“Oh, good. I’m so happy you’re here. And you look so well rested.” She winked and looked at the two men.
Oh. My. Goddess.
Mortified, and knowing she was as red as a tomato, she allowed herself to be hugged by Pat, while Reed and Josh barely held in their laughter.
“Now, you boys stop it with that look. I didn’t mean anything by it. Get your minds out of the gutter.” Pat fisted her hands on her hips with a not-so-serious scowl on her face.
It was such a mom pose that tears sprung in Hannah’s eyes.
Oh my. I miss you, Mom.
It’s had only been three weeks. Three little weeks since she’d heard her mom laugh, telling her to keep her head out of her potions and to find a nice young witch to settle down and make babies with. Three weeks since her mom had hugged her and told her she loved her. She’d known Reed even less since he’d come to the basement after her.
Sorrow crept over the ache in her heart, gripping and not letting go.
“Oh, baby.” Pat pulled her into the foyer, out of the cold, and enveloped her in her arms.
Hannah sniffed. “I’m sorry. I’m just a mess right now.”
“It’s all right. That whole Centrals ordeal, meeting both of your mates, and losing your mom in such a short period of time would be too much for anyone. You just cry it out and let the Jamensons—and Josh—take care of you.”
“Thank you, Pat.”
“Oh, baby. When you’re ready, you can call me Mom. But not before that. Your mother was such a nice woman. I’ll miss her.”
Hannah leaned back, startled at the news.
“You knew my mother?”
Pat smiled. “Yes dear. It was long ago, when you were just a baby. I held you in my arms and knew I wanted a girl. So I went back to Edward and said, after six boys, I wanted a baby. So two years later, after some wrangling with that Alpha, I got my baby girl, Cailin. And Edward is wrapped around that girl’s finger like no other. If you hear him tell the story, it was his idea.”
“I never knew that,” Reed said, wide-eyed.
“You never asked.” Pat shrugged. “But what a world we live in with fate as our guide. I got to see this baby again.” She squeezed Hannah closer. “You look so much like your mother.”
At that point, whatever resistance to sobbing Hannah had left, fell out the window.
Tears flowed down her cheeks. Josh pulled her from Pat’s arms and kissed the top of her head.
“I’m so sorry, my Hannah,” Josh whispered.
“Oh, Hannah. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Tears fell from the woman’s eyes, and Reed held his mother close.
“It’s okay, Pat. It’s just hard to hear. But so, so nice. Thank you for that story.”
Both women sniffed and pulled out of the men’s arms, trying to compose themselves.
“It’s just so good, seeing you three together,” Pat said.
All three of them gave her awkward looks. What else could she do when the mother of one of the men she’s sleeping with says the three of them look good together?
“I’m so happy another one of my babies found their mate. Well, mates in this case. After Adam...” Pat shuddered.
“Mom,” Reed interjected.
“No, your mates need to know why Adam left. I saw the look he gave the three of you, and you need to know it’s nothing you’ve done.”
Josh held Hannah closer while Reed sidled up to them.
“Adam’s mate, Anna, was taken by the Centrals. But unlike with you, we didn’t get to her in time. They’d beaten, raped, and killed her. And the child she carried. Adam never recovered, and Maddox, who felt every emotion she felt, never did either. Our family was now just starting to heal, and then the Centrals came back.”
Hannah’s tears fell harder, leaving a salty trail of lost dreams in their wake.
“I think with Kade, then Jasper, and now you getting mated so soon after one another, Adam’s feeling lonely. I just hope he finds what he needs. Because I don’t know if he’ll find what he needs here if, no, when, he comes back.”
Pat let out a breath, visibly shaken and sad.“Okay, that’s enough of that. Let’s go into the living room.” Pat led them though the hallway into the homey living room where Edward sat alone, reading something on his iPad.
Who knew older werewolves were so tech savvy?
“Ah, you’re here.” Edward set down the tablet and stood, walking to Hannah and giving her a hug.
Surprised, she hugged him back.
Edward let out a huge, booming laugh. ”Sorry, we’re wolves. Very affectionate. And you’re family now. Get used to hugging.”
As if to prove his point, he hugged Josh.
Josh just laughed faintly and did the whole man hug, pat on the back thing.
When Edward moved back from hugging Reed, they all sat down on the couch and waited for Edward to begin.
“Dad, are we early? Where is everyone?” Reed asked.
Edward sighed. “They’ve already left. We’ve had the meeting, son.”
Reed lowered his brows and scowled. She held his hand, barely able to control her own fury. Josh reached over her and rubbed Reed’s shoulder, tension rippling in both men.
How could they have decided everything without their participation? Weren’t they the ones who had just been held prisoner?
Slowly, very softly, Reed spoke. “Why were we not involved?”
Edward raised a brow then glanced at her and Josh.
Oh. He doesn’t trust us.
Hurt, Hannah bit her lip.
Reed growled. “My mates are trustworthy. You never had a problem with Willow or Melanie.”
“And yet our Pack has been weakened by the traitors in our midst. I need more time before I share all of our secrets. I’m sorry Josh and Hannah, but more lives are involved than just those of us in this room. I need to be cautious.”
She understood where he was coming from. As Alpha, he had more than his share of responsibility, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt to hear. Especially since he was the father of one of them men she was falling in love with.
Reed growled again.
Edward growled back, a magic she didn’t understand washing over them. “Watch your tone, boy. I am still Alpha of this Pack. I don’t know them, and frankly, I’m interested in just how Josh found the two of you. It’s too coincidental for me.”
Josh took a deep breath, rubbing his hand on her leg.
Hannah stayed silent, as if waiting for a fuse to be lit, for the bomb to explode.
“I’m a Finder,” Josh explained.
Edward’s eyes widened. “I see.”
Josh cocked his head. “Do you?’
The Alpha sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin. “You are not the first I’ve met, but the first I’ve met in a long while.” He nodded again, a thoughtful look on his face. “Good to know.”
“He will not be used,” Reed growled.
Edward actually laughed. “It’s good to see you standing up for your mate. But I didn’t say I would, did I? You are blessed in your mates. I will not use him. I only find it interesting.”
Reed moved to stand. This can’t be good.
Hannah jumped in. “Let’s move on. Okay?”
Edward laughed again. “I like you, Hannah.”
Hannah smiled while she squeezed Reed’s hand.
The Alpha cleared his throat. “We tried to find you, Reed.” Pain shot across his eyes. “But the Centrals used dark magic to cloud your presence. It was luck that Adam even found you.”
The room sat in silence at the mention of Adam.
“We can fight,” Edward continued. “Go to their territory, attack, and try and find retribution. But with the Central’s dark magic, that dammed demon, and their witches…”
Hannah gasped.
The witches were working for their enemies?
Reed brushed her cheek with his finger. “Some are working for the Centrals. We’ve tasted their magic. But w
e don’t know who. I’m sorry, Hannah.”
She could only nod. What coven would align with that type of evil? Witches were white magic, though they didn’t call it that. Goodness. The sort of thing Centrals did would only taint the inherent nature of witches.
“We will retaliate.” Edward promised. “Mark my words. But we need to be strong. Find a way to use magic that doesn’t cross our lines, one that is good. We need to know who exactly is there and how to fight the unknown.”
Josh cleared his throat. “When I was in the SEALs, we came upon their den before.” He paused, glancing at Reed and her. “I can give you the precise layout of what I know and any other info I may have.”
“Impressive,” Edward said.
Hannah smiled at Reed and Josh. Both of her men had such talents and hidden depths.
Wait. My men?
Huh.
She kind of liked that.
“Dad, you need to keep us in the loop. We will fight,” Reed said.
“Yes,” Hannah added. “All of us.”
She looked at both her men, daring them to say anything against her.
Josh gazed into her eyes while Reed squeezed her hand, then they nodded as one. “Yes, all of us,” they said together.
Edward nodded. “Okay then.” Then he turned to her. “You are our Healer, Hannah.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m just a healer; I don’t know if I’m your Healer.”
“Hannah, I feel it. We all do.”
Pat and Reed nodded in agreement.
“But...” She trailed off as a warm feeling of belonging settled over her.
She looked into Edward’s eyes, and he smiled.
She was their Healer. She wasn’t alone anymore.
Reed kissed her softly, then Josh did the same. She blushed in embarrassment.
“You feel okay?” Reed asked.
“I feel like I can Heal anything. You know?”
“Hannah,” Edward interrupted, “once you are mated fully and become part of the Pack, you will feel every Pack member. If they are hurt, you will know. Maddox will help you in your training so you won’t be overwhelmed.”
She was overwhelmed as it was. How could she deal with all of these people? How many were there? The enormity of the situation hit her. She’d made her choice. She was Reed’s mate. Part of the Redwoods now.
If she were already feeling like this now, how would she be when she felt the rest of the Pack? She needed to talk to Maddox. If he felt all the emotions, he’d be a total help.
“You will be an asset to the Pack; I can tell,” Edward added. “I mean, look at what you’ve done to my son. Josh too. I’ve never seen Reed so happy and relaxed.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
Again, Hannah blushed scarlet.
Do all werewolves talk about their kids’ sex lives? Geesh.
“You are important. But remember, Hannah,” Edward added, “you are not above others in the Pack. You are not more worthy than they are.”
Reed let out a strangled cough.
“Is there something you’d like to add, son?” Edward asked.
“No, I’m fine.”
“No, you aren’t. Tell me.”
Reed sighed. “Fine. I just don’t believe you. You can’t tell me that Kade or Jasper or anyone else in our family isn’t more important the others. Yes, all Pack members are valued. But they are critical to our survival.”
Edward looked at him with confusion.
“Reed, you are just as important.”
Reed gave a hollow laugh.
“You are the one who paints our culture, our history. Since you were a pup, you’ve been keeping records and remembering those who would’ve been forgotten. Without you, our Pack would not have that backbone. Our future pups would not know their history by art. You are just as important as all my children.”
Reed stayed silent, and Hannah eyes filled with tears at the pain and sense of loss on his face.
“Reed, we were coming for you. Never doubt that. No matter what, we would have found you. I felt you here.” He placed his hand over his heart. “But we couldn’t find you.”
Then the tough Alpha of the fiercest Pack of werewolves in the nation, grabbed his son in a backbreaking hug with tears in his eyes.
Pat stood up and joined her family, crying with them. Then she stood back and pulled Josh and Hannah in the hug.
This was her new family if fate allowed it. Warmth infused her bones.
Pat patted both her and Josh’s cheeks. “You may not have completed the mating, but you are our family now. We don’t let go of what is ours. So you’re stuck with us regardless.”
Neither she nor Josh said anything, merely nodding.
Edward pulled back first, clearing his throat and unsuccessfully trying to put on his stern Alpha-mask.
“Go home. Get to know one another. When I know more, I will tell you.”
“Thank you, Dad.” Reed nodded.
They all hugged goodbye, then the three of them walked out of the house, hand in hand. They had accepted her into Reed’s family. Just like that. Warmth spread through her. Things were happening so fast, but she could wait to see what would happen next.
Chapter 16
After lunch the next day, Reed stood in his old storage room, staring at the skylights and hoping it would allow enough light in to room for Hannah. He bent and lifted a few old paintings he’d finished but never quite liked and just stuck in this room, forgotten.
“Reed, don’t do this. I don’t want to take up your space,” Hannah argued.
“Baby, I’ve been wanting to put these in an actual storage unit for years. I want you to feel comfortable here. This way you can do your potions and grow an herb garden. I know you’ve been itching to do it. Don’t lie. Let me do this for you.” He needed to do something to show he wanted her here permanently. And if giving her this room was only a small token, he’d do it without regret.
“But what if you need more studio space?” Hannah bit her lip in that sexy way of hers.
“Then I’ll build on,” Reed said simply. He had the money he’d accumulated from his paintings over his long life, and the space on the land around his home. Plus, Kade was an amazing architect and Jasper an equally amazing contractor who could whip something up for Reed in a heartbeat. It paid to have talent like that in the family.
“That does make it sound permanent,” Josh said quietly, an odd look on his face.
“I hope so,” Reed whispered. He didn’t dare say anything else.
He thought he saw something dark flash across Josh’s eyes, but it went away as fast as it appeared. Maybe a trick of the light? He shrugged it off. He was probably just seeing things.
Together, the three of them cleared away the rest of the canvases and paints, leaving a room with benches and pretty good natural light. They’d only need to add some paint to the walls, sand down the wooden benches and tables, and then add in whatever garden supplies Hannah needed to start up her workspace. Once the spring came, she’d be able to start one outside too. Maybe he’d talk to Kade about building a greenhouse.
“Where do you want these?” Josh asked.
He held a bag of soil over one shoulder and some cuttings from Reed’s mother in his other hand. They’d gone to the town center in the den earlier and bought at least the beginnings of what Hannah would need. Plus they’d visited Willow’s bakery and eaten some of her cinnamon rolls. Yum.
“Here, let me help.” Reed walked toward him, but Josh shook his head.
“No, I got it, just tell me where.”
Hannah pointed, and Reed watched the man’s muscles bunch and flex under the weight of the bag with every step.
Dear God, that man is fucking sexy as hell.
Reed bit back a grown and went back to sanding the benches and tables.
“We should just mate them already. They are perfect for us. They want us. Why are we waiting?”
Reed could only agree with his wolf, but he still had to wait for the tw
o of them to actually say they wanted forever. He was damned sure, but he saw the hesitancy on both their faces.
Reed shook his head and walked over to Hannah, who stood frozen looking at her new room.
“What do you need? What can I get you?”
Trinity Bound Page 14
