by Lisa Kessler
Dex sighed, shaking his head. “Maybe. But my hopes aren’t high.” He turned for the door. “Let’s get out of here. More work in the morning.”
I unbuckled my kneepads, patted my pocket for my keys, and followed him out. When I got behind the wheel of my truck, I pulled out my phone and sent Naomi a text.
Any chance the boys can spend the night tomorrow?
I started the engine and took a swig of water from my water bottle when her text came in.
Sure.
I smiled and nodded as I sent over my response.
Thanks, Naomi.
Now I just needed Becca to change her answer about seeing me tomorrow night from a maybe to a yes. My phone buzzed again as I circled around the driveway. I peered down at the screen and chuckled.
I thought you gave up on dating. Is it Becca?
She had added a cartoon gif with wagging eyebrows.
Asher must’ve told her Becca had been at my place last night. I sent another text.
Tell you about it later.
Naomi had become the matriarch of our pack, but to me, she was like the big sister I never had. She was usually nonjudgmental but eager to weigh in with advice if you asked, and talking to her was easy.
I headed to the ranch and parked, grinning as my little guys raced to my truck. I got out and scooped them into my arms, kissing each of their cheeks. “Were you guys good for Aunt Naomi?”
“Yes!” Hawk exclaimed. “We ate all our lunch.”
“And we shared all the toys,” Henry added.
Naomi came down, holding hands with Bart and Ben. “So what’s this I hear about Becca?”
I opened the truck door and the boys climbed in, each one settling into his car seat. Leaning in, I buckled Henry in and looked over at Naomi. “I’ll tell you in a sec.” I glanced down at Bart and Ben and back to her face. “Little ears.”
She gave me a knowing nod and bent down to her twins. “Can you two go back up to the house and wash your hands for dinner? I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Dinner!” Ben yelled, hopping on one foot toward the house.
Bart, his older brother by a few minutes, shook his head. “You’re not Tigger. You’re a wolf.”
“I am so Tigger,” Ben replied, hopping faster. “I always have fun!”
After I got Hawk secured in his car seat, I closed the door and walked to the back of the truck. With the doors closed we should’ve been out of earshot. When she stopped beside me, I said, “Becca is my mate, but she doesn’t know it yet. I’m trying to keep the boys from finding out and spilling it before I can tell her.”
“Wow.” She grinned. “This is amazing news.”
I nodded, crossing my arms. “I’m not sure she feels the same way, but I hope I can win her over.”
Naomi raised a teasing brow. “Obviously you’ve never seen the way she looks at you.”
“Asher was so adamant about her being off-limits, I tried not to look at her at all.” I shook my head. “It’s kicking me in the ass now.”
“Having her babysit so you could see other women probably isn’t a great way to sweep her off her feet.” Naomi chuckled and tucked some of her dark hair behind her ear. “I have faith in you. Your heart was never in those dates anyway.”
I leaned against the back bumper, looking down at my work boots. “I lost my mom and dad when I was little. I just want to give Henry and Hawk everything I didn’t have.” I met her eyes again. “And I need to keep her safe.”
She patted my arm. “Don’t forget to enjoy getting to know her. Falling in love is supposed to be fun.”
I laughed. “As I remember it, you were abducted while you were falling for Asher.”
“Never a dull moment when you fall for a werewolf, right?”
That was the understatement of the year.
“I better get going,” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“’Night Gage.” Naomi blew kisses to the boys and turned for the house.
I got in the cab of the truck and peered at my rug rats in the rearview mirror. “Who wants pizza?”
They erupted in cheers, and my heart overflowed with love. These little guys made every struggle worthwhile.
I carried the pizza box up the stairs behind the boys. They were painfully slow going up. The maintenance super of the apartment complex was up on a lift, installing a new pane of glass in my living room window.
He waved at me as we climbed the outdoor staircase. “Hey, man. What the hell happened? Looks like a bullet went through your window.”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure what broke it, but I’d know if bullets were flying into my living room.”
“Maybe a couple of birds.” He shook his head. “They see the reflections of trees and telephone poles in the glass and fly right into the closed windows sometimes.”
Until I became a werewolf, I had never noticed how quick humans were to make logical excuses for illogical situations. It made lying and keeping our existence a secret much easier. Often, like now, I didn’t even have to lie. I could deny the reality and the people around me would fill in the blanks with a “rational” explanation that fit their view of the world. I’d probably done it before I had been bitten, too.
Inside the apartment, I got the little guys washed up and sat them at the table with their pizza slices. I went to the fridge, taking out a beer and a jug of apple juice. After filling their sippy cups, I brought the drinks over and grabbed a slice of pepperoni for myself. “How’s the pizza?”
Hawk gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up while he munched.
Henry swallowed and said, “My mouth was full.”
“Good job not talking with food in your mouth, bud.” I remarked, giving him a high five. We’d been working on table manners. We might even be making progress.
Hawk grinned. “Daddy, watch this.” He took a bite of pizza, chewed three times, and mumbled, “What’s this?” He dropped his jaw, showing me the partially chewed food.
I raised a brow. “Gross?”
“No!” He giggled. “See food!”
I shook my head, trying not to laugh and encourage him. He’d forgotten to ask me the question about liking seafood at the beginning of the age-old kid joke, but his enthusiasm more than made up for the delivery. “Who taught you that?”
“Uncle Ryker!” He grinned with cheesy teeth.
I’d have to thank Ryker for that later. I reached over and mussed Hawk’s hair. “Save that joke for at home only, okay?”
“’Kay.” He went back to eating.
I looked at them both. “What do you guys think about us spending more time with Becca?”
“Becca is fun!” Henry wiggled in his chair to a song only he could hear. “She plays with rocks with us.”
“And she knows about dinosaurs!” Hawk chimed in.
That was something I hadn’t known. A smile tugged at my lips. “So you guys would be okay with me seeing her more often?”
They looked at each other, sharing some kind of silent twin communication that I couldn’t understand. When they faced me again, Hawk giggled. “Would she be your girlfriend?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “But I like her.”
Hawk picked up his sippy cup. “She already likes us.”
I chuckled. “’Course she does. Everyone likes you two.”
This filled the room with laughter, but inside, my gut twisted into a knot. The truth was, there were people in this world who didn’t like them, people who feared them.
And people often killed what scared them.
I shoved the dark thoughts from my head and finished dinner. By the time I had the boys bathed, in their pj’s, with their teeth brushed, it was just after eight o’clock. The nightly routine settled my mind and made it easier to forget the danger lurking outside the door.
“Bedtime boys.”
“But I’m not tired.” Hawk groaned, trying not to yawn as he climbed into bed. Henry was already under the covers of his bed on the other side o
f the small bedroom.
I turned off the light, and their Coco nightlight bathed them in a soft glow. “’Night guys. I love you.”
“Love you, too, Daddy.” Henry rolled onto his side.
Hawk stared at me with wide eyes. Ever since he’d been taken from the outdoor market, bedtime had been tougher for him. Seeing the fear in his eyes stoked my anger. I hated that the Transparency Collective had frightened my child. He’d been nothing more than a bargaining chip to them, not a little boy who worried he might never see his family again.
“Daddy?” Hawk asked.
“I’m right here, bud.”
He crooked his finger, drawing me in closer.
I knelt beside his bed. “What’s up?”
He put his hand to my ear and whispered, “I could ask Becca to be our mommy.”
My vision wavered with sudden hot tears that sucker punched me in the gut. I blinked them back and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Thanks, buddy, but I need to do this, okay? I just wanted to be sure you guys like her, too.”
Hawk snuggled into his pillow a little and grunted. “We love Becca, Daddy, and she loves us.”
God, why couldn’t it be so simple?
I kissed his hair. “Get some sleep. Sweet dreams.”
I crept out of their room and leaned my back against the hallway wall, closing my eyes to regroup. I’d been so naive in my panicked search for my mate. Part of me had honestly thought I’d just find her, we’d fall in love, and I’d have a family for my boys.
Reality was messier.
I opened my eyes and straightened up. In the living room, I picked up my phone and pressed Becca’s number.
“Hey, Gage. I was starting to think you forgot to call.”
“No chance.” A smile crept up on me. It was good to hear her voice. I shook my head. “If you think I’ve been able to stop thinking of you since that kiss, then you have no idea what an amazing kisser you are.”
She chuckled. “Glad you think so.”
“Oh, I know. Damn, do I know.” I grabbed my beer from the table and went to my newly repaired window. “I hear you’re some kind of dinosaur expert.”
“Did the boys tell you that?” She laughed. “Apparently, when I throw out stories about T-rex and velociraptors, my audience thinks I know what I’m talking about.” She lowered her voice. “Don’t tell them my knowledge is completely based on Jurassic Park.”
I grinned and took a sip of my beer. “Your secret’s safe with me. We’ll have to watch that Meg movie.”
“The shark one?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “It’s a dinosaur-shark, right?”
“True.” She hummed, as if she was giving it plenty of thought. “I’m up for it. That would be fun.”
“How about tomorrow night?” I asked.
She was quiet for a second, and I held my breath. Finally, she said, “I’d like that.”
“Me too.” We talked about nothing important for another half hour. Just hearing her voice calmed the worries in my soul and gave me a priceless spark of hope.
I couldn’t wait to see her again.
CHAPTER 10
Becca
I woke up and got ready for work, replaying Gage’s call last night over and over in my head. When I picked up my phone, I scrolled through his texts like I was back in high school and my crush had called to ask me to the prom. Instead, he was bringing Chinese food to my place tonight and we were going to stream a dinosaur-shark movie.
It wasn’t even nine o’clock in the morning yet. The day was creeping at a pace even snails would scoff at.
I stared at my cell phone screen, my finger hovering over my uncle’s name. I didn’t click the “call” button. What would I even say? Hey, Uncle Mitch, are you hunting werewolves? Please leave my friends alone? Or maybe, I might be falling for the father of your daughter’s children?
“Ugh.” I set my phone back down.
And the freaking thing rang!
I picked it up and laughed at the name on the screen before I clicked “Accept.” His ears must’ve been burning. “Hey, Uncle Mitch. What’s up?”
“Are you still in Sedona?”
I sighed. “Yes. Why?”
“I told you it’s dangerous there,” he chastised me. “I can’t keep protecting you.”
I looked up at the ceiling, struggling to figure out how to play this. “Protecting me from what?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Apparently, we were going to tiptoe around the gigantic elephant in the room. All right. “Then I guess I’m not going anywhere.”
He cursed under his breath. “Your mother is worried about you.”
Okay, that was laughable. I frowned. “We both know that’s not true.”
“I spoke with her this morning. She’s ready to drive out to Sedona today if that’ll keep you safe.”
I was speechless for a second. I couldn’t imagine my mother leaving San Diego and driving eight hours for me. “Why are you dragging her into this?”
“I already told you. I’m trying to protect my family.”
I stared at my feet. “Is this about Samantha?”
He was quiet for so long I took my phone from my ear and check to see if the call had dropped. Finally, he spoke again. “I have reason to believe she’s dead, and I got a tip you were seen with her killer.”
The hair on my arms rose as a chill crawled slowly down my spine. “You’re wrong.”
“Am I?” His voice became a conspiratorial whisper. “Those little boys are my grandsons.”
For a second I was speechless. Yesterday he told me Asher and Gage were going to be exterminated. Did that include his own grandchildren too? There was no more ignoring the elephant in the room. “You said they’re going to be wiped out.”
“Not the boys. I can cure them, Becca. We have the technology.”
“Do you know what you’re saying?” I asked.
His voice dropped to a venomous whisper. “I wanted to discuss this in person, but those men you call friends are werewolves.” He paused, maybe waiting for me to laugh or argue that men couldn’t shift into animals. When I didn’t, he went on. “I need to save my grandsons. If you won’t leave Sedona, then help me get them out.” He hesitated. “Do it for Samantha. Please.”
Tears welled in my eyes as I shook my head. “I…I have to go.”
“Call me back soon. I can make arrangements to bring you to Phoenix. I can protect you here. They already trust you…”
I hung up before he could spew anymore of his poison. It couldn’t be true. Gage did not kill Samantha. No way.
But a few days ago I wouldn’t have believed that my uncle was hunting werewolves, either.
I picked up my phone again and pressed Asher’s name. He answered on the third ring, wind gusts distorting his voice. “Becca? Is everything okay?”
“No.” I checked the time and closed my eyes. Dammit. He was already out on an early Jeep tour. Since he’d given me yesterday off, I didn’t have the schedule fresh in my head. “Sorry. I’m heading into the office now. “I’ll see you when you get back”
“Okay. I’ll be back there in an hour.”
I started to nod and stopped. “Did you handle all the release paperwork yourself?”
He chuckled. “I had a little help. Ryker and Serenity came in to cover the office for the early tour.”
“Nice.” I’d have to thank them next time I saw them. “See you soon.”
I ended the call and scooped up my keys. Although Asher had kept me out of the werewolf loop, I didn’t think he’d lie to me about Samantha. And if Gage hadn’t talked to him about it yet, he wouldn’t know she was my cousin, either. If Asher corroborated what Gage had told me about Samantha, then I could set my uncle straight. As far as a “cure” went, I didn’t even know where to start with that one. If they were born werewolves, then this wasn’t a disease. They weren’t sick. This was part of their DNA.
I parked out front of Wild S
edona Tours. No sign of Asher yet. I got out and went inside the building. Ryker looked up and grinned. “Hey, Becca.” He glanced over at a curvy redhead sitting at Asher’s desk. “Have you met my mate, Serenity?”
His mate? That was a weird title.
I offered my hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Serenity had long auburn hair and striking emerald-green eyes. She smiled taking my hand. “Ryker tells me Asher couldn’t run this place without you.”
I chuckled and took a step back. “I don’t know about that.”
My gaze alternated from Ryker to Serenity and back again. Ryker came by the office to talk to Asher all the time. It would be easy to assume he was probably part of Asher’s pack. Did Serenity know Ryker was a werewolf? She must. But if she didn’t, there must be a reason Ryker was keeping her in the dark. Navigating this new paranormal dimension of my life was going to be tricky. “I can take over if you guys want to go.”
Serenity studied me for a moment before looking over at Ryker. A silent communication seemed to be going on between them.
Finally, Ryker made eye contact with me again. “Sorry about that.” He shook his head slowly. “Did Gage tell you Serenity is psychic? She can speak telepathically. She was just checking to make sure you knew about the pack.”
Oh, I was going to need to sit. I grabbed my desk chair and collapsed into it.
Serenity arched a brow with a half smile. “Seems Gage told you about werewolves but not about the psychics in our pack.”
“Nope.” I chuckled, hoping I sounded cool and collected while inside my nerves were pushing up toward shock and panic. “He left telepathy out.”
Serenity pulled a chair over near me, with an expression that seemed like we were sharing secrets at a slumber party instead of discussing psychic gifts I thought were fictional until two minutes ago.
“When I communicate telepathically, it involves me sending my thoughts to someone else. I’m not a mind reader so you don’t have to worry about me poking around inside your head.”
I hadn’t even considered mind reading. When did my world get so weird? I rubbed my forehead. “Are you part of Asher’s pack too?”
“Yeah. We both are.” She studied my face and held up her hand, brandishing a scar much smaller than the one on Gage’s arm. “Ryker made me a werewolf.”
