“Protect them? From what?” My voice broke on the last word. “From the monstersyoubrought into our lives?”
The twins flinched at my tone, and guilt flashed through me hot and painful. This wasn’t their fault. None of this was their fault.
“From others like the one that attacked you,” Noah interjected from the doorway. “Rogues who can smell unclaimed wolves. Your children have been broadcasting their nature since birth. It’s a miracle nothing found them sooner.”
The words sent ice through my veins. “Broadcasting? What does that mean?”
“Wolves can sense each other,” Knox explained quietly. “Their scent, their energy. Half-wolf children without pack protection, without their father’s scent marking them as claimed...” He trailed off, but I got the picture.
“So they’ve been walking targets this whole time?” My voice rose again. “And youknewthis could happen? You knew what they were and you just left us there?”
“I didn’t know!” The words exploded from him. “I didn’t know you were pregnant. If I had-”
“You would have what? Stayed? Don’t lie to me twice, Knox.”
“Stop. Just stop.” I pressed my palms to my eyes, trying to block out the reality crashing down around me. Everything I’d ignored, rationalized, explained away with increasingly ridiculous theories, it all made horrible sense now.
The town’s fear of the woods. The beast attacks. My children’s impossible abilities. It was all connected to this hidden world of monsters that had been there all along.
“I want to go home,” I said, dropping my hands. “My shop, my friends-”
“All still there,” Knox said desperately, leaning forward like he wanted to reach for me but knew better. “But please, stay a few days. Learn what this means. Let me - let us help you understand what the twins need.”
“You don’t get to make demands.” The words came out like venom. “You lost that right when you left.”
The words hung between us, years of hurt condensed into one sentence. Knox’s face crumbled further, if that was possible, but he nodded.
“You’re right,” he said quietly. “But this isn’t about me. It’s about keeping you all safe.”
“Don’t you dare,” I hissed. “Don’t you dare use their safety to manipulate me. We were fine without you. We’ve been fine for four years.”
“You were attacked by a rabid wolf,” Noah pointed out. “That’s not fine.”
“That was a fluke-”
“It wasn’t,” he interrupted gently. “Rogue attacks have been increasing. Pine Valley’s on the edge of contested territory. It was only a matter of time.”
I laughed, the sound bitter and broken. “And Ravenshollow is safe? We’re trapped in a town full of werewolves. Nothing about this is safe.”
“Mama, are we bad?” Thea’s small voice cut through the tension like a knife.
My heart shattered. I pulled both twins into my lap, kissing their heads and breathing in their familiar scent that now carried undertones I was apparently able to detect. Pine and honey from Thea. Earth and woodsmoke from Rowan. Both mixed with my own vanilla and coffee.
“No, babies. You’re perfect. You’re my perfect babies.”
“Then why are you mad?” Rowan asked, because of course he’d pick up on the emotional undercurrents.
“I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at...” I glared at Knox over their heads. “At the situation. Adult stuff that has nothing to do with how amazing you both are.”
“Is it because of the wolf stuff?” Thea asked. “Grandma Sarah’s dog doesn’t like us. Is that bad?”
Jesus. They’d known. They’d been able to shift their paws even at four, of course they knew they were different.
“No, sweetheart. There’s nothing bad about you. Some people - and dogs - just don’t understand special.”
My body felt grimy, like I’d been sick for days, which I probably had. The desperate need for normalcy, for some kind of control over the situation, made me announce, “I need a shower.”
I stood too quickly, forgetting that my body was apparently going through some kind of supernatural puberty. The room tilted violently and my legs decided they were made of Jell-O. Knox caught me before I could face-plant, his arms steady and warm and familiar in a way that made me want to scream.
