We settled around the dining table, Noah joining us because apparently this was now a family affair. The twins dominated most of the conversation, telling their grandparents about their wolf lessons with Hunt and how Thea had almost bitten Rowan during training.
“It was an accident,” Thea insisted.
“You said you were aiming for my arm,” Rowan pointed out.
“An accidental aim.”
Knox and I exchanged looks across the table. Our daughter was going to be a handful as a teenager.
“Oh, by the way,” Serena said during a lull in conversation. “The Cranes are visiting tomorrow.”
I blinked. “Who?”
“The Cranes,” Marcus repeated. “Old family friends. We haven’t seen them in years.”
I looked at Knox. He shrugged, clearly having no idea who these people were.
Noah raised an eyebrow at his parents. “The Cranes from the coastal pack?”
“Yes. William and Margaret. And their daughter Isabella.”
“Isabella was a good friend of Knox’s when they were young,” Serena continued, and there was something in her expression that made my antenna go up. A softness. A nostalgia. “You two were inseparable for a while. Don’t you remember?”
Knox shrugged again. “Not really.”
“Well, I’m sure it will come back to you when you see her again.” Serena’s smile turned almost wistful. “She had the biggest crush on you back then. Used to follow you around everywhere. It was adorable.”
There it was. That was the thing that made my spine straighten and my wolf sit up and pay attention. Not that Serena was trying to push them together. But that she remembered Isabella having feelings for Knox. That she thought it was cute. That she was bringing it up now with that fond reminiscent tone.
I trusted Knox completely. But I’d also learned to smell potential problems from a mile away, and this had all the hallmarks of drama waiting to happen.
“How lovely,” I said pleasantly. “I’m sure it will be nice to reconnect with old friends.”
“Yes,” Serena agreed. “Isabella has grown into such a lovely young woman. Very accomplished. She runs their pack’s education program.”
“Fascinating.”
Knox’s hand found mine under the table, squeezing gently. He could probably smell the tension rolling off me.
The rest of dinner passed without incident. The twins monopolized the conversation and Serena and Marcus were completely focused on their grandchildren. By the time they left, I was exhausted and my feet were killing me.
I headed upstairs with the twins to tuck them into bed. Rowan climbed under his covers with his book while Thea bounced on her mattress a few more times before finally settling down.
“Mama?” Rowan asked while I pulled his blanket up.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Is the new baby going to be annoying?”
“Probably. All babies are annoying at first.”
“But they get better?”
“Eventually. You and your sister did.”
“I was never annoying,” Thea announced from her bed.
“You have very strong opinions about everything and you express them loudly. That’s a type of annoying.”
