“I thought Psy were pretty strong on family loyalty.”
“Yes, but it’s a cold kind of loyalty. A month after I reached my majority, my parents—who’d ceased living together the day I turned eighteen—dissolved their coparenting agreement, and my memories tell me that I never knew them to speak to each other again.” She shrugged. “They’d achieved their aims, fulfilled their contracts. I have connections to both families, of course, but when I turned twenty-one, I had to choose.”
“Why?”
“Because Psy only trust loyalty that is absolute,” she said. “I had to formally identify with either the maternal or the paternal side of my family.”
“Which did you choose?” Dev asked, fascinated by this glimpse into the forces that had shaped the woman by his side.
“The paternal,” she answered. “My father’s family is involved in scientific endeavors, while my mother’s is more focused on economics. It made sense for me to align myself with the group that would allow me to best utilize my skills.”
“And your mother didn’t feel like she’d gotten the worst of the bargain?”
“Of course not—genetically, I’m still half hers. But since she did co-raise me, my father had to buy out part of the contract since his family would get the benefit of my training, skills, and connections.”
Dev blinked, trying to understand. “He bought you?”
“It’s a perfectly normal transaction in the Net.” She blew out a breath. “Everything’s calm and practical and businesslike. No fights, no disagreements. All the contingencies are covered in the parenting and fertilization agreements.”
Dev couldn’t imagine such a cold life, such a cold relationship. “So since you’re considered part of your father’s family, did you have to contribute financially?”
“Yes. Our family had a central investment fund. I did quite well out of it—we had a good investment strategy.” Stretching out her legs, she tapped her fingers on her knees. “I wonder how my death affected things. Likely very little—my work for the Council raised my family’s ranking in terms of their influence in the Net, but it was a small contribution. Losing me wouldn’t have caused that big a ripple.”
To hear her talk of herself in such a clinical way infuriated him. “But your life will cause one hell of a big ripple.”
She gave him a startled look. “I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. Can I ask you . . . ?” A hesitant question.
“What?”
“About your childhood?”
His hands clenched on the steering wheel. “What do you want to know?” It came out sounding like gravel.
She was quiet for almost a minute. “You don’t want to talk about it.”
“Not today.” Not ever, if he was being honest.
“Is there someone else you—no.” She shook her head. “I’m asking for your weaknesses.”
“Was the question yours?”
Her eyes were hollow when she glanced at him. “That’s just it. I don’t know.”
Even as Dev and Katya drove ever deeper into the barren wilderness of Alaska, Sascha sat beside Lucas as he drove them to Cruz.
“I do know how to drive,” she pointed out, simply to see his reaction.
He shot her a narrow-eyed glance. “Why are you purposefully jerking my chain?”
“Because I can.” She smiled. “Seriously, Mr. Alpha Cat, pregnancy doesn’t make me an invalid.”
“Am I treating you like an invalid?”
She had to concede the point. “No.” In fact, with Lucas busy overseeing a major construction deal, she’d actually been handling more Pack business. “But you’re running yourself ragged—I could’ve driven myself to Cruz, taken a sentinel as escort. Then you’d have had the morning free to read the revised contracts.”
“I can read the contracts while you’re working with the boy.” Reaching across, he closed his hand over hers. “You know you’re not going to change my mind.”
She brought his hand to hers, kissed the knuckles. “I know. But I have to try.”
“Why? Because it makes me crazy?”
“Because I know I have to train you before our baby arrives.” He’d always been overprotective of those under his care. “A baby leopard won’t take well to constant supervision.”
He blew out a breath. “I’m alpha. Do you think I don’t know that?”
She wrapped him in her love on the psychic plane, an invisible kiss.
His cheek creased with a smile she wouldn’t tire of if she lived to be a thousand. “I know I’m being a pain in the ass, Sascha darling, but humor me. I’m working on letting go—I promise our kid will be a wild savage exactly like Roman and Julian.”
Laughing at the thought of some of the stunts the two cubs pulled, she blew him a kiss this time. “They wouldn’t talk to me when I went to visit yesterday.”
“Rome and Jules?” Pure surprise. “I don’t believe it—if they were bigger, they’d fight me to claim you.”
“Tammy”—the twins’ mom—“said they were sulking because they’d figured out I was going to have a baby.”