Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Wolf’s Secret Twins Chapter 7

Slater

Some things never changed. Much like how the sun set in the evening, Virginia got moody with me, going from one extreme to the other in a matter of seconds. She'd always had a fiery spirit and a passion unmatched by any other woman I'd met. Her passionate

nature made it all the more appealing to be around her.

Fire-that was my thing with her. Pure, electric fire. She had a way of zapping me that made me want to grab her chin and take control. Yet the way she'd fled from me last night made me think twice about chasing her.

When we were in the same pack, our interactions were natural. She had served drinks at the in-pack café, and I'd worked at the mechanic shop just around the corner. When I rolled through for my usual afternoon cup, she would drag me to the back room and hike her skirt up, begging me to take her where someone could have easily walked in.

But no one ever did. We were recklessly careful-or carefully reckless, whatever. She brought out the adventurous side of me that didn't worry about tomorrow, didn't worry about bills or parents.

What strange things ended up coming to mind as I sat on Virginia's back porch in the yellow porch light with moths fluttering around my head as I checked my messages. She probably didn't want me here, but I didn't care about that. I just cared about her safety- and the safety of her kids too.

My phone buzzed. Two more messages rolled in from my mother. Gertie popped up too. Jesus, it was like I'd become popular all of a sudden for handling an intra-pack issue.

Mom was asking where I'd been hanging around lately. Gertie was trying to get a gauge on whether or not I was going to miss work in the morning. Both messages were understandable, but I didn't want to deal with them right this second. I just wanted to sit in the silent peace that was my ex-girlfriend's yard while her kid's video game sounds came through the window.

Family life was different than the bachelor living I'd become accustomed to. While my parents visited often-sometimes too often-I didn't have much to speak of. Most of the friends I'd made here were Gertie and the other carpenters. Every so often I worked on a vehicle with Elias or Blake.

Turning gears helped me keep turning gears in the brain. That was the simple life. It was what I loved, up until I saw Virginia with her kids. Something about the three of them together warmed my heart, and something about it made me feel left out too. That was a weird feeling I desperately wanted to shake.

So I kept coming out here, kept posting up on her porch to make sure that weirdo didn't come crawling out from the forest or something. While Blake had assured me the guy was behind bars, I knew better than to trust the word of anybody, even my alphas. Which made me feel bad.

But also gave me an excuse to keep an eye on Virginia.

At least Troy is cool with it. I thought back to my convo with the Bravecrest alpha and how he had given me a glance of understanding. That man knew something that I didn't know. But I didn't know what it was. Whatever, this helps me sleep at night. Technically, it kept me up till dawn. Then I'd run home, catch a quick nap, and go to work.

I snorted. As if I've been doing this for ages.

But with Ginny darling, shit, it always felt like ages had passed. Mere moments became decades in the blink of an eye. Was it just because we knew each other so well?

The kitchen door creaked open, and I shot out of the hammock fast enough for it to swing back and knock into the railing. The resulting thwack made Virginia jump, and she nearly dropped the tray of teacups and crackers to the ground. I launched forward to help her steady the tray, dropping my phone in the process-it hit the wood with a heart-wrenching crunch that made me reconsider my actions.

Virginia stood there with her knuckles turning white around the handles of the tray. "Shit-I mean, shoot. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's fine. I'm the one being a creep."

"You're just sitting out here." She paused. "I guess that is creepy."

I took the tray from her and set it on the coffee table near the hammock. The wicker chair I had occupied just the night before was open and she quickly dropped into it, smoothing her hair behind her ear repeatedly like she had done so many times about ten years back.

Ten years. And she'd had two kids in that time, sheesh. I stared at her for a long time as she stared at the teapot, worry lashing her face and making me wonder what she was thinking.

"Listen, I'm sorry about last night," she whispered as she reached for the pot. Her hand shook violently. She caught it with her free hand and rubbed her palm generously with her thumb. "I shouldn't have kissed you."

"You shouldn't have stomped away, Ginny darling."

She blinked up at me while her brows furrowed together. I reached out to stroke her cheek, totally tuned in to the way her body shuddered when I swept my thumb over her chin.

She yanked her chin away. "I'm just sorry, okay?"

"Apology accepted."

She reached for the teapot, but I was much faster, and I had been craving something sweet while sitting out here. She quietly accepted the teacup when I was done preparing her the chamomile with the lemon wedge and a dash of sugar just how she liked. As she cupped it to her lips, I watched the wisps of steam tickle her nose and swirl around her face. She looked mystical.

I slurped my tea loudly. "Good stuff."

"Surprised you don't want whiskey with it."

"Nah, there's kids to be watched. Can't get drunk around your twins."

She gave me a strange look, her eyes all wide and her mouth all flat as if she was shocked by my statement-or maybe suspicious. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"Come on, I'm not a drunk like your granddad."

"I didn't say that."

I cracked my neck. "Didn't have to."

"Slater?"

"Yes, Ginny?"

Hazel-brown eyes glittered in the mustard light. She sipped her tea, set it down, and folded her hands in her lap. "Why are you here?"

"I'm watching the house."

"I mean, why though? It's not like we're in danger or anything. Did Troy or Blake ask you to do it?"

I shook my head. "Nobody asked me to do it. I'm just doing it because I can, and because I want to do it."

"Right." She rubbed the back of her neck. It appeared she was getting a bit more nervous now. But why? She was perfectly safe with me.

I extended my hand. She slipped hers into mine, puzzle pieces meeting their edges for the first time in centuries. I sighed. "When the Frostcrown pack dissolved, what happened to you?"

She turned her head away, but she didn't take her hand back. I had to count that as progress with her. "South."

"Yeah, but where? We joined the Beaufort Creek pack here, but where did you go?"

"I said, south."

Drills were born from her eyes, ones that could have sliced clean through me if they were real. That meant she was done saying what she was saying. But sweet gods, the fire pouring right out of her, shit. I could have tackled her on the porch if I knew I could get away with it. My interest grew. She did kiss me last night.

I studied her lips, the lower lip plumper than the upper lip and retaining a reddish hue like she'd been wearing lipstick earlier. Back in the day, she'd been pretty into making up her face. She shaved her eyebrows and did wild eyeliner. She did all sorts of creative things with her lipstick and eyeshadow.

I reached for a strand of black hair with pink tips. "I like that. Did the kids help?"

"They love dying my hair."

"I bet they do. They're just like you."

She blushed and chortled. "Tenacious little things."

"Spirited. Sweet. Friendly."

"You think I'm friendly?" Another chortle surfaced as she turned to face me. "The parents at school might think otherwise."

I squeezed her hand lightly. "Their opinion doesn't matter."

"Slater, it doesn't matter if their opinion doesn't matter because when they get together, their opinion can become a decision."

Correct-and unfortunately so. Because when people got to thinking hard together, they got to deciding things of their own accord. And sometimes, that wasn't always the best thing. Frostcrown had dissipated more by nature than by decision, and that was, I believed still, the best decision that could have been made.

But if this pack tried to turn on Virginia and her kids, then she'd have an even bigger problem than Bentley on her hands. "The alphas won't let anything happen to you."

"I'm not even permitted to be your mate. What makes you think they'll do anything to protect me?"

"Bentley is locked up and waiting to be tried for his crimes," I snapped. "Elias held a sleepover for your kids so things would be normal for you. Are you that self-absorbed that you can't see what people are doing to make you feel better?"

She gaped at me like I'd just called her a load of insults. And with Virginia, that might as well have been the case seeing as she was more stubborn than any donkey shifter I'd ever met. But the way she thoughtfully sat back and redirected her gaze to the tea made me think something in her had shifted over the years.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be harsh," I reasoned. "Just riles me up that you don't trust us when we're doing everything we can for you."

"I'm sorry. I just-" She hiccupped and covered her mouth.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say those were tears coming up. The way she turned away made me reach for her more. And our dance renewed, me reaching for her while she pushed me away, electric zaps terrifying my heart about old news, old memories that had no business coming up at a time like this.

But they were there. And they were real. How could I ignore the past when she was sitting right in front of me with her heart on her sleeve?

Virginia hiccupped again, chuckled, and then waved me off, taking some space so she could wipe her face. "I'm a mess."

"You've always been a mess."

"Gee, thanks."

I winked. "It's a normal part of existing with you, Ginny. Your messiness doesn't scare me. Not in the least."

When she focused on me, the whole world seemed to disappear, years of hatred and resentment melting in a singular moment. Not necessarily gone, but not existing either. It was just us again, just the two of us hiding away from our families and their disappointed gazes.

My mind went back to my phone, to my lies in text form to my mother and my requests for Gertie to cover my a*s. Christ, what was I getting myself into with Virginia again? I couldn't quit while I was ahead. But I couldn't think either. Nothing made sense. Yet the way things needed to make sense wasn't important. The whole thing made my confusion that much worse.

Virginia leaned over. I sensed her proximity the same way I sensed her suffering-the visceral feeling of her desire sneaking in with everything else with such palpability that it made it difficult for me to breathe. I let her draw close...closer... Her kiss was divine. Her softness imbued me with strength. Sea salt and berries thrilled my senses as I deepened the kiss, daring to slide my tongue into her mouth to see how she would react.

And boy, did she melt.

Soft hands circled the back of my neck. Pliant lips parted further. Sighs filled the air. Every response transported us back to the beginning when our bodies had initially met. She was sweet then, even sweeter than she was now, hardly hardened by anything in her life. At the time, she'd wanted to escape her family. We'd done so many distracting things together.

Her hand slid between us and rested on my chest. I released her lips, staying close while giving her space, trying to control the way my body reacted with her around. Uncontrollable longing swept through me in waves, washing hot and cold over my chest and my legs. The breeze felt comforting yet odd.

She caressed my cheek. "Let me put the kids to bed, okay?"

"Okay."

And with that, she left me on the porch with my heart in my hands, confused and sweaty like a teenage boy in the gym. Everything about it, from the slick of my palms to my racing breath, made me feel more alive than ever.