Monday afternoon, Ken and Badger had returned while Duncan went over to the clubhouse ahead of Lu’ana and Reggie picking up Bebe. So far, Bebe wasn’t shifting anymore, but they wanted to monitor things as closely as possible. Duncan would reinforce their orders with Lu’ana and Reggie and Bebe because the couple would eat dinner there with everyone before returning home.
Ken had told Dewi about the property purchase and his assignment from Gillian, so he headed out to the pool house to work there since Dewi was still using the office.
When Badger appeared in the office doorway, Dewi waved him in.
Between the grim look on his face and the way he pulled the door shut behind him without asking first, she knew it didn’t bode well.
“Do you have DNA results back?”
“Yep.” He took his time settling in a chair, apparently to gather his thoughts. “We seem to have us a little…problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“I haven’t talked to anyone else about this, either. Not even Peyton. Yer the first.”
“What is it?”
He handed her the tablet in his hand. “I’ve received preliminary results on DNA tests. Nami was right. I have more potential siblings to run down.”
“Sibl—” Her jaw snapped shut.
On the screen was displayed a chart, with Nami and her siblings on one side, as children of Beatrice Wycroft and Jarome Drexler.
On the other side, however…
“Ten?”
“That I know of,” Badger said.
“He certainly is a prolific motherfucker, ain’t he? No pun intended.”
Badger snorted. “I also searched through birth certificates. I had hits on the initial DNA searches to half-siblings of Nami and them and started tracking back from there. At least four different mothers, in addition to Beatrice Wycroft. Meaning there are likely more children out there, maybe without Jarome listed as the father on the birth certificates. Those are only the ones I’ve confirmed so far. Three of them had different fathers listed but there was DNA in the database that matched. I haven’t even made a deep dive yet. There could easily be more out there.”
Dewi slumped back in her chair. “Holy. Shit.”
“I know.”
She stared at the data. “Is it possible Jarome has an identical twin?”
“In this case? No. Besides, contrary to popular belief, it’s rare identical twins have the same DNA. An’ the birthdates of the offspring I’ve found correlate to conception dates that would fall durin’ periods when he was out of jail. Most of ’em were all born in or around Tampa.”
“What now?” she asked.
He heavily sighed. “I’ll have to start tracin’ back Jarome and all these mothers. See who’s in their pasts. And then spread out from there to see if there are more children elsewhere. Try to scrape together a more detailed family tree on his side. Because I’m also seeing traces of who I believe is an Alpha wolf in the paternal side of Nami and them’s DNA. My theory is there might be an Alpha somewhere in Jarome’s family tree within a couple of generations. I doubt it’s a Prime, unless he died or was killed. Or it was far enough back in history for the knowledge to be lost.”
“And we have no idea how many other half-siblings they have?”
Badger nodded. “Exactly.”
“Jeez, why is it the worst of humanity who insists on sowing wild oats?”
“Ye got me. But it’s not a problem fer only humans. Plenty of shite shifters breed like bunnies. Or, used to. Not as many now, of course.”
“Is that it?” She returned the tablet to him and he swiped into something else.
“Not even close. I’ve confirmed that Hamish Lewis—who we’re all assumin’ is the same one who is Faegan’s younger brother which everyone thought was dead—is Imani’s biological father. I used Tamsin’s DNA tests to dial it in.” He stared at the tablet in his hands. “I haven’t fully traced Corrine’s ancestors. And I still have to locate Hamish, or at least any other offspring of his. Even more interestin’ is what I learned about Dania’s parents. Dania’s mum Leila, Leila’s dad, Earl, and Reggie and his brothers are all descendants of the Prime Alpha wolf Cornith McTavish from various branches.
“Earl’s father and Reggie’s father are brothers, and the DNA agrees, so fortunately no shockers there like we have with Imani. I don’t know by how many generations all that goes back, or which branches exactly, because I’m still unravelling it.
