed me. Love changed me. It changed all of us. When all was said and done, we all decided it was best to keep my involvement with Stefan a secret. We all thought it was better to forget the past. Now I realize how wrong we were. Forgive me.”

Despite the fact that she thought she’d cried every last tear she had the night before, she wiped at the tears that were pooling in the corner of her eyes. “It’s okay. Thank you for telling me now.” Strong arms enveloped her in a tight hug.

“Zac will come to his senses.”

She stiffened. “Deedee told you—”

“I … guessed.” Daric pulled away and then wiped the tears that had tracked down her cheeks. “Do not be embarrassed, Astrid.”

“I’m … I’m not,” she denied. “I’m just … what you said about him coming to his senses … even if he did, I don’t really give a shit.” The anger she had been feeling since yesterday had embedded itself deep in her chest. She held on to it, because right now, it was the only thing stopping her from feeling the pain he had caused.

“He does not know the whole story,” Daric said. “He knows only one side.”

“And he chose to believe his dad before learning our side.”

“I’m not talking about our side.”

Her father was being cryptic again. She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Zac’s made his position clear on this. It’s over and done.”

“If I could change the past, I would,” Daric said. “But I cannot. Nick Vrost is not a bad man. He’s loyal and solid as a rock, but just as unyielding. You will understand what it is like when it comes to your T—” He cleared his throat. “I mean, when you have your own family.”

The thought of getting married and having children was the farthest thing from her mind right now. She never dared let herself fantasize about such things, not even when she was with Zac. It was probably because her brain was telling her she was making a mistake in getting involved with him. “What will you tell Mom?” she asked, hoping to change the subject.

“Your story is yours to tell,” he replied. “But you cannot hide from her forever.”

“I know.”

“And you have duties to the clan and to the Alpha.”

She cringed. “I’ll come back to training tomorrow, I promise.” Hopefully, Zac wouldn’t show up at the training ever again. She would just have to endure Nick’s disapproving glares, at least until the year was up and she was free.

“I’m afraid I’m not just talking about punishment,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“Grant and Frankie have decided that Lucas and Adrianna must ascend to Alpha status sooner rather than later. The ceremony is set to happen the day after tomorrow and will begin with a ball at the Waldorf Astoria.”

“Oh, no.” Placing her hands over the counter, she buried her face and let out a groan. “No. I can’t.”

“Attendance is mandatory.”

“Grrrr … can’t you tell them I have the pox or something?”

Gently, he lifted her chin up with his finger. “Astrid, you need to come. I will be there; your mother and your brothers will be there.”

And so will Zac. If he was going to become Beta, then of course he’d be there. “I don’t have anything to wear.”

“Yes you do,” Dee piped in as she poked her head through the kitchen doorway. “Sorry … I couldn’t help but overhear. But, remember you asked me to get rid of that dress? The one you wore to the wedding?”

“And I supposed you didn’t?”

“It was a gorgeous dress, Astrid. I couldn’t bear to throw it away. And you know you have to go.”

“You cannot miss it, Astrid,” Daric added. “It would be an insult to Lucas and Adrianna, and the entire clan.”

Astrid sighed. “I’ll make an appearance.”

“I’ll be your date,” Deedee said cheerfully. “I just found out from my mother as well. We can make a fun night out of it.”

She glanced at her father, who gave her a small smile. “All right. I’ll stay for the ceremony and then I’m leaving.” New York and New Jersey were the biggest Lycan clans in the world, plus there would be important people flying in from all over the world for the ball. Surely, she could avoid one person in a ballroom filled with hundreds of people.