The Wolf’s Surprise Babies

by Jasmine Wylder

  “Look,” she said, trying to keep her tone diplomatic. “Thank you for fixing the toilet, but I really don’t have the time to… indulge in fantasy.”

  His grin widened. “There isn’t any reason not to.”

  Okay, that tactic failed. There was a reason she had been going to this bathroom. It was hers, and neither Melodi nor Varton would end up in it. Lizzie pulled the small test from where she had been hiding it behind her back. She’d had to use the communal bathroom since Dane had been using hers, a fact that had annoyed her but hadn’t tipped her off to his plans.

  Really, Philip should be the first person who knew about this, besides her. But she hadn’t been able to see him the last few times she visited. He refused to see her. He wouldn’t magically know to see her this time, and telling him via letter seemed to be… tacky somehow. And it wasn’t like Dane was going to tell anybody, anyway. Certainly, word wasn’t going to get back to Philip from him.

  She held up the pregnancy test, showing him a positive result. “I’m pregnant.”

  Dane looked startled for a moment before his brow creased. Finally, Lizzie thought, but she celebrated too soon.

  “Well, that just means that we don’t have to use this.” He pulled a condom from where it was tucked into the waist of his towel. “You’re already pregnant so we don’t have to worry about that. And shifters cannot give, get or carry STDs so that’s not a worry, either. Guess this is just our lucky day.”

  “That is not what I was saying. I’m involved with someone.”

  “That’s not what you said when you hired me.” Dane edged forward, his gaze now roaming her form. “Why’s that?”

  Lizzie ground her teeth again. Seriously, what was with this guy? “Look, it’s not that I’m not flattered by your attention. You’re a very attractive man. But I’m not interested. I’m involved with someone, hence the positive pregnancy, and I didn’t tell you because it’s none of your business. So just get dressed already. I hired you for protection, not to be a male prostitute.”

  A look of shock crossed his face. His jaw started to go slack, but he caught himself quickly. The grin came back full force, and there was a glitter in his eyes that told her that he was determined to see this through now for his wounded pride. Great. She had just made her situation all the worse. What was it with some men? Dane Hemmerick could have literally any woman he wanted, what was so terrible about hearing no once in a while?

  “You seem to be pretty wound up,” he crooned, in a tone that was extra seductive. He leaned forward, brushing back his damp hair with one hand. In a romantic comedy, the movement would have been unintentional, and the heroine would have swooned.

  This was not a romantic comedy, though, and if Dane was the hero in it, then Lizzie was certainly not his heroine. This wasn’t a situation she wanted to be in, and right now, she really didn’t care about his bruised ego. She had taken care of things with the mafia (she was pretty sure at least; she had paid them quite a bit of money to leave her and Bethany alone) and she didn’t need Dane’s protection anymore.

  At least, she was pretty sure she didn’t.

  “Look, Dane.” She made her voice as hard as diamonds. “Please, just take a hint. I’m not interested in you. In fact, I think I have a mate already.”

  Dane snorted. “This just keeps getting more and more complicated for you.”

  “If you would just take no for an answer,” she spat back. Her hands clenched, the pregnancy test clutched tight in her hand. “And as a matter of fact, he is my mate. God, I’m screwed, but he is my mate.”

  And every word was true. She knew it. Philip was the only man for her. It all made sense now. Why the draw to him had been so undeniable. Why, even when she thought he might kill her, she couldn’t find it in herself to hate him or run from him. Fate pulling them together from the start. And it had nothing to do with this pregnancy, even though she was both thrilled and terrified to find herself pregnant. It was all Philip. They were meant to be together.

  But how could she convince him of that, after the way she had betrayed him?

  “This ‘mate’ of yours—" Dane started, his voice dripping with doubt.

  “My mate,” Lizzie interrupted. Her lips curled into a smile. She liked the sound of that. My mate. “His name is Philip King. He and I have only recently gotten to know each other, but he’s the father of my child. And I know he’s the one for me. The only one for me. This has nothing to do with you, okay? And quite frankly, it’s a major turnoff that you keep trying after I’ve made it clear that I’m not interested.”

  Which… was odd. Wasn’t that one of the things that drew her to Philip? That when she said she didn’t want to, he was able to read her body language, her scent, and pull her in closer? Help her get over her own hang-ups? The difference was that she really did want Philip. Dane… not so much.

  Dane stared at her for a moment before he sighed. “Well, you were worth the shot, anyway. I hope this Philip King is worthy of you. Because you just gave up a great couple of hours.”

  He winked at her and she rolled her eyes, although the tension in her shoulders started to relax. “I’ll get over it. Now. I’m afraid I’m going to have to terminate your employment. I’ll still pay you the agreed price, but I don’t need your services anymore.”

  At this, Dane frowned. “Hey, don’t put yourself in danger just because I came onto you.”

  “I’m not. I just have something else to take care of. Something… important.”

  “Philip King… he’s that mobster that was arrested recently, wasn’t he?” Dane’s eyes narrowed at her. “What’s a nice girl like you doing getting all involved in mafia business, eh? First, you hire me to protect you from them… now you’re mated to one of them?”

  “None of your business.”

  The front door opened, and she heard Varton calling in. “Dropping off Bethany, Liz. Gotta head back to the office now.”

  Right. It was only a half-day for Bethany today. Lizzie cast Dane another look, trying to tell him to get dressed already. He scowled but stepped back into the bathroom. Lizzie hurried down to greet Bethany as she slung down her backpack, her normally cheerful face drawn into anger and confusion. When she saw Lizzie, she put her hands on her hips and glared at her.

  “Right. I want answers and I want them now.”

  ***

  If there was one thing that Bethany hated, it was being lied to. There were some things she knew adults had to lie about, and she knew there was plenty they lied to themselves about, too. Like Dad and Lizzie, they lied to themselves all the time in order to avoid feeling what they really felt. But this was ridiculous. She had played poker enough times to know that Lizzie was trying to bluff her way out of something.

  “You told me that Daddy went back to Hollywood for a movie job,” Bethany continued, glaring up at Lizzie with all the ferocity she could muster. Her wolf growled and snarled in her chest, boosting her confidence. “But that’s a lie. Otherwise, he would have phoned me. He always phones me. So where is he really?”

  Lizzie sighed as she stared at her. “Honey, it’s complicated.”

  “That’s what you adults say when you get caught in a lie.”

  “Bethany—”

  Before she could continue, the doorbell rang. Bethany clenched her fists at her sides. She wanted to tell whoever it was to go away and leave them alone. Questions weren’t going to answer themselves, and she was pretty certain that it was going to take quite a bit of pressing before she got any answers from Lizzie. She knew something was up, she had heard her whispering to Varton and Melodi, though Bethany never got close enough to hear more than a few words. The worst about it was that none of them seemed to think that she deserved the truth.

  Had something happened? Had Dad been in an accident? Was he in the hospital? Was he dead? What else could Lizzie be lying for?

  “Rune?” Lizzie answered the door and frowned as the woman standing there pushed her way in. “What are you—”


  “I don’t usually do this,” Rune interrupted. “But I had a… premonition. I know you don’t believe in my abilities and all that, but you got to listen to me. You have a chance. You have the best chance. Your love is written in the stars, and if it wasn’t for Cupid screaming in my ear, I wouldn’t be here. You have to go to your lover. Make him listen to you. If you let this moment pass, then you’ll lose him and the happiness that you can have.”

  Bethany stomped over. She didn’t care what the Rune lady was talking about. She shoved at her, hard. “Go away! Lizzie is talking to me, not you! I don’t like being ignored!”

  Rune looked at her in surprise as Lizzie wrapped her arms around Bethany’s shoulders and pulled her back.

  “Honey, Honey. Stop, okay? Listen. You and I are going to have a long talk. I promise.” Lizzie knelt at her level and wiped a tear from Bethany’s eye. “Okay? So just go wait for me in the library, I’ll be right up.”

  Bethany wanted to say that they could talk right now, that she wasn’t going anywhere without some answers. But the Rune lady was staring at her with wide eyes and Bethany didn’t think Lizzie would say anything in front of her, anyway. So she nodded, giving the Rune lady the stink eye to let her know she didn’t like her being there, then went to the library as Lizzie said. She passed the man, Dane Hemmerick, as she did so. He smelled gross and she bared her teeth at him. Her wolf growled. She wanted to shift and bite him, so he’d leave and never come back.

  “Easy, kiddo.” Dane ruffled her hair, ignoring her warning growl, and chuckled. “What’s got your fangs bared today?”

  “Go away. Lizzie is going to talk to me, and I don’t want you getting in the way.”

  Dane rose a brow, looking startled, then laughed again. “Yes, Ma’am. I’ll get out of your hair right away.”

  He still chuckled as he left. Bethany glared after him, then stomped to the library. Once there, she threw herself into the big chair and waited with her arms crossed. If Lizzie didn’t give her answers—truthful answers—then she was just going to have to go and get them for herself. Maybe Grandfather would tell her… Although the thought of going to see Grandfather made her stomach feel sick, Bethany knew she had to find some way to get what she needed to know.

  Shortly, Lizzie had come into the room. She looked uncertain and there was a nervous twitch to the way she wrung her hands. Bethany leaned forward, waiting. Her mouth tasted funny.

  “Honey, you have to understand that your dad is fine,” Lizzie started, which made Bethany think that he wasn’t fine at all. “It’s just a difficult situation, okay? For all of us.”

  Bethany’s hands were tight fists.

  “You see… your dad did some things. And they weren’t very good things. He… stole something.” Lizzie took a deep breath. “And the police found out about it. He’s been arrested. He’s in jail. We told you he was in Hollywood because he didn’t want you to know.”

  Bethany stared at her. Her face was open, honest. Lizzie couldn’t lie to save her life; it was a phrase she had heard her dad say before. And now, she had to believe that it was real. But her dad, stealing something? She frowned.

  “Why?”

  “He didn’t want you to think less of him.”

  Bethany’s forehead wrinkled. What did that mean?

  Lizzie seemed to understand her confusion because she sighed again. “He thought you might not love him if you found out.”

  “But that’s… that’s silly.” Bethany’s eyes started to burn again. “I will always love Daddy. But why did he steal something? Stealing is wrong… Daddy wouldn’t do that…”

  Lizzie held out her arms, and Bethany gratefully climbed into her lap. This didn’t make any sense. Her lip started to tremble as she thought about her dad, how he always did what was good and always read her stories and made her eat her vegetables. The thought of him stealing… it just made no sense.

  “I want to see him,” she whispered. Maybe if she saw him, she would find out that Lizzie was wrong, somehow. Maybe she was just wrong. But more than that, she wanted to see her dad. To see for herself that he was alright. To hear his voice and have him hug her.

  She just wanted her dad.

  Lizzie sighed as she held her close. “I don’t know if we can. But I’ll try to arrange it. I’ll try.”

  ***

  Rune bounced on her toes as she watched Lizzie hurry down the stairs, the little girl following after them. She hadn’t been able to deliver her full message, and the vibrations of the universe were needling her about it. Lizzie needed to go to her mate at once, that was for sure, but there was something else, too. She needed to understand that giving up wasn’t an option. If they gave up on this, it was more than just their chance at being happy that would slip through their fingers…

  Lizzie cast her a strange glance as she led Bethany to another room, and Rune waved, meaning to say that she’d wait. She was distracted from her task by the sight of a tall, strapping man striding down the stairs. Rune’s jaw dropped. He was tall, massively built, with a chiseled face and dark, sweeping eyes. In short, he was the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen.

  What she wouldn’t give for the universe to give her some vibrations about him!

  The man caught sight of her and paused for a moment. His gaze swept over her, starting at her toes and working its way up. Her blush increased under his scrutiny, and that handsome face broke into an even handsomer smile. He took the stairs down two at a time and then strode to meet her.

  “Hey, there.” He winked. “You’re Rune Reid, right? The psychic.”

  Rune didn’t care about the tone he used. She was far too used to people doubting her, and right now she didn’t care. Handsome man paying her attention? Sign her up! She smiled in response, glad she hadn’t eaten the leftover garlic alfredo for lunch as she had planned.

  “That’s me.”

  He leaned casually against the wall and glanced over her again. “Can you tell what I’m thinking right now?”

  Oh, she most certainly could. But she didn’t need her psychic abilities for that. She twirled a free strand of hair around her finger as she smirked. “I have a pretty good guess, yes. It involves something… soft. And wet.”

  Rune jumped when Lizzie snorted from somewhere behind the man. They both turned to look at her as she yanked on her coat. “Honestly! Both of you need to clear out. And stop your innuendoes, there is a child present.”

  “There isn’t,” the man argued, his tone slightly less seductive than it had been. “She’s still way over there.”

  “She’s also a wolf,” Lizzie replied, glaring at him. “And what are you still doing here? You’re supposed to be gone already. And you, too.” She shook her head and muttered something about talking to the guard.

  Rune frowned at her. There had been something she was supposed to tell her, right? To go see her mate and… what else? The appearance of the man had driven it right from her head. Oh, well. It must not have been important, then… She stepped to one side as Lizzie pulled on her shoes, the little girl trotting over with a pair of boots in her hand.

  Lizzie must have been in a hurry because she didn’t even tell them to get lost again before she led Bethany away. Rune stared after her, brow furrowed. There really had been something she should have told her…

  She pushed it from her mind as she turned back to the man. “Need a ride home?”

  “Yours or mine?” he quipped back, then winked.

  Rune flushed and giggled, then threaded her arm through his as they headed out.

  “I’m Dane, by the way,” he said. “Dane Hemmerick.”

  ***

  Fury rolled through Philip, his wolf snarling, as he tried to bite down on the words he’d have liked to have said to Lizzie for bringing Bethany to the jail. It wasn’t visitor’s day, but she had somehow managed to get the two of them in any way. And while Philip couldn’t deny that his heart was lifted to see his little girl, to be able to hug her and assure her he was fine, it still hur
t.

  It hurt to admit that he had been lying to her for so long. It hurt to see the disappointment in her eyes. It just hurt so bad. He didn’t know how he could stand it.

  After Bethany was gently guided away, he glowered at Lizzie. His hands were clenched into fists as he leaned forward across the table. “So that’s the game you’re playing at, is it? Use my daughter to make me see you?”

  Lizzie shook her head. Regret was written all over her face. “She knew something was wrong. She missed you, and the way this is going, we both know that it’s going to be a while before you can get out. She needed to know the truth, and she needed to see you. If you don’t ever want to see me again,” here Lizzie’s voice trembled, “I understand. But I am never going to keep her away from you. Do you understand? Bethany needs you, as much as she’s allowed. Even if that means bribing the warden with so much money that Melodi would arrest me in a heartbeat if she found out.”

  Philip couldn’t help but laugh at that. The earnestness of her voice made his anger start to trickle away, even though he didn’t want to let it go. His heart had ached at the thought of going for years without seeing Bethany. Lizzie was right, they had to make that call. She needed to know the truth.

  “You bribed them, huh?”

  “Otherwise I’d have to wait for visitor’s day.”

  Philip leaned back in his chair. “And this? Is it a final plea for me to forgive you?”

  “Not… not really. It’s more of a final plea for you to listen to me. I don’t mean about forgiveness or not forgiveness. Just listen to me. Please. And after I’m done, if you don’t want anything to do with me…” She held her breath, pleading in her eyes.

  The walls of anger broke down. Philip sighed. Maybe he didn’t forgive her and maybe he was still angry with her, but he couldn’t just ignore this plea for him to listen. She deserved that chance, at least. He nodded at her. Something in his chest thrummed; whether it was his wolf or his heart, he didn’t know. All he knew was that his entire body was on edge, waiting for her to say her piece.