“Help with what exactly?”
“Guard duty!” Hunt called out with way too much enthusiasm for someone claiming to be security. “Knox asked us to keep an eye on things while he’s out. Also, we brought cookies! They’re chocolate chip, and before you ask, yes, they’re from that bakery on Main Street that Knox brought you treats from.”
I debated my options. Leave them on the porch and deal with Knox’s worry later, or let in two more werewolves who could probably break down the door if they really wanted to.
“Mama, who’s at the door?” Thea called from the living room where she and Rowan were building a fort out of couch cushions.
I opened the door cautiously, ready to slam it shut if needed.
Hunt immediately dropped to the twins’ level, his whole demeanor shifting to something softer. “Hey there! I’m Hunt, and this grumpy mountain is Cole. Want to see a magic trick?”
Before I could protest that my children didn’t need to be entertained by strange werewolves, Hunt was already pulling coins from behind Thea’s ears while Rowan watched with that serious expression he got when trying to figure out how things worked.
“How did you do that?” Rowan asked, reaching behind his own ear experimentally.
“Magic,” Hunt said with a wink. “And years of practice. Want to learn?”
“Are you wolves too?” Rowan asked bluntly, because my son had apparently decided subtlety was overrated since learning about his heritage.
“Yep! Part of Knox’s inner circle. We’re like his brothers, except we’re not actually related and Cole here has zero sense of humor.”
Cole shifted awkwardly in the doorway, looking about as comfortable as a wolf in a sheep costume. Hunt elbowed him hard enough to make the bigger man grunt.
“Say something nice,” Hunt stage-whispered. “You’re scaring her with your resting murder face.”
Cole’s expression didn’t change much, but he managed, “Your children are... impressive.”
From the way he said it, with a slight nod of respect, it seemed like high praise from someone who probably didn’t hand out compliments often.
“Can they come in, Mama?” Thea asked, already attached to Hunt’s leg. “He knows magic!”
I stepped aside reluctantly. “Fine. But any weird wolf business and you’re out.”
“Scout’s honor,” Hunt said, holding up three fingers. “Though I was never actually a scout. They said I was too disruptive. Can you believe that?”
Yes. Yes, I could absolutely believe that.
They settled in the living room, Hunt immediately sprawled on the floor with both twins using him as a jungle gym. Cole perched uncomfortably on the edge of a chair, looking around Noah’s house with careful attention.
“So,” Hunt said, grinning up at me while Thea tried to braid his hair, “want to hear embarrassing stories about your mate?”
“He’s not my-” I started, then stopped. The bite had made us mates whether I wanted it or not, though I still didn’t fully understand what that meant beyond the obvious implication that we were bonded as some kind of supernatural couple. “Sure. Embarrass away.”
Hunt launched into stories while the twins listened raptly, temporarily abandoning their fort construction. “So there we were, five teenage idiots who thought we could take on a full-grown grizzly bear that had wandered too close to pack territory. Knox was trying to strategize, Cole was silent as always, Noah was cracking jokes, and Blake-”
He paused, glancing at Cole who gave a tiny nod.
“Blake was already halfway up a tree, laughing his ass off at us for taking so long to figure out the obvious solution.”
“Who’s Blake?” Thea asked, settling more comfortably against Hunt’s shoulder.
“Noah’s twin brother,” Hunt said gently, his usual cheer dimming slightly. “He was the best of us. Could make anyone laugh, even Cole here. One time, he convinced Cole to try karaoke. Still have the video somewhere.”
“Noah has a twin too?” Rowan perked up, excited by this connection. “Just like us!”
“You show that video and I’ll end you,” Cole rumbled, but there was no real threat in it.
The stories continued, painting a picture of five young wolves against the world. Knox as the natural leader who overthought everything, Cole as the silent protector, Hunt as the jokester, Noah as the mediator, and Blake as the brightest light among them. But I caught the past tense, the careful way they spoke of Blake, the glances between them when his name came up.
