Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Wolf’s Secret Twins Chapter 11

Slater

I had to slow my roll.

Only mates were supposed to bite each other. Only people destined for a lifelong pairing were permitted to do such a thing. I had defied my alphas and my pack by claiming Virginia for myself-physically and spiritually.

Surely there would be war in the heavens. Our gods wouldn't allow this to exist. Yet at the same time, fate wasn't always logical, was it? The more people denied my access to Virginia whether by gossip or rules, the more I wanted her. Nothing could have deterred Except maybe death. Even then, who would say that I wouldn't rise from my grave and locate Virginia for another round of biting?

me.

Zombies weren't her thing, but ghosts were definitely up her alley. The shelf next to the television was stocked with plenty of paranormal films, documentaries, and other haunted assortments, some of them boasting Anthony's name while most of them were labeled as Virginia's. Adhara didn't seem particularly interested in the spooky stuff, though she didn't mind war films or other various mediums pertaining to bugs, creepy-crawlies, and cryptids.

They were a strange family. But now they were my strange family. And I would do everything in my power to keep them.

As I thought about the wording of my petition, I hopped up the steps of my modest cabin and waltzed inside. There wasn't much use locking the doors in our neighborhood. Nobody ever violated my privacy, and nothing ever got stolen. Mostly, my parents wandered over here-and I did the same with their house, utilizing Dad's workout equipment that he swore he used. (He didn't.)

Cold air smacked me in the face. I groaned with irritation-that meant my mother was over here. And she was undoubtedly messing with my environment to make herself cozy. Which meant an extended stay.

Through the foyer and to the left led me to the living room where my parents were slurping tea and each reading a paper from town. One was the Beaufort Times and the other was Beau Press. Both of them were full of nonsense.

I rolled my eyes fondly and sidled into the room. "Did you save any for me?"

"Where have you been all night, pup?" Mom piped up from behind her paper. The pages rustled slightly and two beady eyes appeared, accompanied by graying brows and a mop of stringy hair tucked into a bun. "Neighbors said you'd been gone all evening."

"I had extra work with Wendell," I lied, and hoped that Gertie would corroborate. Though at this point the Philly cheesesteaks were not going to cut it. I had to up the price before she did. "I just couldn't sleep. You know me."

She yipped with amusement. "My son, the rebel." She folded the paper carefully and glared at my father. "I said, my son. The REBEL." She swatted her husband who startled easily and dropped his pipe into his lap. Unlit tobacco littered his khaki pants.

I sighed. "You're going to give him a heart attack one of these days."

"If he'd pay attention, he wouldn't be at risk," Mom joked, and then rubbed her husband's hairy arm lovingly. "Isn't that right, Jeremiah?"

My father beamed proudly, his thick brows bunching up into his receding hairline as he offered my mother his hand. "Of course, my dear."

I snorted as I drifted past them to get to the coffee table. "Simp."

"What's that?" Mom asked innocently.

I shrugged off the question, poured myself what smelled like Earl Gray, and then turned my irritated gaze on them. "Didn't know you'd be here." "Door was unlocked."

"I know."

Dad laughed. "Then what did you expect, pup?"

"A warning text," I teased. "Or something."

I sipped my tea. There really wasn't anything else in this world quite like my mother's tea. Having her around was a blessing and a curse simultaneously.

"We would all love something like that," Dad joked. "Especially with those Walshes. They could have warned us about their business."

I clutched the spoon a bit too tightly. "Well, I don't think anyone could have really predicted all that."

"Except for that girlfriend of yours," Mom chided with a mournful tone. "She could have peeped something to save you the embarrassment." Dad nodded. "Such a shame."

"They got precisely what they deserved getting driven into the south."

I gripped the handle of the teacup, feeling the porcelain crack under my fingers. "We were also driven to the south. I don't see how that's any different."

"We ended up going east, Slater, to join a respectable pack," Dad remarked. "Unlike the Walshes who ended up dirty and washed up with a gang of bikers."

The handle snapped. The teacup tumbled to the floor, thudding against the carpet and splashing hot tea on my right boot. Mom stared at me like I had grown a third head. "Now, what in the world has gotten into you? That was my favorite china." "And Virginia was my favorite girlfriend," I snapped.

Dad glared at me. "Don't you mean Sara?" He laughed bitterly. "I see that hussy isn't through with us. I bet she tried to bribe that unsuspecting alpha into matching her with you."

"That's not what happened," I said through gritted teeth."

He shook the paper resolutely. "Well, one thing is for sure-I'm glad Blake came to his senses and called the whole thing off."

Mom hmphed in agreement. "Indeed, Jeremiah. We don't need any deceptive offspring wandering around." She frowned sympathetically into her tea. "Though I can't help but pity those poor children. They have no idea what kind of mother they have." "If you can't say anything nice about Virginia," I started as I glared at my father, "then you really shouldn't say anything at all. Isn't that what you taught me"-I stared at Mom-"Mother?"

She gaped at me. "Have you been up all night without sleep?" She nodded emphatically. "Yes, that's what it is. You should go off and take a nap now. You'll need it if you want to get back to work today."

The papers rustled, rising like walls to keep me out of their business-and their traded expressions, no doubt.

And that was it. That was the end of that conversation. While I couldn't blame them for how they felt, I could certainly hold them accountable for how Virginia had been treated lately. Their words could make or break her safety here in the pack. If they weren't willing to entertain the thought of being kind, then I didn't see why they needed to ever be involved in my future life with her.

I stared at the broken teacup on the ground. My mother wasn't about to jump up and clean it, and neither was my father. But I wasn't about to bow down in front of them and scoop up these pieces that had broken because of their hatred. Virginia was a good soul, through and through. She was doing her best with her kids, children who were absolutely wonderful.

Who-if I dared to think it-felt like my own kids if I were to ever have any. And it wasn't unreasonable to now think of them as my kids. Of course they were my kids. Virginia was my mate, and so her children were my children. It was simple and logical. It was real. I marched off to my bedroom and swung open the closet. A petition wouldn't be enough for the alphas. They would see the opinions of the pack and take those into account, assuming they would ever consider the petition at all. With such heated opposition, they would be inclined to do what was best for the pack as a whole instead of any individual desires.

And at this point, it would be passed off as a mere desire.

It wasn't fair to either of us. It wasn't fair to the family we wanted to have together. The past was done. The betrayal was ten years ago, longer even. It was over.

Maybe we should leave.

From the comments my parents had made, I knew they wouldn't be welcoming of Virginia or the twins. Their opinions of her family's behavior weren't going to change just because we had become mates. At the same time, I wasn't so sure I wanted to subject my mate to that kind of heat. She'd been through so much already. Packing our things and running might be the best option we had left.

I've served this pack so well, I thought as I grabbed a suitcase. The alphas would understand. If they can't defend us here, then we'll go somewhere else.

But where? It wasn't like we could make fake IDs and flee the state. Even so, we'd have to worry about food and shelter. I could fix cars anywhere, and I had to guess that Virginia could sling drinks in any place. She'd changed her name once before. She could do it again, right?

Maybe she even knew where to get it done.

I grabbed my phone and texted her, Pack some bags. I'm taking you and the kids somewhere safe so we can be a family together.

I swore I could hear her heart singing from here. She might have even been screaming. Since the kids were at school, I had to imagine she was bouncing around the house right this second. It also explained why it took her so long to respond. You got it, she replied.

And that was enough to keep the smile on my face.

In the meantime, I had to sort out my cover story. There was one person I knew who was good at lying for me-I just needed to figure out what was better than Philly cheesesteaks to bribe her properly.