“Since when do you have family upstate?” Sharp and knowing, Sarah had been around long enough to spot my flimsy lies.
“It’s a long story. I’ll explain when I get back.” If I could figure out how to explain ‘surprise, werewolves are real and I accidentally had puppies with one’ in a way that didn’t sound completely insane.
“The kids okay?” Her voice softened. “They’re not sick, are they?”
“They’re... they’re good. Learning about their heritage.” Not entirely a lie. They were literally learning about their wolf heritage while I watched and tried not to have a breakdown.
“Heritage,” Sarah repeated skeptically. “Lina, honey, you know you can tell me anything, right? If you’re in some kind of trouble-”
“No trouble,” I lied smoothly. “Just some unexpected family business. We’ll be home soon.”
“You better be. That Tyler won’t stop coming by the shop asking when you’ll be back. Boy needs a hobby.”
I glanced at Knox, who was now helping Rowan rebuild his block tower with careful concentration.
“Tell Tyler I’m not interested,” I said. “And that he should really stop listening to his mother.”
“Already did. Multiple times. Boy’s more persistent than a summer cold.”
If only she knew about the persistent werewolf currently teaching my son architectural principles with wooden blocks.
After I hung up, I looked around Noah’s living room at my new reality. My twins practicing their paw shifts with delighted giggles. Knox watching protectively from his corner, trying to respect my boundaries while clearly dying to be closer. Noah making sandwiches like this was all perfectly normal.
Three days. I’d given myself three days to figure this out, to understand what my children needed, to decide if we couldreally go back to Pine Valley and pretend none of this had happened.
It wasn’t nearly enough time.
“Mama, look!” Thea had shifted both hands now and was attempting to pick up blocks with her paws. “It’s harder with paws but I’m getting better!”
“That’s... great, sweetheart.” What else could I say? Good job on your supernatural ability development?
Noah cleared his throat gently. “There’s a pack meeting this weekend. Knox wants to formally announce you and the pups to everyone.”
I froze mid-reach for a sandwich. “Announce us?”
“The pack needs to know,” Knox said quietly. “That I have a mate and cubs. That you’re under Alpha protection.”
“I didn’t agree to-”
“It’s for your safety,” Noah interrupted. “Once the pack knows you’re Knox’s mate, no one will dare threaten you. It’s protection, not ownership.”
“Feels like the same thing from where I’m sitting,” I muttered.
“There’s a pack meeting this weekend,” Noah repeated. “We’re planning on letting everyone know about you and the pups.”
23
— • —
Lina
Day three in Noah’s house, and things weren’t exactly better, but at least my body had stopped doing its impression of a malfunctioning radio. The random bursts of super-hearing had settled into a more predictable pattern of annoying but manageable.
Knox had finally left for “urgent pack business” yesterday afternoon after hovering around me constantly for two days straight. The man had practically breathed down my neck, watching me with those gray eyes full of concern and want and a dozen other emotions I didn’t want to acknowledge. Then he’d just... not come back last night.
Not that I was waiting for him or anything. Not that I’d noticed his absence when the house got quiet and the twins asked where “the sad wolf man” had gone. Definitely didn’t lie awakewondering what kind of urgent pack business kept an Alpha out all night.
Where the hell was he anyway?
