Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Wolf’s Secret Twins Chapter 13

Slater

Dim lights winked through the trees, a sign of the neighborhood kids playing tag beyond the veil. A couple of parents had been out walking the dirt paths-I figured it wouldn't look terribly unreasonable for me to be trotting in gym shorts and a t-shirt, so I kept on going, winding around the path that would take me behind the houses and eventually land me in Virginia's yard.

Voices echoed between the bark followed by jovial bursts of laughter. Someone must have been hosting a birthday party. By the sound of it, I could have sworn I heard the twins. But as I approached the darkened porch, the solitary hammock, the screen mesh of the patio door, I sensed the twins were inside.

Either they hadn't been invited or Virginia had kept them home. I could probably take a wild guess which of those things was true.

Part of me wanted us to suddenly be accepted. If we revealed our mating plan to the alphas, they couldn't exactly stop us. They weren't tyrannical leaders, and they certainly weren't unreasonable. A little acceptance from them could go a long way with the rest of the pack. The members did tend to fall in line with the majority.

All I had to do was convince a sizable chunk that Virginia was a good woman with a strong heart and a kind soul. Her kids were much the same, and the only thing people should fear from them was their knowledge of horror and bugs. I chuckled to myself as I settled into the wicker chair near the window. From the other side of the pane came the sounds of a soap opera. Lots of sobbing and muttering.

Curiosity drew my focus to the window. I peered through the sheer curtains, utilizing my supernatural abilities to see what the family was doing. It was technically too early to waltz inside-Virginia had made it clear that the twins couldn't know about our nightly rendezvous plans. That was fine by me. I didn't want them to get overwhelmed too soon.

Eventually, though, they'd have to know about us. They'd probably already caught us sitting at the kitchen table. The twins were highly receptive to me, super accepting, and generally excited to see me, so I didn't see the harm. But Virginia had insisted. I cared about her enough to respect her wishes.

Tonight, the twins were snug as bugs on the sofa. The television splashed colors across their faces, but I couldn't see much else through the silk. Even with my fantastic sight, I wasn't sure of too many other details like their individual expressions. Though I had to wonder why Virginia set them up in front of a cheesy soap when they probably would have preferred cartoons or video games.

That was when it hit me.

The sobbing wasn't coming from the television. It originated from the right of my vision, just beyond where I could see, hidden by the right edge of the window. Blubbering and then more sobbing came through, piercing the tinnitus that threatened to take over once more. I plugged my finger into my ear and shook it. Once my hearing cleared, I leaned closer, noticing that Virginia was sitting at the kitchen table with her face in her hands.

Son of a-

I launched from the chair and went to the door, rapping lightly on the wood. I heard Virginia gasp. I heard the chair creak across the tile. I heard her light footsteps approach the door. She must have checked the window and noticed it was me because she would never have opened the door for anybody else without knowing who was there. As soon as she saw me, she forced a smile.

I took her hands gently. "No, ma'am. You're not faking anything with me."

Her lower lip trembled as I led her back to the table. I sat her down and went into the living room. "Alright, bugs. Bedtime."

What I saw stabbed me right in the heart. Anthony and Adhara wore the same concerned expression, but Adhara's was twisted. Her left eye was swollen shut and her cheeks were stained with tears. Christ, what the hell had happened to her?

"Anthony, get your sister an ice pack," I instructed. I sat on the couch and checked the bruise, being careful with the puffy skin. "Does it hurt, Adhara?"

She shrugged.

"Did something happen at school?"

She shrugged again.

Behind me, Virginia cried harder. The gods on the mountains couldn't have stopped me from going into rage mode, but when Anthony returned, I quelled the anger long enough to go into dad mode.

I placed the ice over the bruise. Adhara flinched without making any sound. How strange it was for a kid to be so muted about an injury.

"It happened at school. Shannon," Anthony explained. "We're not going back."

"Will you take your sister to get ready for bed?"

Anthony nodded solemnly. I'd never seen a kid look so damn defeated, and it quite literally broke my heart in half. Something awful had happened to the twins at school and that was why Virginia was sobbing herself into a fit. Once the twins were out of sight, I went to the kitchen and grabbed another ice pack from the fridge. I placed it on the back of Virginia's neck, feeling nauseous at the sound of her whimpering.

Somebody hurt my baby. And they would pay for it. "Who's Shannon?"

"Some stupid kid. Don't worry about it."

"I'm always going to worry about what happens to my family."

She inhaled sharply while taking over control of the ice pack. I went back to the counter and started preparing tea. The bathroom faucet ran. The sound of brushing came next. Good, that meant Anthony was doing as I said. He was a good kid and he cared about his sister. He would make sure she was okay for the time being.

"Did you take her to see Dr. Windsor?" I asked while getting the teapot ready. "To make sure it's not damaged?"

Virginia sighed shakily. "Yes, Dr. Windsor came by just after dinner. Ice and rest."

"No damage?"

"Not that she can tell. We go back in a week." Her expression contorted with pain. "But we'll be gone in a week, right? Have you changed your mind? Are you mad?"

I shushed her while the kettle on the stove whistled. Virginia was in a bad spot. These a*****e parents were getting on my last nerve with their gossip and bad behavior. Even my parents had picked up on a weak spot in me-which I didn't mind admitting was Virginia.

Whenever they found out, I knew they would disown me. Ripples like what had happened with the Frostcrown pack didn't dissolve easily. But me? I was more concerned with getting Virginia and her kids to a place that wouldn't know who the hell we were-and wouldn't care.

"I'm not mad," I assured her while preparing the rest of the tea. I brought everything over to the table and poured her a cup. "I haven't changed my mind. If anything, I'm more committed after what Anthony told me."

"I can't believe it."

I chortled. "Believe it, Ginny darling. We're making a break for it."

"Have you gotten a car yet?"

"Not yet."

She hung her head. "Oh. I see."

"Don't look so disappointed."

I took a seat next to her and poured myself some tea. That was one thing our families had in common-we always had tea when we were worried, happy, sad, sick. Didn't matter the mood. We always had tea.

I slurped the delicious chamomile and sighed. "You shouldn't be held accountable for the sins of your grandfather."

Her head popped up. "Do you mean that?"

"I always mean what I say."

"If that's true, then the last time we talked-"

I held up my hand. "Don't."

"No, Slater. We need to talk about it."

Her eyes reflected my sentiments, the same fear I knew she held deep in her gut about that last conversation. Neither of us had been in our right mind. The whole betrayal thing had just exploded onto the scene. People were fleeing their homes and leaving the pack in shambles. Our own goddamn alpha had fled in the night, leaving us without so much as instructions on what the hell to do.

I dug my fingers into my palms. "We don't need to hash it out."

"But we do, Slater. We haven't talked a word about it other than the facts, right?"

I looked away. "Right."

Something about her reaching for my clenched-up fist made my muscles go slack. She offered me a small smile. "You called me Satan's harlot, remember?"

I cackled briefly and then shook my head. "Son of a bitch."

"You called me that too."

"And you called me a cheater. Though I'm not really sure where that came from."

She shrugged lightly. "I guess I was just looking for things that would hurt."

"Well, it worked. It hurt."

"I was feeling pretty hurt."

I frowned at the table. "We were all feeling hurt. Your granddaddy did us dirty. My parents got lucky with us landing here. I still have nightmares about my mother crying."

"I understand that all too well."

"What happened to your parents, Virginia? Why aren't they with you?"

Pain shot through my fist-and it wasn't until I checked my hand that I realized why. Virginia was puncturing my knuckles with her nails. While it wasn't unusual for me to feel aches and sore spots, this pain came with something else, a sinister feeling that crawled up my arm and across my chest. It suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Goddamn, girl," I wheezed. "Easy."

She released my hand, taking the feeling back. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"What did they do to you?"

Anxiety crawled between us, inserting a wall. That was a feeling I knew too well from my parents doing it. But feeling it from Virginia made me irate. What did she have to hide? And why did she feel like she had to hide it? "They're gone now," she whispered. "I heard my grandfather died somewhere in the wilderness or something like that."

Sympathy made me reach for her. I massaged her hands, trying to get her to loosen up because, good gods, she was wound tighter than a rusty screw. "Ginny, why do I get the feeling that you're not telling me everything?"

She looked at me for a moment, and then she was thinking something, probably considering her memories, sifting through facts. At the end of her little reflection, she smiled gently. "I'm telling you everything that's important, Slater." "I'm holding you to it."

"I promise I won't let you down."

Conviction lived inside those words. It warmed me over tenfold. I squeezed her hands and grinned wide. "About our little adventure-would you happen to know of anybody who can fake some IDs? Just something to hold us over." "Actually..." She blushed. "I caught a kid with a fake ID at the bar once. He gave up the guy's name. I never approached him about it, but I thought it might come in handy one day."

She pulled out her phone and showed me a number with the letters F.E. in bold.

"You're my badass princess, aren't you?" I teased as I caressed her cheek. "I should have taken you with me when I had the chance."

The waterworks started up again, prompting me to pull her into my arms. She was just a messy pile of emotions unraveled everywhere. It was the most I'd ever felt from her aside from her resentment during that meeting. And even then there had been such a palpable attraction between us.

Real mates didn't always bond immediately. As far as I could tell with the ones matched by our alphas, they proved that fact. But usually, within a few weeks, they gave in to their uncontrollable impulses and went through with it.

What if Troy had been right the first time?

I hugged Virginia tighter. None of that mattered anymore because none of it would be our problem once everything was set. Virginia tilted her head and offered me her lips. Sweet desire laced her kiss, reminding me of how we had once pined for each other despite our families demanding otherwise. Awful events aside, we had still reached for each other.

Hesitance dabbed her tongue. I tasted it in the way she tried to duel with me as her fingers tangled in my hair. A kiss like this belonged in a soap opera, reminding me that I had been fooled once already tonight by the sounds inside this house. Who would say I wouldn't be fooled by her actions as well?

But doubt melted as her kiss deepened. She sighed softly, drifted back, and then lazily peered up at me through heavy lashes. Everything seemed to come together then, a riot of conflicting feelings, a heavy coverage of clouds that refused to let enough light through. It was bright enough to see, but I didn't feel warm. Not quite yet.

Perhaps time would heal us.

I wanted to replace out.