A Twin Valentine [Moonlight Shifters 8] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Morgan Fox

  He continued to talk, but Tabitha heard nothing. She was stunned. A woman she’d barely known had left her a fortune. She didn’t know if she should smile, shout, or refuse to accept it. It didn’t seem right.

  “Wait,” Tabitha finally managed to say. “I’m a little…I could really use that water now.”

  Joseph nodded. “Sure.”

  He pressed the button on his phone and asked his assistant to bring in a bottle of water. The water was in Tabitha’s hands in a few moments, and she quickly guzzled a few sips.

  “Are you all right, Ms. Burns?”

  Tabitha frowned. “Not really.”

  How could she be? She was unsure of anything lately. She felt constricted at McCarthy Ranch. Loved her mates, but hated feeling that her life wasn’t her own, that her choices were made for her, and that she had no budding future. She was the last of her bloodline alive. She was now financially independent, and apparently she didn’t need anyone to take care of her anymore.

  Somebody stop me. I want off this ride.

  She considered pinching herself to make sure she wasn’t experiencing some kind of odd dream.

  Joseph pulled out an envelope from the file and stood. “I know this is difficult. I’ve been your aunt’s attorney for over fifteen years. For a woman who had the money she had, she lived a solitary life. But there was one thing she regretted in the end and that was not getting to know you.” He stepped around his desk and handed Tabitha the letter. “Before she died, she wrote this for you. I hope it gives you answers and closure.”

  Tabitha took the letter and Joseph left the room. She inhaled a deep breath of air and opened it. Her eyes scanned over the letter, spotting the date as the day before her aunt’s death. A chill moved through her body as she began to read.

  Dearest Tabitha,

  I’m sorry I couldn’t say these words to you myself, but for some reason fear stopped me from reaching out to you sooner. I regret that. Several years ago, your father and I had a falling out. The details are not important. When your parents passed, I vowed to take care of you, even if in secret.

  I watched you become a remarkable woman. You seemed happy and I’m thankful for that. I’m leaving you everything as a mother would her child. But it comes with a stipulation. You are to live your life to the fullest. Don’t let money and power rule over you. Don’t fight love. Never let fear stop you from doing as you desire, and whatever you do, don’t refuse to take chances. Life is gone before you know it.

  Sadly, I put too much focus into climbing the ladder of success and not enough in my own family. I’m counting on you to not make the same mistake I did.

  June

  Chapter Two

  There were no tears in Tabitha’s eyes as she read the letter, but the ball of nerves that settled at the back of her throat was hard to swallow. As if sensing that she’d finished reading the letter, Joseph entered his office and returned to his desk.

  “These are your copies,” he said, sliding them toward her. “As the legal and sole heir to June Burns’s estate, you have the right to do with any and all properties as you wish.”

  “Properties?”

  He nodded. “Ms. Burns lived at the estate in Seattle mostly, but she also had property in North Texas.”

  “She did?” The idea that she’d been so close and never contacted her, sank in her belly.

  Again he nodded. “She bought it last year when she learned that you’d relocated there.”

  Tabitha’s mouth went dry. Was that her attempt to reach out to me? Why hadn’t she done so sooner?

  “The other estate,” he said, moving on, “is valued at 2.2 million dollars.”

  Tabitha almost choked. “Um, and how big is this house?”

  “Your aunt had a modest three-thousand-five-hundred-square-foot home in one of the most highly coveted communities in Seattle.”

  Was he her lawyer or real-estate agent? She knew real estate. She didn’t need him to sell her on anything. “Well, isn’t that nice,” Tabitha muttered, with sarcasm.

  He put the paperwork down in front of him, folded his hands over it, and looked at her. “I know this is difficult.”

  She scoffed, wishing he’d stop saying that. “Picking out the perfect carpeting to match the furniture is difficult. Finding out that I’m now a—”

  “Millionaire,” he finished.

  She chewed the inside of her mouth, her hands growing clammy. “This is all a bit overwhelming. I thought I was coming to bury my aunt. Not inherit a fortune.”

  He slid a list of names and numbers toward her. “These are some of the best real-estate agents in the area, and these are highly qualified movers. No one said you had to live in the house or keep anything in it.”

  She laughed coldly. “And to help your clients move on faster you just happen to have a list ready to go. What, do you get kickbacks from them for helping to pimp out jobs?”

  He grimaced as if she’d punched him. “This list was approved by your aunt. She wrote it up for you. She knew you had a new life in Texas and most likely wouldn’t want to live in her home.”

  Oh, shit. She felt like an ass. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so bitchy.”

  He waved it off. “No need to apologize. I wouldn’t know what I’d do if I were in your shoes. An estranged family member just unloaded all her good fortune onto you. That is pretty shocking. But there’s one more thing you should know.”

  Her stomach let go. She couldn’t take the shock of something else. She should feel numb after all she’d discovered, but she didn’t. Her nerves were stretched paper thin and her skin grew cold. “What’s that?”

  “Your aunt left you a seat on the board of her company. She was the founder and chair of Essential Cosmetics.”

  Tabitha’s mouth hung open. She didn’t know what to say. She knew the product line well. Had attended several Essential Cosmetics cosmetic and skincare parties. Her friends had been consultants for selling the products. They swore by them.

  She twisted her hands in her lap, surprised even more. She didn’t have any experience being on a board or selling anything other than property. She wasn’t qualified for a position like that. “What if I don’t want to be on the board?”

  “You can give up your seat.” He sighed. “Tabitha you are now a very wealthy woman. You don’t have to keep anything. You can sell it all and invest it. Which is what I think June figured you would do. You don’t have to sit on the board, and you never have to come back to Seattle again. Your aunt wanted a way to take care of you in death, knowing she’d failed to do so when she was alive.”

  June hadn’t failed me. Tabitha had done fine on her own. Success was what a person made of it. Whether they were loaded with money or simply felt great about a hard day’s work. She cared more for the latter.

  “None of this seems real, you know? I’m waiting for the camera crews and host to come popping out to reveal that I’ve been duped.”

  He gathered up all the documents and put them back into a folder, and then he placed it and a set of keys in front of her. “These are the keys to your new homes and in this folder are all the documents you need to prove that you are not being duped. I would suggest getting a very good accountant and financial advisors to help you sort through all the financials.” He patted the folder. “Your aunt included a list of trusted people as well.”

  She blew out a slow breath, pinching her forehead as she tried to collect her thoughts.

  This is just too much.

  “I wouldn’t look at this as a bad thing, Ms. Burns. You now have the ability to do what most people only dreamed of doing. You have a chance to start over, build a new life, or you can just go back to the one you already have. The choice is really up to you.”

  She met Joseph’s intense gaze. “But how will I know I’ve chosen correctly?”

  * * * *

  “Where’s Tabitha?” a very pregnant Brie called out, as she barged through the door. “Why do I feel like something’s wrong
?”

  Ryken and Luken both huffed out a breath of annoyance, eyeing Brie, their alpha’s mate, as she moved into the kitchen where they both stood. Ryken would never get used to the connection Brie had to each member of the pack, especially her best friend. Brie’s fey magic was sometimes creepy.

  “Her aunt died, and she’s gone to Seattle to bury her,” Ryken said plainly.

  “And you two didn’t go with her?” Brie’s voice revealed her surprise.

  “She wanted to do this alone,” Luken told her.

  Brie’s eyes narrowed. “And you let her.”

  “You’re her best friend,” Ryken said, sipping his coffee. “You know how she can be. Do you think we had a choice?”

  Brie placed her hands on the counter as if to feel the texture of it. She thoroughly looked them over, as if trying to see right through them. He shook as the eerie feel of her power pulled at him. Brie was reading their damn minds.

  “Stop doing that,” Ryken barked.

  “Something’s not right. Why are you two worried that Tabitha’s not coming back? Did she say something to you? Did she—”

  “No,” Luken quickly said, cutting her off. “She didn’t say anything. She didn’t even kiss us good-bye before she boarded that damn plane. She just left.”

  Brie blinked hard. “Were you fighting?”

  If only that were it.

  Ryken shook his head, pouring something with a little more zing into his coffee. He’d been wishing he could drown his worries all day. It wasn’t working. “She hasn’t been the same since Christmas. Something changed her. I don’t know what. She’s different.”

  Brie inhaled a deep breath and stretched her hands out. “I don’t feel anything magical here,” she told them matter-of-factly.

  “No. Not magical, Brie,” Luken muttered, his shoulders slouching forward. “She’s different because she’s changing the way she feels about us. Maybe she doesn’t want to be with us anymore.”

  Brie scoffed. “That’s impossible. She’s your mate. You’re destined to be together.”

  “Are we?” Ryken snapped. “It doesn’t seem that our wolves would agree with you. At least hers doesn’t.”

  She furrowed her brow, but before she could ask another question, Luken said, “Our bond with Tabitha is fading. She’s pushing us away. She’s growing distant from us, and our wolf instincts know it.” He raised his hands out to the sides, palms upward. “I don’t think she wants this lifestyle. Whether it’s the werewolf thing or even McCarthy Ranch, I don’t know.”

  Brie sat down, looking as defeated as Ryken felt. “She hasn’t said a word to me. I always assumed you guys were rock solid.”

  Luken moved toward her, standing at the counter across from her. “I thought so too.”

  Ryken’s heart tightened in his chest as if Tabitha had reached in and squeezed it. He didn’t like feeling as if he was losing everything. Tabitha was his everything. She’d awakened a piece of him he never knew existed. He’d die without her. His wolf would never survive the separation.

  “Fuck this shit,” Ryken snapped. “I’m going to Seattle. I’ll chain her in the fucking basement if I have to.”

  “Wait,” Luken called out. “She said she wanted to do this on her own. She obviously needs space.”

  “No way,” Ryken sharply objected. “She wants space, she can have it when I buy her a bigger house.”

  “You think its money she wants?” Luken laughed with irritation in his voice. “Do you even know our mate? No wonder she’s leaving us.”

  “And you know her so well you didn’t fucking see this coming either, asshole.” Ryken glared at his know-it-all brother, his biceps flexing under the strain of emotion. “What do you suggest, then?”

  Luken gripped the edge of the counter as if the vortex of hell was about to haul him into it. Ryken was already on his way. “I think we should give her at least a day or two before we charge in after her. She wanted space, remember? Perhaps going after her right away would only drive us further apart.”

  Ryken was going to lose it. Luken didn’t seem to understand just how devastating it was to be without their mate. How the hell was he even suggesting they stay away, let alone try to function normally? “And we do what exactly? Sit here and be good little dogs while our mate is doing who knows what across the country?” He growled. “No, damn it. I won’t lose her.”

  “I don’t want her to leave us either, brother,” Luken whispered in a guttural tone, reaching out to grip his arm.

  Brie rose from the barstool she’d sat on and placed her hands softly upon the counter. Her eyes locked on him as she spoke his name. “Ryken?”

  He shook his head, raising his hand to block her. With the flick of her wrist, she magically lowered his hand and drew his stubborn ass toward her. He was locked solid within her magical hold.

  Ryken gritted his teeth. “I really hate it when you do that magical shit on me, you know?”

  Brie shot him a knowing smile. “I do. I also have an idea. How do you both feel about an undercover mission?”

  * * * *

  “You want us to sit back and do nothing while you make a phone call?” Luken asked Brie, not sure if she was serious or messing with him and Ryken.

  Ryken laughed harshly. “Right. I’m so not doing that.”

  Brie rolled her eyes at them. “I want to find out what’s going on. I’m going to call her as the concerned friend. She might not be as defensive if I’m the one doing the calling.”

  “And if she doesn’t want to talk to you?” Luken asked, folding his arms over his chest.

  “I’ll use my creepy magical shit on her.” She flashed a lopsided grin at Ryken.

  “Funny,” he muttered.

  Brie sighed. “Let me feel out the situation. If it’s really nothing, then we’re good. You two can run off and be with her in Seattle. We can even tell her that Sebastian and I insisted, to make it look as if you two weren’t going stark raving mad without her.”

  Luken would’ve gone with this plan had he not watched Brie blast through their front door in a panic to find Tabitha. She knew something was amiss between them, had felt it too. Then, before he could say anything, Brie was standing in front of him, her gaze intense.

  “Yes, I felt that her presence was gone. I felt a disturbance in our connections. I’m linked to each of you, remember? I know when something’s wrong with one of my own. I know the three of you need my help.”

  Unlike Ryken, Luken didn’t think Brie’s abilities were creepy. He thought they were pretty damn cool. He didn’t even have to speak half the time. He only had to think something and Brie knew exactly what was going on in his mind and heart.

  “Fine. Call her, but do it soon. I fear Ryken won’t sit around doing nothing for long. He’s always been a bit of a hothead.” He placed his hand on her shoulder as she moved toward the door. “Tabitha means the world to us, Brie. Anything you can do to help us would be greatly appreciated.”

  She nodded, rubbing a hand over her swollen belly. “I’ll go do it now.” She held the door open for one more second. “And, guys. Don’t panic until there’s something to panic over. I don’t want you doing anything stupid.”

  Luken faced his brother. Looking at the pain etched on his face was like looking in a mirror. He was better at hiding his unsettling emotions than Ryken, but this time, he wasn’t sure which one of them would be the first to act rashly. When it came to Tabitha, nothing would stop him from claiming his mate again.

  Chapter Three

  “Ms. Burns, we’re having a private memoriam for June tonight. I’d love it if you could attend.” Joseph handed Tabitha a piece of paper. It was the directions to the event. “We all really loved June. She meant a lot to us.”

  Tabitha clenched her jaw, not sure if she should be happy for the invite or upset over the fact that these people knew her aunt better than she did. Tabitha’s emotions were a bit topsy-turvy. “Thank you.”

  Without giving him a direct answe
r, she left his office and headed for her rental car. She opened up the folder with the address of her aunt’s house. My house. It only took about twenty minutes to get to the property. She pushed the button on a remote for the gate that surrounded the neighborhood to gain access and followed the GPS coordinates right up to the front of her new home.

  In her mind, she had pictured a four-story, lavish home, but it wasn’t. It was a single-story on a decent-size property with a well-manicured lawn. The landscape had to be professionally maintained.

  It’s the perfect family home.

  She opened the front door and stepped inside, thankful she was a werewolf and not a vampire. The home was consumed with sunlight. A vast number of windows lined the walls of the house and filled the home with a warmth she never expected. The air in the home was unique to her aunt and even though she was no longer alive, June’s scent still was—something Tabitha might not have noticed if not for her wolf.

  She made her way through the home, inspecting the space. Moving into the far back room, she was once again blown away by the magnificent view of Puget Sound. No matter the window she peered through, she could see the blue water for miles and miles.

  Tabitha was overcome with sentiments. Her heart had been ransacked. Nothing in her life had turned out the way she thought it would. She was lost. Her knees wobbled beneath her as all her emotions crowded in on her.

  Her aunt had chosen a life alone with a career as opposed to one filled with family and friends, while Tabitha was surrounded by friends and had no career or family. Staring at all her aunt’s belongings had Tabitha realizing that everything she now had belonged to Ryken and Luken. Nothing was hers. She’d given up everything to live with them, and as much as she loved them, needed them as her mates, she was dying inside.