She nodded and placed a hand on his head, burying her fingers in his thick brown hair. Hair she knew so well. He was alive. As was Miles.
She jerked her gaze again when movement caught her eye.
Melinda eased forward, a smile on her face. “Welcome back, sleepyhead.”
She leaned over and kissed Rebecca on the forehead.
“How long was I asleep?” Her voice was scratchy, barely audible.
“About thirteen hours,” Miles said.
“Jesus,” she muttered, and then she shot up straighter, knocking Griffen off her lap and righting herself. “What happened to the wolf?”
“Griffen shot him,” Miles said.
Oh, thank God. “Is he…dead?”
Miles nodded, a flinch noticeably shaking his body. His gaze shifted away for a moment before returning as though he were sad about the death of the man who attacked them.
She set her hand on his cheek and leaned into his chest. “I was so scared.”
“I know, love.”
Griffen’s hands were on her back and thigh. “You scared us nearly out of our minds too, baby. Glad you’re finally back.”
“I think I went into shock.”
Miles chuckled, his chest vibrating. “You think?”
She smiled.
Melinda padded away and returned with a glass of water. “Here, hon. You must be so thirsty. I’m making you something to eat. Oatmeal. Something easy to digest.”
Rebecca took the water and downed the entire glass. Her throat protested at first and then loosened. “Did anyone else get hurt?”
“One of the officers outside, but he’ll be fine.” Griffen stood and shrugged into his jeans.
Miles angled her body toward the room so Griffen could sit next to him.
When he was settled, Griffen eased her toward him. He kissed the top of her head and inhaled deeply. “So scared.”
She had more questions. “Who was it?”
“Randal Junior. The son whom we suspected of helping his father terrorize you.” Griffen stroked his fingers through her tangled hair.
“And was it him?”
Miles nodded. “Yeah. Found his computer in his car on the road about a mile from here. He was the one who sent the e-mails.”
She felt Miles’ tension once again, watching as his gaze drifted away. There was something he wasn’t saying. “What is it? What aren’t you telling me?”
Melinda came back at that moment with a bowl of steaming oatmeal, handing it to Rebecca. She cleared her throat. “He was our father.”
Rebecca’s spine shot straight as she lifted off Griffen and glanced from Miles to Melinda and back. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry. How did you figure that out?”
Miles chuckled low and deep, sardonically with no humor. “Well, first of all, when he shifted back to human form, we all jumped back at his appearance. Even old and wasted away by drugs and booze, he had my features.”
Griffen interjected, “But they also picked up his father last night. He’s being held in the county jail. As soon as he was arrested, he suddenly had a lot to say. He was a fountain of information, mostly babbling to himself, but giving away a plethora of interesting details.”
“They’re doing a DNA test to make sure, but there’s little doubt.” Melinda headed back toward the kitchen.
This was when Rebecca realized for the first time that Mimi stood on the other side of the room. The woman looked older than she had yesterday. She hunched forward, her hands showing off a tremor Rebecca never noticed before. A tear fell down her face as Melinda passed her with a gentle touch.
“Grandma, stop it. There’s nothing you could have done different.”
Rebecca’s skin prickled with the next question. “Your mother?”
Neither twin spoke.
Griffen set a hand on Rebecca’s thigh. “He says he killed her.” His voice was low and gravelly.
Rebecca’s heart ached. There were no words to express the sorrow she felt for these two souls who lost so much so early in life and now suffered from the realization it was all truly gone. She shifted her gaze to Miles while Melinda rocked in an embrace with Mimi.
A tear ran down his face, and he dashed it away with the back of his hand, forcing a smile at Rebecca. “I’ll be fine. Nothing I didn’t already know.”
She handed Griffen her bowl and turned to face Miles, cupping his cheek and brushing away the next tear with her thumb. Her giant burly wolfman was vulnerable. Maybe just for this moment in time, but he needed her. “I’m so sorry, Miles.” She leaned in and kissed his lips gently.
He sucked in a breath and pulled her tight against him, burying his face in her hair.
The room was heavy with sorrow and regret and pain. But they were all alive. They would survive.
Rebecca realized there were still several pieces missing from the puzzle. She leaned back to look at Miles. “How did Randal Junior know we had mated? Why didn’t the officers out front notice him taking pictures of us?”
Griffen cleared his throat. “He didn’t take the pictures.”
“Who did?”
“One of the officers.”
She gasped. “What? Why?”
Miles explained. “Louis. He was a childhood friend of Randal Junior. His father was one of our elders alongside Randal—the older Randal. Louis has been on the police force for nearly thirty years. He’s in custody now too. The hatred that man has harbored for his entire life is filled with such venom, it’s amazing he has managed to keep it under wraps.
“When the police found Randal’s computer in his car, they realized there had been e-mail correspondence between Randal and Louis. A lot of e-mails, including the pictures taken of us that morning.”
“But why?” Rebecca asked.
Miles grabbed her hand and held it tight. “Randal Junior and Louis were raised by some very sick bastards who believed in keeping the tribe pure at all costs. Randal was a drunk and an asshole. After he raped my mother, he left town and rarely returned. He was always in touch with Louis, however. Louis lived life marginally cleaner—or at least put up the appearance he did.
“Inside he has always burned with the need to keep the pack clean. When Grandma left us that first morning, she headed into town. She ran into Louis’ mother at the store and told her about our mating. She was excited. Meredith is a close friend. There was no way Grandma could have known the domino effect of talking to Meredith that morning.”
“I should have kept my mouth shut,” Mimi mumbled.
Melinda turned toward the older woman again. “This isn’t your fault, Grandma. And you know it. Everyone would have found out eventually. You talking to Meredith changed nothing.”
Miles continued. “She’s right, Grandma. Stop beating yourself up.”
Rebecca looked at Miles. “So Meredith told Louis?”
Miles nodded. “Innocent conversation with her son. She had no idea he was so volatile. The men in their family had ideas they never shared with the women. Louis was the one to trash the house, probably looking for confirmation that we had mated. And when he got the call to come out here the following day and protect us, the first thing he did was contact his buddy Randal and let him know his kid was following in his mother’s footsteps.” Miles’ tone was thick with sarcasm and anger, deep, gravelly.
“But they have him in custody now, right?” she asked.
Miles nodded. “And he has been very forthcoming with information, probably hoping if he talks, he’ll get off easier.”
“Such hatred. And all this was because he didn’t want you to mate with a white woman?” Rebecca lifted Miles’ hand and held it to her cheek.
“Or anyone outside the tribe who wasn’t a Native American shifter. The elders who killed my mother have dwindled down to just Randal Peaceman and whatever offspring still harbors that kind of racist hatred.”
“There could be others.” Rebecca shivered. Would she always be looking over her shoulder in fear?
“Let’s
hope not too many. The way Louis is blabbing, I think it’s safe to say there aren’t many of our tribe left who believe in such strict ethnic purity.”
It was over. The two-week insanity chasing around a phantom and a real live threat was finally completely over. They would move forward without fear of something always chasing them on their heels.
There was still so much to decide. Their homes were too far apart. The thought of returning to that hospital and resuming her job where she knew most of regular society would dog her made Rebecca cringe.
They would figure it out. They had to. They were a unit now.
One.
Three that became one.
They would survive.
Epilogue
Ten months later…
Rebecca stood on the edge of the deck of their new house, her eyes closed, a smile on her face, the wind blowing her long hair all around. She figured she looked like Medusa, but Miles and Griffen had a thing for her hair. They liked it down and wild, and she tried to please them with it as often as possible.
Strong arms wrapped around her from behind, landing on the top of her enormous belly under her swollen breasts.
She didn’t flinch. She’d felt Miles coming up behind her, and she smiled wider as his lips landed on her ear. “Welcome home, love.”
Another body blocked the sun by stepping in front of her and setting both hands on her belly. “You like how it all turned out?”
It was moving-in day. She hadn’t been to the property in over a week. Her mates had insisted she let them put all the finishing touches on the house before she stepped inside for the first time.
She only had a few weeks left before she would give birth.
They had rushed like crazy in the end, arguing constantly with contractors to get the place finished on time so they could move her into the new home before the baby came.
She hadn’t lifted a finger for weeks. She also hadn’t worked for weeks.
Miles and Griffen gave new meaning to the term over-protective in the last few months, increasing their insane requirements as she grew closer to birth.
Now she was finally home.
A peace stole over her even before entering to see all their hard work on the inside. A peace that had slowly filtered into each of them for the last week.
Randal Peaceman had spent nearly a year in jail. His trial was fast approaching, but last week he’d saved the tax payers a bunch of money by committing suicide.
As sad as any suicide was, and though the man was Miles’ grandfather, all three of them were relieved to have his brand of filth out of their lives.
Her peace continued with each passing day. And now she had the gorgeous house to explore.
She wasn’t clairvoyant like Melinda and Mimi, but she seemed to have picked up on many subtle nuances that made her predict with fairly good accuracy what to expect from her mates.
She smiled up at Griffen to find his gaze on her belly. “You can come out any time after tonight, little fellow. Please wait until after the party, though.”
She giggled at the way he always spoke to her belly, sure that the baby was a boy. She didn’t have the heart to tell either man she really didn’t think that was the case. In addition, Melinda agreed with her thinking it was a girl. If Melinda thought it was a girl, it was a girl. The woman had undoubtedly had visions of long curls blowing in the breeze as a giggly toddler chased after butterflies.
Rebecca wasn’t worried. She knew both men would melt no matter what sex the child was, and she had insisted repeatedly that they not find out. She needed at least one surprise, even if it was marginal.
“Let’s go inside, love. Give you the grand tour.” Miles kissed her cheek as he spoke, gently, always treating her as though she were far more fragile than she was. She’d had only six weeks with her men before they realized their oops and confronted her, chagrinned.
She doubted they were particularly sorry at any point.
After they told her she was pregnant, they immediately switched from their usual rough and tumble demeanors to something far too gentle for her taste.
No amount of arguing with them that no baby had been harmed in the history of babies through sex would dissuade them.
She was secretly looking forward to giving birth just so she could have her less-restrained mates back. Six weeks was not enough time to enjoy them. She wanted more, and she intended to resume their more creative sex life ASAP.
Miles took one hand and Griffen took the other as they led her inside.
The smile never left her face as they angled her around the house, showing off every aspect of it, including the unbelievably decked-out nursery with all the modern conveniences in the world.
When they finished show and tell, like little boys showing off their bug collection to their teacher, she heard voices coming from the front door.
She rounded the corner to the great room, knowing she would find Mimi and Melinda. Their arms were laden with bags, and Miles and Griffen rushed forward to help them.
Mimi gave up her armload with relief on her face and padded over to Rebecca to kiss her cheek. “You look radiant, child.” She set her hand on Rebecca’s belly, as was her custom, and closed her eyes.
Rebecca always had the sensation that Mimi was communicating with the baby. It gave her peace every time.
When Mimi lifted her head, she smiled brighter. “Tomorrow,” she stated as she walked away.
Rebecca shook her head. Of course. The woman knew everything. Rebecca glanced at her men. They hadn’t heard Mimi. Good. That was one secret Rebecca would rather keep until after the house-warming party.
It was only noon. The party started at five, but anyone would think it was to begin in about thirty minutes the way Melinda ran around, directing everyone and setting up platters that would later hold mountains of food.
There was no doubt the spread would be fabulous.
Everyone they were close to was coming. All of Griffen’s family—courtesy of the fact that ski season had ended again. The many friends of Griffen and Miles. The few friends Rebecca maintained from the hospital in Cambridge, including Marian and Cecelia, and the dozen or so friends from her new job at the hospital in Sojourn.
The transition had been a no-brainer.
Sojourn Hospital had been in desperate need of nurses on the reservation, and Rebecca had been less than eager to continue at Cambridge Hospital. It was so much easier for her on the reservation. Fewer people questioned her arrangement with two men.
“Sit,” Miles commanded, taking her arm and leading her to one of the many plush couches. He glared at her as he picked up her feet and put them on a footstool. “Don’t move.”
She giggled. To do otherwise would be futile.
Melinda finally took a break and came to sit next to Rebecca. “How do you like the place?”
“It’s perfect.” She meant that. It was marvelous. After the disastrous incident at Miles’ home, the men had spent two days arguing and bitching and complaining about their living arrangement. No matter how they sliced it, staying in either Sojourn or Cambridge for the long haul was a crappy idea.
Finally, Mimi had come through for them. Calm as can be, the older shaman put her hands on her hips and glared at the men one afternoon after serving them all lunch. “Stop this. I have the solution.”
Miles had rolled his eyes at his grandmother.
Until she spoke again. “My mate left your mother property on the northwest corner of the reservation. It is many acres. And it belongs to you and Melinda now. You work it out with your sister. Divide it up. You build a home on the land. And you move there. Simple.” The woman had turned and left the room as though she just signed a treaty ending World War III.
Rebecca had laughed. The solution was perfect. The land was halfway between the two towns. Both men would have to commute, but only about twenty minutes in either direction.
A knock at the door shook Rebecca from her memory.
Melinda jump
ed up. “I’ll get it.”
They weren’t expecting anyone else until five, but Rebecca was growing used to the revolving door of guests in her new life.
Even her parents had come for a visit, and they would come again next month after the baby was born. They wouldn’t ever be privy to the fact that Rebecca’s two men were wolf shifters, but they would be involved in the human aspects of their lives.
It had been difficult to convince them to open their minds to the ménage at first, but after spending time with both Rebecca’s men, they were somewhat won-over and mollified. When they left, they did so far less stressed about the arrangement than when they arrived.
Nope, nothing would surprise her in the way of guests.
A gasp escaped Melinda’s lips before Rebecca could see who was in the doorframe. And then a silent hush fell over the entire front room.
No one moved for many long seconds.
Rebecca dipped her head to one side and then the other, but she still couldn’t see the newcomer.
Mimi was the first to move, gliding across the floor with her arms wide.
Rebecca couldn’t see her face, but she felt the emotion that filled the great room as soon as Mimi wrapped the guest in her arms and pulled her in tight. It was a woman. She was not much bigger than Mimi.
Or Melinda for that matter…
Suddenly Rebecca knew with certainty who the woman was.
“Mom?” Miles asked from across the room.
The woman lifted her face, tears streaming down. “My son.” She turned her head toward Melinda right in front of her. “My daughter.” She pulled an obviously stunned Melinda into her embrace next.
Miles nearly ran across the room to reach the women. He hugged all three of them in his huge arms.
Griffen came up beside Rebecca and took her hand to help her up. “Looks like our celebration just took a turn for the better.”
•●•
Thirty minutes later, Rebecca was still dazed and confused. The women in Miles’ family all talked over each other so rapidly it was hard to follow.
Rebecca's Wolves (Wolf Masters Book 6) Page 27
