A wave of cold passed over Mason’s body as Grace put her face in her hands and sobbed as if her heart was going to break. He’d never felt so helpless in his life, but he had to do something to offer her what comfort he could. As he gathered her into his arms he knew that there was nothing he could do to undo the horror she’d experience in the past, but he could make sure that she knew that none of it was her fault.

At first he only held her, pressing her as close to him as he could and running his hands in soothing circles over her back. Once her sobbing had slowed, he pulled her back a little and cupped her face with his hands. He used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that had streaked her face. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, before lowering his to rest it against hers.

“I want you to listen to me, you did not kill our baby. The blame for that lies squarely with your stepfather and with Titus. You are the bravest and strongest woman I have ever met, and after hearing your story that opinion has not changed, if anything I believe it even more now. And I need to say that I’m sorry to you.”

She drew back and her eyes widened. “What do you need to be sorry for?”

“Where do I start? For the way that I treated you when you came back to town? The way I acted earlier today, for the dark, suspicious thoughts that had been running through my head when I thought you left me for someone else. Most of all, I’m sorry for failing to protect you all those years ago. If I’d been more careful with you, you would never have been in that position. Can you forgive me for the part I played in it all?”

As she had told him what she’d gone through, underneath the rage of what Titus had done, there was guilt there too. She would never been pregnant, she would never have been put in a position to be at Titus’ mercy if he been able to control himself. He knew exactly when it happened, when she conceived his baby. He’d always been so careful to protect her, except that one time. They were out at the waterfall, and he had forgotten to bring anything with him. He should’ve stopped, should’ve resisted her, but the love and passion that he had inside for her overwhelmed him and he made love to her without thought to the consequences.

“I know the moment that you’re thinking about, and I’m not going to accept your apology because you have nothing to apologize for. We were kids Mason, and we were in love. We committed no crime, and were not deserving of the punishment that was meted out. So I don’t want to hear that you’re sorry for anything.”

“Then I don’t want to hear that you’re sorry for any of it, because it was you that had to bear the brunt of it all. Now tell me the rest of it, because I know there has to be more.”

She took in a deep breath, and slowly blew it out as she leaned against him. He put his arms loosely around her and she nestled against him so that her forehead rested in the crook of his neck. Then she began to speak, telling him the rest of her story.

“After I went through my change, all I could think of was running. I ran out of the house and into the woods. I was so certain that he would come after me, that he would continue to hurt me. But I guess as far as he was concerned he’d done what he been ordered to do, so he left. I was terrified to go home so I stayed in the woods, in my wolf form until my mother came home. The time in that form healed most of my wounds, at least the physical ones. And so I went home and acted like nothing was wrong, and lived in the same house as my stepfather for several days until I had the opportunity to get my mother alone.”

Her voice had taken on a monotone quality, as if she was trying to distance herself from further pain. Mason tightened his arms around her slightly, and thought about telling her that he didn’t need to hear anymore. But he had a feeling that no matter how painful this was for her, it was something that she needed to get out, something that she needed to tell him. She carried this burden around inside herself for a long time, but now it was time for him to help her share in it.

“What happened when you told your mother?” Mason had no doubt that Grace had shared with her mother what happened, he had a feeling that based on her estrangement with her that it had not gone at all well.

“She didn’t believe me. She was so blind to what he was, and so wrapped up in maintaining the version that we were one happy family, that she refused to see what was right in front of her. I think part of the problem was she liked being the mate of an alpha a little too much. A lot of power within the pack comes with it, and if she took my side in things she would have had to give it all up. If I told her that Titus had done what he done on his own, maybe she would’ve believed me. But we both knew that Titus would never jump unless my stepfather told him how high, so she said I was lying to drive a wedge between them. I went to my room, took my purse and told her I was going for a walk. That was the last time that I ever saw or spoke to my mother.”

Jesus. The one person who was supposed to protect her, who was supposed to shield and shelter her had not believed her and had refused to help her. No wonder she been so terrified that he would turn away from her if she ever told him what really happened to her.

“Is that when you left East Brook?”

“Yes, I went out the long way, and snuck over the border between our two territories. I knew I had to get out, that what my stepfather had Titus do to me was only a small part of his plan. I knew that he wanted you to pay for being with me, and that if I went to you and told you what happened it would play into his hands. I knew that if you knew what Titus had done you would not have been able to stay out of East Brook.”

The muscle flexed in Masons jaw as he thought about his younger self. At the age of twenty he was not yet the man is his prime that he was now, and he knew with certainty that taking on Titus as he was then would have been a death sentence. He knew that it would not have mattered to him if he was outmatched by East Brook’s enforcer. The same feelings churning inside him now would’ve been there fifteen years ago, and he would’ve had no choice but to go to East Brook and see that the man who had brutalized his woman paid for it.

“You’re right, I would’ve gone to East Brook because I would’ve wanted to rip him apart.” His voice was grim as he said that, and he wished for a moment that her stepfather was still alive. What he would not have given to have five minutes alone with him now so that he could exact vengeance on her behalf for all that had been done to her. Titus would receive his punishment for his part in all this, of that he was certain. But right now his woman needed comfort from him more than his thirst for vengeance needed to be quenched. So he kept his arms around her, and held her as she told him the rest.

“And I think that was what my stepfather was counting on. He was a firm believer in killing two birds with one stone. He knew that there was no way he could go into Cold Bay to get at you, because even then your pack always had the stronger numbers. So he needed to find a way to bring you to him, and I’m sure he counted on me running to you to tell you what happened. But I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t let you walk into the trap that he had set for you. So I went to the one person I knew who would help me get out of East Brook but wouldn’t asked too many questions.”

“Logan.” Now that he knew exactly what she’d gone through, he knew just how much his cousin had done for her. He’d given her help when she’d needed it most, and hadn’t pressed her for answers, had only offered her whatever she needed to get out of East Brook. And he’d kept his own council about it for fifteen long years.

“Yes, Logan. I showed up at his place in the middle of the night, and thank God he was home and his father wasn’t. He gave me something to eat, and the only thing he asked was what I needed. I told him that I had to get out of East Brook, that my stepfather knew about us and that in order to protect you I had to leave. He had rightly guessed that you wouldn’t be able to let it go unless you had a reason to, and I told him that I planned to tell you that I’d left for another guy. If it makes a difference, he wasn’t very keen on the idea but I insisted and he went along with it. It was surprisingly easy after that. He gave me what money he could get his hands on, put me on a bus and I left here without looking back. I carried a lot of pain and nightmares with me, but years of counseling helped. I’d finally gotten to the point where I was sure that I had put it all behind me when word got to me that my mother and stepfather had died in the crash. Even then I could not bring myself to forgive her and all I felt was relief that he was dead. I had no intention of ever coming back, and even though ownership of the house passed to me, I had every intention of letting it rot.”

“And then you got a call from the Council telling you that in order for East Brook to be saved you needed to bind yourself to Logan.” Life was a funny thing, but for one small twist of fate she would never have come back into his life. In all likelihood he would still be carrying around the heavy bitterness in his heart that had been there when she’d first come back home.

“If it’d only been the notion of saving East Brook I don’t know if I would’ve come back. I’d been away for fifteen years and the only way I could live the anonymous life I wanted was to put a mental distance between myself and my pack. But there was more at stake than just East Brook, and I knew that Logan was now alpha of Cold Bay. And I remembered all that he’d done for me, and I knew I couldn’t turn away when there was a chance for me to repay him. So I came home. And you know the rest.”

And he knew the rest. He also knew without a doubt that he loved her more now than he had even a few days ago. She’d had plenty of opportunities to give up, to let the hell she’d gone through overwhelm her, but she hadn’t. She’d kept moving forward. She’d brought herself back to a home that held so many painful memories so that she could repay the man who’d helped her when she’d needed it most.

And she’d put up with a lot of bullshit from him over it. He had a lot to atone for, and despite her telling him that he had nothing to be sorry for, he knew that he would spend the rest of his life making up to her for his shabby treatment of her when he’d thought she’d betrayed him.

“I’m glad you told me everything because now we can move forward. We owe Logan a debt, and I’m afraid that I’m going to have to ask him for more.”

She pulled back and looked up at him. She must have read something in his eyes because she swallowed hard before she spoke.

“Titus.”

The muscle worked in Mason’s jaw at the sound of that bastard’s name. The need to kill him was so strong that Mason knew he would not be able to rest until Titus was dead. Which raised a sticky point, because he could not kill him for something he’d done fifteen years ago. If he’d been mated to Grace at the time, perhaps he could claim his rights as her mate to defend her, but that was not so.

It didn’t matter what pack law said, Titus was dead one way or another. But in order for that to happen he needed to talk to Logan, because if it came down to it he wanted to make sure that Grace was protected from any negative repercussions from his extracting his revenge on the other wolf. He was going to do what he hadn’t been given the opportunity to do fifteen years ago. He was going to spill the blood of the scum who’d violated his woman and killed his baby.

* * *

Now that she’d told Mason everything, Grace felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The fear she’d been carrying around at the thought of telling him the truth of what had happened that summer long ago was gone. Logan was right when he said that no matter what she told Mason, he would love her still. She snuggled closer to him, and his arms tightened around her.

There was one more worry now that Mason knew the truth, and that was what he intended to do about Titus. Knowing Mason as she did, she knew that he would not be able to get beyond this until Titus was dead. The look on his face when he said the other man’s name told the story of its own. It said that Mason’s need for vengeance would soon out weighed all other considerations. But what about the long-term consequences of taking Titus' life?

“You intend to kill him, don’t you?” It was somewhat of a rhetorical question, because she knew Mason well enough to know that in his eyes the only punishment fit for Titus after what he had done was death. She pulled back so she could look into his eyes and she could see the truth in them. Titus’ remaining time on Earth could be counted in hours now that Mason knew what he’d done.

“I have to, baby. As your mate it is my job to protect you, and I can't keep you safe while he lives. He will never stop, he will never go away. And he needs to be punished for the brutal hell he put you through, for what he did to our baby. You may not agree, but I need to do this. As a man, as your man, I need to know that the scum who did that to you will never be able to do it again. The only way I will know that for certain is if I kill him.”

The grimness of his voice matched his eyes, and Grace didn’t know what she could say to dissuade him. “It’s not that I don’t agree with Titus needing to die, I’m worried about what will happen to you after. I’m sure the Council will feel that everything isn't as cut and dried as it appears. What they will see is that the one wolf who objected to the merger is now dead. What if they decide to punish you? I don’t think I could handle it if you were taken from me when we've only just found each other again.”

Mason pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, and she thought perhaps he had been able to see reason. But she should’ve known that it would not be that simple.

“I don’t care what the Council thinks, they can do their worst to me. I can’t let him live, Grace, no matter what might become of me, I can’t let him live.”

Grace sighed and shifted off of Mason’s lap. As much as she was worried for him, she knew that no matter what she said he would do what he needed to. A big part of loving him meant accepting the kind of man he was, and he was not the kind of man who could ignore what happened to her without needing to take action. The best thing she could do for him now was to be as supportive with him as he was of her.

Grace stood and walked over to the kitchen table where Mason had left his cell phone. She picked it up and walked back to him.

“Then I guess you better call Logan.”

He took the phone from her, grasped her hand and pulled her back down beside him. He put his arm around her while he made the call to his cousin. Once he ended the call, he tucked his phone in the top pocket of his shirt and Grace snuggled closer to him. Depending on how things played out, there was a very real possibility that the time they had left together was finite. She didn’t waste any of it by holding herself away from him.

“He's on his way, and is bringing Faith with him. I will need to tell him everything, are you okay with that?”

Grace noted. “Logan needs to know what Titus did, and I have no problem with you telling him. The only reason I didn’t tell him sooner was because you didn’t know about it. And the reason I didn’t tell him fifteen years ago was because I knew his reaction would have been the same as yours. I wanted to protect both of you, but that isn't necessary anymore. So you tell him whatever you need to so that he knows why Titus needs to die, why you need to do it.”

It felt a little strange at first, to openly condemn Titus to death. She was not bloodthirsty by nature, and if she had her choice, she would much rather Titus simply slink back into whatever hole he’d crawled out of and never bother them again. But Mason was right, Titus would never go away. She may have taken the sting out of his current threat by telling Mason the truth of what had happened, but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t find some other way to torment her. She knew very well that Titus had to die, it was only the necessity of Mason being the one who inflicted that death that she was having trouble with.

The sound of a truck in the driveway interrupted her thoughts, and Mason stood up to go to the front door. He opened the door and through it Grace could see Logan and Faith making their way toward the house. She stood up and waited for them to come in. She didn’t know how much Faith knew about what had happened because Mason had said nothing to Logan on the phone, simply that he needed to come to their house.

The alpha’s mate was a perceptive woman, and she must have sensed something serious was happening because she opened her arms and hugged Grace to her. Grace returned her hug, glad that at least that she had a friend to be with her while she waited and worried after Mason left.

“I’ll make us all some tea.” Grace moved away from Faith, and went toward the kitchen. She needed to do something to keep busy, and while it didn’t look like anyone was in the mood for tea, they all followed her to the kitchen and sat down at the table. She busied herself with the kettle, until Mason came to her and put his hand on her arm, stopping her from putting the kettle on the stove.

“I don’t think anyone wants tea, sweetheart. Come and sit down.”

He put his arms around her and they went back to the table. She sat down, with Mason coming to sit beside her.

“What’s this about?” Logan’s voice was a deep rumble, and Grace looked at his face to see if there was some clue there about how this would all play out. “I get the impression that this is not a social call.”

“It’s not. I need your help finding Titus, and once I find him I’m going to kill him.”

Logan’s eyebrows shot to his forehead, and he looked at Grace with a question in his eyes. “We’ll address your urge to kill Titus in a moment. We searched East Brook and turned up nothing. What makes you think that you’re going to have any luck finding him?”

“I have a good idea where he is.” Grace spoke softly as she put her hand in Mason’s and he clasped it. She didn’t want to send him off into danger, but she knew that he would find Titus one way or another and if this was going to happen it would be better if it was all over and done with tonight so that they could start dealing with the aftermath. “When he came to the house to threaten me, it was Elena who got me there under the pretext of meeting with a prospective buyer for the house. She is hiding him at her house, and if she isn’t, she knows where he is. I don’t know how cooperative she will be though.”

She looked over at Logan, and the muscle worked in his jaw. “She’ll cooperate.”

The alpha’s voice was grim and she knew that Elena was not going to escape unscathed for the role she’d played in all this. Grace didn’t know why Elena had taken up with Titus, and she supposed it didn’t matter. The woman she’d once thought was her best friend was not the person she thought she was anymore, if she ever had been. She had a pretty good idea now who had informed her stepfather about her relationship with Mason, since Elena was the only one who knew about their love affair and the baby that had resulted from it. She had no idea why she hadn’t seen it before, but perhaps she had willfully blinded herself to the truth because at the time she had more than enough to try to handle without adding in the betrayal of her friend into the mix.

“So we know where he is, now why don’t you tell me why you feel it necessary to kill him. I’m not saying that you can’t, and I agree that it would certainly make things a lot tidier if the one dissenter to the merger was gone, but I need something to take to the Council to make it seem like we haven’t just killed him in cold blood to further our own ends.”

Mason looked at Grace, and she nodded, giving him permission to tell their alpha what he needed to know.

“Fifteen years ago Titus raped Grace and as her mate it is my right to avenge that.”

Logan’s mouth tightened into a flat line as his eyes darted to Grace. “That was the real reason you ran away, wasn’t it? As much as I would like to see him die for that, it isn’t a good enough reason for the Council.”

For the first time since she’d told Mason everything, the anger inside him bubbled over.

“What the fuck do you mean that it isn’t a good enough reason for the Council? She’s my mate and it’s my job to protect her. How much of a reason does the Council need? Would the fact that he deliberately beat and raped her so that she would miscarry the baby she was carrying at the time be enough?”

Logan’s face grew grimmer with every word that Mason fired at him. “It would. The baby would have been part of Cold Bay’s alpha blood line, and since my father was the alpha at the time, it would mean that Titus interfered with the natural continuation of an alpha’s bloodline. That is an offense that is punishable by death. I have the right now to condemn him to death, and it is not necessary for me to carry out the death sentence, I can nominate a high ranking pack official to act in my stead. As my lieutenant you can carry out the sentence for me.”

“What the hell are we waiting for then?” Mason stood and his chair scraped against the floor. Logan held up his hand to halt him.

“The Council will require proof that the sentence was justified.” Logan’s eyes went from Mason over to Grace, and she knew what would be required of her. “You’ll have to testify under oath before the Council about what happened, without Mason. The Council will see it as a crime was against me as the alpha, not against Mason directly. I will be there with you, but you need to be prepared to tell your story all over again in front of strangers.”

Grace took a deep breath and looked up at Mason. There was compassion and love for her in his eyes, and she knew that if she was unable to do it, he wouldn’t push her. “I’ll do it, I’ll testify.”

There was no joy or elation at her words, and Logan’s face remained grim as he stood. “Then let’s go deal with this scum bag. I’ll get Rafe to come and watch over you.”

“I think I’ll make that tea you were talking about.” Faith stood and went to the kitchen. Logan pulled his phone from his pocket and walked over to where she stood and put his arm around her. It seemed like they were trying to give her and Mason some modicum of privacy.

“Thank you. I know that testifying before the Council won’t be easy for you, but you understand why I need to do this, don’t you?” Mason squatted down and Grace turned in her chair so that she could grasp his hands and look into his eyes.

“I know. Just promise me one thing.”

“What?” He raised her hands to his lips, and pressed a kiss on her knuckles.

“Come home to me.” That was all she wanted, for him to come home to her. She knew that Mason was capable of taking on Titus, and that in all likelihood he would win, but she knew that knowledge would not stop her from worrying about him.

“I will.” He cupped her face with his hands and moved in so that his mouth was pressed against her. Her lips clung to his as she tried to assure herself that this would not be the last time she kissed him.