by J. L. Wilder
“I do,” Lauren murmured, wondering what her cousin was thinking. The den needed that money. It wasn’t supposed to be used for frivolous things.
Then she remembered why she’d called her friend in the first place. “Speaking of which, I saw Cody tonight. And Tina.”
“Oh, I bet that was fun,” Jessica said.
“Not exactly,” Lauren said wryly. “They weren’t happy to see me.”
“Tina’s a bitch,” Jessica said. “She’s always been a bitch. Don’t worry about her.”
“Cody forbade me from getting involved with any men in Chicago,” Lauren said. “Do you know why he might have done that? Have you ever heard of him giving an order like that before?”
“No, I haven’t,” Jessica said doubtfully. “Was it an actual order?”
“Oh yeah,” Lauren said. “It’s been twenty years since an alpha gave me a command. I couldn’t mistake that feeling.”
“Weird,” Jessica said. “I mean, not that Cody is being controlling. That’s normal for him. But I don’t know why he doesn’t want you to see any of the men in the den. Did he say anything about it?”
“No,” Lauren said. “The two of them were really just complaining about the fact that my babies’ father is a human. They have a real problem with that for some reason.”
“And you definitely don’t want to tell them who it really is?”
“Definitely not. I haven’t even told him. I’m certainly not going to tell them. I don’t need Tina to like me. I just wonder what her issue is.”
“Hmm,” Jessica said. “Well, they’ve both been pretty uptight about bloodlines, ever since Cody was called before the elders to justify his claim to the alpha role. Maybe they’re worried about you integrating yourself too much with the men of the den.”
“Why would they care about that?”
“I don’t know. If a guy gets caught up with you, it means his genetic path will be cut off. He won’t be able to mate with any of the other women of the den. And Tina thinks you’re...well—”
“A freak and a slut.”
“Jesus. Is that what she said?”
“Among other things.”
“Well, anyway, if that’s what she thinks you are, it means she won’t want the men of her den to waste their time with you. It wouldn’t be good for the strength of the den.”
“But I thought you said that she and Cody didn’t care that much about den strength anyway,” Lauren said. “You said they were too busy with frivolous things to worry about what they should be worrying about.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Jessica said. “It would be out of character for them to make a decision based on what was best for the den. It would be much more like them to do something just because they were selfish.”
“What’s the selfish reason for wanting me not to get involved with a guy?”
“Just to hurt you, I guess,” Jessica said. “And to make you look weak. Maybe they want to see you struggle with pregnancy and parenthood by yourself. They don’t want you to have a partner.”
Lauren nodded. That sounded like the kind of bitchy thing Tina would do.
But the fact that Cody had gone along with what Tina had wanted, even when it had been something needlessly hurtful like that...
She’d never gotten along with her cousin. They had never been close, and she’d never thought highly of him.
But she hadn’t thought that he’d hated her.
Apparently, she had been wrong.
“It doesn’t matter,” Jessica said. “You don’t need a man. You have me. I’ll be by your side through this whole thing.”
“Thanks, Jess,” Lauren murmured. “I’m so lucky to have a friend like you.”
Chapter Ten
WES
Wes had seriously considered not coming back into the city today at all. It was rare for him to visit two days in a row, and knowing that Lauren was here made it that much more difficult.
But he had promised to return his friend Barry’s shovel quickly, and he didn’t want to let Barry down. It wouldn’t take long, he thought as he made his way through the streets. He would keep his head down, and he wouldn’t have to worry about running into Lauren at all.
He knocked on Barry’s door, hoping he would be able to make this quick.
The door opened. Barry’s wife stood on the other side. “Hey, Wes,” she said, sounding surprised. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Hey, Felicity.” He held up the shovel. “I borrowed this from Barry a couple of months ago, and I just finished using it last night. Is he here?”
“No, he isn’t,” Felicity said. “But I can take it. Do you want to come in for a drink?”
“I should really be going...”
“One drink,” Felicity said, smiling. “You and I haven’t caught up in a while.”
“All right,” he conceded. “One drink.”
He followed her into the house and sat down at the kitchen table. “Beer?” Felicity asked.
“Sounds good.”
She grabbed a couple of cans and joined him. “How are things out in the wild?” she asked.
“About the same as always,” he said. “The forest never really changes.”
“Things were pretty wild here last night,” she said. “I’m guessing you weren’t at the block party? I didn’t see you.”
“No,” he said. “I really can’t stand those things, to be honest.”
She laughed. “That sounds like you.”
“So what happened?”
“You’ll never believe it. Lauren Wood is back in town.”
“Yeah, I knew that,” he said.
“You did?”
“I ran into her yesterday, actually.” He did his best not to feel frustrated. So he was going to have to think about Lauren after all—well, he could deal with it. Of course her homecoming would be big news. He should have anticipated that.
“Did you know she’s pregnant?” Felicity asked.
Wes felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach.
“She’s...she’s what?” he managed.
“Yeah, she told me,” Felicity said. “I don’t think it’s a secret. I hope not, anyway. I mean, everyone who was at the party knows. There was a whole big fight about it, actually.”
“A fight?” Wes repeated. His mind was still stuck on Lauren is pregnant. He couldn’t seem to process the information. It felt too momentous.
“Her baby’s father is a human man from the restaurant where she worked,” Felicity explained. “Cody and Tina weren’t happy about that—about her bringing mixed babies back to the den to raise. Tina wanted Cody to exile Lauren, but Cody ended up telling her that she could stay as long as she didn’t get involved with any of the men in the city.”
“Because she’s pregnant,” Wes repeated.
“Right,” Felicity said, looking at him with concern now. “You okay, Wes?”
“And the father is a human?”
“That’s what she said. But she doesn’t want him to know about the pregnancy, which makes sense because how would she explain the fact that the babies are going to be shifters without totally freaking him out?”
“I just saw her,” Wes said. He didn’t know how to believe what he was hearing. “She didn’t look pregnant when I saw her.”
“She’s not very far along,” Felicity said. “Two months, I think it was. So she wouldn’t be showing yet.”
Two months.
There it was.
That was how long it had been since Lauren’s mother’s funeral. That was how long it had been since Wes had been with her.
Two months.
And then they hadn’t seen each other—hadn’t spoken to each other—until now.
And now she was back.
And she was pregnant.
And she was acting weird when she ran into him in the street—as though she was angry with him, or uncomfortable around him.
It hadn’t made sense before. Now it did.
&nbs
p; The father isn’t a human at all. I don’t know why she’s telling people that—but it’s not the truth.
“Felicity,” he said. “Are you sure about all this?”
“Sure I am,” she said. “Why do you ask?”
“It just...seems unbelievable,” he said, knowing how weak that sounded.
Felicity laughed. “I know!” she agreed. “Pregnant at our age! And with a human’s babies! No wonder it’s causing so much drama. I don’t know what Tina’s so worked up about, but honestly, knowing her, she would have found a reason to be upset with Lauren no matter what. She’s always hated her.”
Wes nodded, his mind already elsewhere.
Was it even possible that Lauren had been telling Felicity the truth? Could the father of her babies be someone other than him?
Of course it’s possible. Just because he had slept with her, that didn’t mean that nobody else had. Maybe she had a boyfriend back home. How would he know?
But his instincts had always been strong, and living in the wild, getting in touch with his animal side, had only strengthened them over the years.
He was right about this. He knew he was.
Why wouldn’t she have told me? Why is she lying about it?
He chugged the last of his beer and stood up. “Thanks for hanging out, Felicity,” he said. “It was fun.”
“You’re leaving already?” she asked.
“Yes, I need to get back home,” he said. “But seriously, it was nice catching up. And thanks for sharing the gossip.”
“Anytime,” Felicity grinned.
Wes half wished he could tell her how much it meant to him. How much she had unwittingly revealed.
He wasn’t planning on going home, of course. Not now. Not until he got some answers.
He was going to do what Jessica had suggested. He was going to go to Lauren directly and demand to know what was going on and why he was the last to know.
Chapter Eleven
WES
By the time he’d made it to Lauren’s, most of Wes’s shock had faded. It had been replaced by anger.
How could she not have told me? We’d had history together? Sure we had a quick bang, but it still meant something to me.
He knew—or at least, some part of him knew—that he was just taking refuge in his anger. He was hiding from his true feelings about what was going on, which he had yet to process. It was easier, right now, to focus on the fact that he was mad at her.
The distance between Felicity’s house and hers seemed to fly. Before he had worked out what he wanted to say, he was standing on her porch, knocking on her door.
And then she answered, and he felt his breath leave him.
She was just as hot as she had been the last time they’d seen one another. Her body called to him just as powerfully.
He’d known Lauren all her life, and he had never wanted her before. Not like this. He had convinced himself that his attraction to her a few months ago had been random, a one-time thing.
But now, seeing her again, he wasn’t sure.
I’d take her again if I could have her.
And there was something else, too. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. A new fullness to her body, somehow.
She doesn’t look pregnant. It’s too soon for that. You’re seeing what you want to see here.
Maybe. Maybe her waist wasn’t a little thicker than he remembered. Maybe her face wasn’t a little fuller. He would probably have to get his hands on her to be sure—
Don’t get distracted.
“Lauren,” he said.
“Wes?” She looked confused, and a little uncomfortable. “What are you doing here?”
“I think you know the answer to that,” he said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. “I thought you had left town. That’s what Jessica told me.”
“Well, I came back,” he said.
“And...can I help you with something?”
Was she really just going to play this like she was confused? Like she had no idea what he was talking about?
Well, that was fine. He would be the first one to say it if that was what she needed.
“You’re pregnant,” he said.
She sucked in a breath.
That reaction told him everything he needed to know.
He had been right. He was the father of her children. And she was trying to keep it from him.
Still, he needed to hear her say it. So he waited.
And she recovered herself. “What about it?” she asked.
“Seriously, Lauren? Come on.”
“Come on, what? I don’t know what you want from me here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“Damn it!” She was going to make him ask her directly. “I’m the father, Lauren.”
She was shaking her head before he got the words out. “You’re not.”
“Why are you lying?” He stepped over the threshold and into the house. Lauren stepped back quickly.
But she held her ground in what she was saying. “The father is a coworker of mine,” she said. “This doesn’t have anything to do with you, Wes.”
“Bullshit.”
Her eyebrows pulled together, and he could see that she was getting angry. “Do you think you know more about it than I do?” she demanded.
“I think you’re not telling me the truth, and I want to know why.”
“Get out of my house.”
He shook his head. “Not until you start being honest with me.”
“I don’t have to tell you shit, actually, Wes,” she said. “This doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
“Like hell,” he said. “You must think I’m an idiot.”
“I’m starting to, yeah.”
He hesitated.
Was it possible she was telling the truth? Maybe he had jumped to the wrong conclusion here. Maybe her pregnancy had nothing to do with him at all.
In which case, he wasn’t a wronged party, righteously demanding the information he was due.
He was just an angry guy barging into a pregnant woman’s house to harass her for no good reason.
Lauren put her hands on his chest and shoved at him. “Get out,” she said, emotion rising in her voice. “I don’t want you here. Go.”
He caught her wrists and moved them off of him.
She looked up at him, her eyes bright with anger.
And suddenly, as he looked into her eyes, he was overwhelmed by the urge to kiss her.
Her body was leaning into his. She was trembling with passion.
This was how it had felt right before he’d fucked her, right here in this very hallway.
But it wasn’t the same. He took a breath and forced the tension to leave his body. She was angry now, not aroused. She didn’t want him. The tears in her eyes weren’t born of grief that he could help her forget. They were tears of rage at him.
“Get out,” she said again, her voice barely above a whisper.
And Wes felt ashamed.
He shouldn’t have done it this way. He shouldn’t have barged into her house like this and acted as though he was owed an explanation.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I guess I had it wrong.”
“Don’t come back,” she said. “I don’t want to see you again.”
That hurt more than Wes had imagined it would.
He turned and left the house. The door slammed shut behind him.
Now what am I going to do?
He didn’t want to linger on her porch and risk upsetting her further, so he walked down to the sidewalk and set off, unsure of where he was going, his head a mess of questions.
Had she been telling the truth? Or was she lying?
Jessica would know. Jessica knows what’s going on with her.
But would she tell him?
She wouldn’t tell Lauren’s secrets. Wes knew that. But she would at lea
st be able to tell him if he was barking up the wrong tree with this.
He turned in the direction of his sister’s house.
Chapter Twelve
WES
“Jessica! Damn it! Let me in!”
He could hear her inside, moving toward the door, and he knew that he was causing her anxiety.
And he didn’t care.
She had known what was going on with Lauren, and she had deliberately kept it from him.
Jessica opened the door, and Wes pushed past her. She trailed after him, into the kitchen, looking upset and alarmed. “What’s going on, Wes?”
“Lauren’s pregnant,” he said.
He heard Jessica’s footsteps falter, so he turned to face her.
“You talked to her?” Jessica said.
“You told me to talk to her,” Wes pointed out.
“And what did she say?”
“She’s been spreading some story around town about the father of her children being a human man.” He snorted.
Jessica stared at him, unfazed. “So?”
Of course. Since Lauren didn’t want him to know the truth, she would have told Jessica to keep it a secret. If he was going to get his sister to confirm what he already believed in his heart, he was going to have to act as if he was certain of his facts.
“You don’t need to lie for her anymore, Jess,” he said. “I know I’m the father.”
Jessica’s whole body seemed to relax as if she was letting out a breath she had been holding for too long.
“She told you,” she said.
It wasn’t a question, so Wes decided he wasn’t obligated to answer. He went into the kitchen and kicked a chair out from beneath the table, collapsing into it as if he had been deboned.
Jessica followed him in. She leaned against the doorframe.
“You know I couldn’t say anything,” she said.
“No, I don’t know that.”
“She’s my best friend. She asked me not to tell you.”
“I’m your brother, Jessica. Doesn’t that count for anything?”
“Of course it does!” she said. “But it’s her business, Wes.”
“You don’t think it’s my business too? These are my children you’re talking about. Try to see it from my perspective. If you had children out there somewhere, wouldn’t you want to know about it?”
