“Perhaps,” Jason conceded. “Do we want to test him tonight, or head back for that delicious food that has been tormenting me all afternoon?”
“I’m very curious, but I know you all must be starving. Let’s head back and we’ll do this another day. I think it’s safe to say that his speed has definitely received an upgrade.”
With the dismissal, Kyle quickly shifted back. I turned away again. Would I ever stop feeling so self-conscious with that? Chase nipped at my shoulder and motioned his head towards the woods. I looked back at Mary.
“Go on, we’ll meet you back at the house,” she said, picking up our clothes as they all headed for the vehicles.
Chase started jogging for the woods and I followed. When we hit the trees with a low-lying branch, I leapt onto it. Chase stopped and looked up at me. I chirped at him to follow. He shook his head. I chirped again. He sighed—I could see it in his entire body—but he jumped, landing easily, albeit not very gracefully, next to me. I wasn’t sure he could actually do it, and yet there he was; a wolf in a tree.
The height must have made him dizzy and uncomfortable, because he waivered and started to fall to the ground. I was relieved to see him land on all fours. The look he shot back up at me was comical. I silently jumped down and licked him before taking off into the woods. We ran and played. I had no idea where we were, but Chase carefully led us through and before I knew it we were exiting the forest just behind his parents’ house.
I looked around and started to panic at the thought of walking naked through the house with everyone there. Chase headed towards the back deck, then shifted into his human form. He must have sensed my unease, because he picked up the stack of clothes neatly piled on the top step and grinned down at me.
I let the familiar shiver and warmth roll through me until I was able to stand on two feet again. I knew Chase was watching but standing naked before my mate was a thrilling sensation with absolutely no discomfort.
“Mom must have noticed you aren’t completely comfortable with nudity around others,” he commented.
My head dropped like it was something to be ashamed of. “My kind’s just a little more modest about it,” I admitted.
“Princess, it’s perfectly fine. Kelsey struggled with it a lot at first, too. She was raised in the human world, so it was a foreign concept to her. She had only shifted privately and never even suspected others like her existed, let alone that she lived among an entire pack of wolf shifters.”
I didn’t know how that was even possible, but I believed him. I quickly dressed, and we headed into the house.
“Why was Kelsey raised in the human world?” I asked, curious now that he’d brought it up.
He hesitated for only a moment. “Did you know that some shifters can have extra powers?”
“Like the witches?” I asked. My dad had two at his disposal as well as a seer. He used them to help protect us.
“You know about the witches?”
“Yes, Daddy keeps two of them close by. He even had houses built on the edge of our property to both protect and ensure exclusivity to them for years. He has a seer, too.”
“A seer?” he asked.
“Yes, you know the power to see into the future? She makes predictions. She’s always told me that what she sees isn’t necessarily clear and because of free will, visions can change. Only prophecies are bound to absolute truth. I’ve heard talk of a rumor that Daddy keeps her around because she once made a prophecy on the panthers. Tessa says it’s why he’s always been so adamant about keeping the panthers pure. I don’t know if I really believe it all, but that’s what I heard.”
He nodded like that made sense. “Kelsey’s a witch,” he said. “It’s why she was raised in the human world. Wolves fear the witches but are especially terrified of females with Alpha powers. Kelsey was born an Alpha, but she was also a triplet. Her sisters each had their own power. It became a problem, and at the age of four the girls were sentenced to death. Her parents couldn’t save them all, but they were able to escape with her and keep her in hiding until she was about twelve. I guess the past caught up with them then. They killed her parents, but she got away and lived in the human world all alone until she came here. When her sisters died, she inherited all their gifts as well. She’s one super badass witch,” he said, proudly.
To say I was stunned would be putting it mildly. My dad protected our witches, but they were always kept at a distance. I think they secretly terrified him. Yet Kelsey wasn’t treated any different than anyone else I’d met in San Marco, aside from maybe a slight reverence for being the Alpha’s mate.
“Wow, that’s an incredible story,” I said, still trying to take it all in.
He shrugged. “To us, she’s just Kelsey, though I definitely wouldn’t want to piss her off.”
We walked hand-in-hand, into the house and headed for the dining room. Everyone was there waiting.
“Finally,” Liam complained. “We’re starving waiting on your two.”
Chase and I quickly took the last two empty seats. Mary said a blessing, and everyone dug in. It was a little intimidating seeing the size of plates piled high with food. Everyone was talking over top of each other. It was like some sort of organized chaos. I had never experienced a meal like it before. I waited quietly as large plates were passed around. If it happened to pass by me, I’d take a little, but there was no way I was jumping into the middle of those wolves and their food.
I think Chase noticed I was feeling overwhelmed. He started loading food onto my plate as he filled his own, until I finally had to tell him to stop.
Elise was sitting on my other side. I felt like I’d gotten to know the other ladies well, but Elise had been quieter, distracted, during our girls’ day and hadn’t opened up like Lily, Maddie, and Kelsey. It made it a little more awkward having her so close.
“So, Jenna,” Elise started. “What are you majoring in?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure anymore. My father gave me two options, science or business. I picked science, but I don’t really know what I want to do.”
“Yes, she does,” Chase said. “She just isn’t ready to admit it.”
I looked at him in confusion. “And what is that?”
“Photography,” he said simply.
I almost stopped breathing. I had never truly vocalized my desire to be a professional photographer, had I?
Elise nodded. “That could be a great choice if you’re interested in working for the Westin Foundation. Did Chase explain to you about the family business?” I nodded. “Good, then you should know that we need graphic designers, and a fulltime photographer would work great with that position.”
I chanced a look at Chase, feeling his tension on the rise. He shook his head slightly, not enough to draw attention to himself, but enough to tell me he didn’t want to discuss it. I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest. “Seriously?” I whispered to him. He shot me a look.
“What?” Elise said.
“Tell her,” I whispered to Chase.
He shook his head. “Just drop it, please.”
I sighed. “It’s nothing, I guess,” I told Elise, but I knew she didn’t buy it for one second.
“Spill it, pup, or there will be a twin team up on your ass,” Elise told Chase.
That got the attention of Liam and Lily.
“Did someone say twin team up?” Lily asked excitedly.
“Chase is hiding something,” Elise said.
“I’m not hiding anything,” Chase demanded. “Just drop it, E.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t know it was a big deal.”
“Um, Jenna,” Kyle said, trying to hold back a grin. “There’s no such thing as a whisper in a house of wolves. You might as well just say it out loud, ‘cause everyone is listening.”
I blushed. “Sorry. I keep forgetting that.”
“So,” Lily said, dramatically cracking her knuckles, while Liam rolled his eyes and shook his head at her. “Wh
at’s the extraction?”
“Chase is hiding something. Don’t know what it is,” Elise said.
“It’s really not that big a deal,” I defended.
Lily and Liam both began to rise.
“Not at my dinner table,” Mary said. “Now take it on into the living room.”
Oscar laughed, and Maddie shot him a “mom look” that had him stuffing another piece of ham in his mouth to keep from getting in trouble.
“Cut it out,” Chase said. “It’s really not that big of a deal. If you must know everything, I picked up extra minors in graphic design and network security. Over the summer Dad told me to consider my place at the Foundation, and I did. I knew there was a need. I want to bring our online presence into the twenty-first century, because it’s very archaic, simple, and needs better security.”
“Chase, that’s awesome,” Elise said. “Why didn’t you just say that? We have room for more than one position. You can head up the department at your discretion. I still think a photographer would be great, though. If that’s where Jenna’s passion is, the two of you can work together.”
“And if you’re that good, Jenna, you could open a studio in town, too. We could use a photographer around here. I have to drive Z almost an hour to get professional pictures taken,” Kelsey added. “If you brought your camera, I’d love you to do a set with Zander, as he’s overdue on his eighteen-month pictures. If you didn’t, we do have a decent one you can borrow.”
Chase laughed. “You don’t understand, Kels, Jenna doesn’t go anywhere without her camera.”
I elbowed him in the side. I was glad he chose to infuse a little humor just then because I was on the verge of emotional overload. My family had never understood my love of photography. It had been discouraged, my cameras confiscated, and my dad would never in a million years approve of me majoring in any form of art, let alone consider it a viable career option, yet these wonderful people I’d just met were basically voicing my dreams aloud and ready to hand them to me on a silver platter.
“I’d love to,” I told Kelsey honestly over the lump forming in my throat.
“Great. I know you and Chase are supposed to head back tomorrow, but if you could squeeze him in before you leave, that would be great,” Kelsey said.
“Well.” I looked at Chase. I almost blurted out, “We can just stay over a few more days,” but I really felt like that was something I needed to discuss with him first. “You’re here now,” I suggested.
She looked at Zander. He was still relatively clean despite the meal and dressed in a cute little suit that I had been told was courtesy of his obsession with his Uncle Liam, who had taken over as CEO of the Westin Foundation.
“Yeah, okay, but the sun is already setting. Do you have any ideas for indoors?” she asked.
“Mary, may we be excused?” I asked.
“For pictures of my handsome grandson? Certainly,” she said, and it was obvious she was head over heels in love with her grandson, both of them actually.
“Can I help?” Oscar asked.
“Sure, come on.” I got up from the table and ran upstairs to gather my stuff. I was thankful I had brought the tripod, wanting to take some pictures of the town and local sceneries. Oscar proved to be a great extra set of hands. As I looked out the bedroom window I saw the most gorgeous sunset. There was a cliff not far from the house that would capture it perfectly if we could make it in time.
“Kelsey, I have an idea, but we have to hurry,” I told her.
She grabbed Zander and they quickly followed me. The sun was almost down by the time we arrived at the spot I wanted, but the valley below was on fire in brilliant shades of red and orange. I quickly posed Zander near a small boulder and began shooting right away. I only had about five minutes, but he got restless quickly, wanting to explore the surrounding woods. I threw Oscar in with him and got a few good ones of the two of them for Mary.
“Okay, boys, let’s head back to the house and see about a few inside shots,” I told them. They both nodded, and Oscar helped me carry my gear back while Kelsey carried Zander.
Inside I set them up in the nursery. Zander had just upgraded to a big boy bed and it made a perfect backdrop for his age. A fun milestone. After a few posed shots, I pulled a pair of his PJ’s from a drawer and changed him. Kelsey just sat back in the rocking chair, watching. I had never changed a baby before or even been around someone so small, but after a little wrestling match, I managed.
Z climbed into his bed and under the covers.
“Okay, now pretend to sleep,” I told him, and he giggled but shut his eyes. “Okay, all done,” I said, and he gave me a look of pure mischief. I was grateful I still had the camera raised, as I shot a few candid pictures while he played peek-a-boo with me by pulling the cover over his head.
Last, I had Oscar climb in bed next to him with a book. It was so precious I couldn’t wait to see the end results.
When we were done, and I went to pack up, Zander ran over and climbed up on Kelsey’s lap. He was talking and pointing to her belly. I pulled the camera back out and started taking a few pictures without them noticing. It was a beautiful moment.
I walked out into the hallway and hollered down for Kyle to come up. When he did, Chase joined him.
“Would you mind?” I asked, pointing to his mate and child.
Kyle grinned and walked over next to them. “Where do you want me?” he asked, and Kelsey and Zander looked up for the first time.
I shook my head at him. “Just act natural. Talk to them like you normally would.”
“What are we talking about?” Kyle asked his son.
“Baby,” Zander said, pointing to his mommy’s tummy.
Kyle probably wasn’t aware of it, but he beamed with pride. I was confident I’d gotten several good pictures when I decided to continue with the baby theme.
“How about I take a first pic of the four of you?” I asked.
“That’ll still be quite some time off,” Kelsey reminded me.
I shrugged. Kyle was kneeling next to the rocking chair, leaning in towards Kelsey. I walked over and posed their hands so that Kelsey and Kyle formed a heart on her still flat stomach. Zander was on her other side and without me telling him, he placed his small hand just below their heart. I snapped a few closeups and then pulled back to get all three of them. Zander leaned down and kissed his mom’s stomach as a tear slipped down Kelsey’s cheek and Kyle wiped it away. I already knew without checking it was a perfect, one of a kind picture.
After that I really did pack up and take my things back to Chase’s room. He followed me, closing the door behind him. I already knew the dampener was on so we were free to talk.
“That was really great what you did back there,” he said.
“Thanks. I’m sorry about dinner and putting you on the spot like that. You just have such great ideas for the company; I didn’t know you were keeping them to yourself.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know if I would ever have been ready to speak up and tell them, so I’m glad you pushed me out of my comfort zone to talk about it. Elise seemed excited. I think it’s going to work, Jenna.”
I hugged him. “I’m really proud of you. And you know that these pictures could take me a few days to format. Would you, um . . .” I bit my lower lip. “Would you want to stay here a few extra days?”
He perked up. “You mean it?”
I nodded. “If you want to, or I can just send these in an email when I’m done.”
“No, princess, that’s great. I’d love to spend a few more days home, but I knew initially you weren’t comfortable coming, so I would never have asked.”
“I know. It’s just not what I expected. I don’t really know what I thought it’d be like, but I didn’t expect it to feel more like home than, well, home.” The thought saddened me, but it was the truth. “Anyway, if you’re sure, I’m fine with staying a few more days, the rest of the week, whatever you want.”
I could feel his joy thro
ugh our bond. It was so intense, but it made me happy, too.
“Do you think I could plug my laptop into the TV in the living room and show Kelsey and Maddie some of the pics I took? I got some great ones of Oscar, too, and of both the boys together.”
“Yeah, grab your stuff and come on.”
Chase hooked my laptop up to the big screen television and called Kelsey and Maddie in while I set up. Instead of just the two moms, I got the entire family. I didn’t mind. I was confident in my work and felt empowered by their support.
Once everyone was settled, I started scrolling through the pictures. There were lots of “oohs” and “aahs.” Every now and then someone would ask me to stop and make note of a picture. I reminded them I still needed to do some touch-ups, but they seemed to love the raw photos I had taken.
As suspected, Mary requested copies of the ones I had taken of both the boys. And when I got to the rocking chair pictures with Kelsey, they were so precious that she and Maddie were both in tears.
“They’re really beautiful, Jenna. Chase is right, you have remarkable talent,” Jason told me.
I blushed furiously. I think the fact it came from him, Chase’s dad of all people, is what pushed me over the edge. I excused myself and rushed from the room as the tears started to fall. How many times had I wished my own father could see me like that?
“She’s okay,” I heard Chase tell them. “I’ve told her a thousand times how amazing her pictures are. Our professor raves over them every week, always using her stuff in class, but until this semester, I don’t think anyone has ever appreciated her talent, especially not her dad. She’s just a little overwhelmed right now by the praise, but I know she appreciates it.”
I loved my mate. Truly loved him with all my heart, but I especially loved how he got me even on the things I never meant to share. I let myself have a good cry even if I felt stupid for it. It was like mourning something you never had to begin with.
I fell asleep before Chase came to bed, but it was a restless sleep until he lay in bed next to me, his arms around me, and I could hear his heart beating beneath my ear. Then, and only then, did I allow myself to truly rest peacefully.
Confusing Hearts (Westin Pack Book 4) Page 25
