Stone Crest: Rise of a Raven

51. Chapter 51

Chapter fifty-one

Locke

T he road side diner is nestled between a cluster of trees and a small motel. It’s not busy this time of night, just a few waitresses and one lone elderly man at the bar eating a slice of pie. When we walk in, I already spot Kingston. Alone.

Me, Zander, and Declan take a seat, while Nyko does a quick sweep, checking if anything is out of place.

“Clear.”

Kingston lifts a brow.

“He may trust you, but I don’t yet.” Declan leans his elbows on the table.

“And I understand that.” Kingston dips his chin.

Nyko takes his seat and I lean back in mine, checking my phone for the tenth time since we left Stone Crest.

Being away from Raven has me rattled.

I shove it back in my pocket. “So, let’s get down to business.”

“Malikiah just purchased a warehouse a few weeks ago on the outskirts of Stone Crest. He hasn’t been very forth coming with his plans. All he’s given me is we are stepping into a very lucrative business.”

“Drugs?” I ask.

“Doubt it. But I’m not ruling it out.” Kingston halts his words when the waitress approaches.

“Can I get you boys anything? Coffee?” She asks.

She’s probably early sixties, with tired eyes.

“I’ll take some of that cherry pie.” Zander grins. “Smells delicious.”

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” she winks.

I swear he charms women of all ages.

“Thing about the warehouse is he’s partnered with Elias. I don’t know what part Aldridge has, but he’s involved.”

“He’s spoken with the council?” I ask.

“No. He’s being secretive and it’s alarming as fuck.” Kingston props an arm on the chair next to him. “He’s hesitant to let me in for some reason. I’m trying to act like I’m still his son. Still on his side. But it’s getting harder. He’s destroyed anything he’s ever touched. He’s destroying the pack, and before long, this town.”

“We can tail him,” Declan suggests.

“The best one to get on the inside is you.” Zander points at Kingston. “Earn his trust to be in on the deal.”

“I agree. I can set up any surveillance we need.” Nyko adds. “Malikiah isn’t stupid though. He’ll be thorough.” Nyko’s eyes darken as he stares out into the darkened parking lot. He has his own reasons to take down Malikiah.

“I’m not sure why any of this would involve Raven, but it was no mistaking Elias’ men that night. Connected or not. I’d keep her close.”

I shared with the guys what Frankie had seen. I wasn’t sure if Kingston was aware, but that’s something I wasn’t one hundred percent sure I was ready to give him.

“When is the next meeting?” I ask.

“Not sure. I’ll keep an eye out. I’m at the garage most days but he comes by often. I’ll fill him out.”

The pack owned Hale Mechanics on the East side of Stone Crest. Kingston ran the shop and Malikiah, from what I gather hasn’t had to lift a damn finger the majority of his life. Not since he became Alpha.

“I’ll keep in contact through a burner. I have a gut feeling whatever he’s got going could be disastrous. He’s being too careful, that means he wants it low key, which tells me that if he gets caught, he’s fucked.”

“I got a buddy in real estate. I can find out info on the warehouse," Declan offers. “Maybe even get a set of blueprints.”

The jingle of the bell on the diner door rings, causing us all to turn our heads. My eyes snap to Kingston when my mother steps in.

“What are you doing here, mom?” Kingston rises from his chair as she crosses the room.

Immediately I glance out the window to see if she’s been followed.

“One slice of cherry pie.” The waitress announces before she drops it in front of Zander.

“Thanks, darlin," he says before digging in.

“Angeline.” I glance to Kingston. “I wasn’t expecting you here.”

“I know, and don’t blame Kingston. He didn’t know I was coming either.”

“Does Malikiah know you left?” Kingston asks as he takes her coat.

“No. He’s with Bianca.”

“Who’s Bianca?” I ask.

She levels me with her eyes, but I can see the hurt behind them. “His mistress.”

Bastard.

“He thinks I don’t know about her. He thinks I don’t know a lot of things but it’s how I survive. Knowledge is power, son.” She motions to the back. “I need to speak to you in private.”

I push to my feet when Declan catches my arm. “You sure?”

I watch her retreating form. “Yeah. I’m fine."

I follow her to the back hallway next to the bathrooms. It’s dingy, but private enough that we can muffle our conversation under the sounds of the heater.

“There’s so much more I wish I could have told you at the gala, but my time was limited. Just like now.” She swipes her hair from her face and closes her eyes. “There’s something I fear you may have misunderstood about the curse.”

“Misunderstood? It was pretty straight forward from what I remember. I would never find my fated mate.” I lift my hands and let them drop. “So how do you explain Raven? She’s my mate, even you said so yourself.”

She nods. “Yes. But the curse wasn’t for you to never find your fated mate, Sullivan. It was for you to never bond with her.”

Instant dread slowly creeps along my spine. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying the punishment was to find her, but never be able to actually mate with her. To never be able to form the bond…...” She glances away. “If you mark her…”

“If I mark her then what?” I demand.

Her hand lands on my forearm in a comforting gesture. “If you mark her, it will kill her.”

I feel like we went two steps forward to get knocked ten steps back.

“Kill her?” I roar.

I feel my wolf start to pace. He’s angry. So am I.

“You allowed this. You allowed this to happen to your own son!” I bellow.

“I had no choice!” She hisses. “He was going to kill Kingston if I didn’t comply.”

This motherfucker.

“But there was a loophole.” She grabs at my arms again. “Charlotte was smart, and somehow empathetic. I think it was because of her love for your brother that she held up her end of the bargain all while giving you a way out.”

“How?”

She shakes her head. “Typically, the curse can only be lifted by the one who placed it, but Charlotte and I had help. A woman, she could see your future beyond generations. But only snippets. Like a puzzle piece.”

“This sounds insane, you know that right?” I scoff.

“I know, but it’s true. Charlotte went to her for answers on how the curse would affect you long term, and that’s when she saw it. She saw that your mate would be from her blood line. No name. No specifics, just that she would be born with the mark of the raven.”

Her birthmark.

“She would be special.” My mother’s eyes mist over. “Like I told you that night.”

“Charlotte agreed to do the curse, with the contingent that it can only be altered by someone from her own blood line, and when she placed the curse, I gave her my word. If she ever needed help, no matter the situation, I would come running. No questions.”

“Did she ever cash in?” I ask.

“She did.” My mother nods. “Twenty-nine years later.”

I frown. That’s a long time. “What happened?”

“Her daughter was in trouble. Hooked up with the wrong guy and her child was in danger.”

“Child?”

“Maryland. 2003. You remember the call you got about making a delivery exchange with the couple on Newson Bridge?”

I froze, my brain short circuiting as I remember that call. The one my team received about relocating an infant out of the home of a dangerous man. He was supernatural, and a danger to the child. One of us.

I remember holding the tiny infant in my arms. Two months old. A girl. Big blue eyes.

“I remember.” I swallow thickly.

“You protected her. Even then.” Her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “Sullivan, that baby girl…. was Raven.”

Liker her name summoned the call, my phone buzzes inside of my pocket, but it wasn’t Raven’s name on my screen, it was Callum’s, and my fucking heart sank.