“Sorry,” he says quickly, shaking his head like he’s trying to clear it. “You must be new in town. I’m Callen.”
“Callen?” I repeat, frowning.
I must’ve misheard. This is Ryder. He’s changed, yes, broader, and more defined, but those eyes? I’d recognise them anywhere. They’re the same eyes my son has.
“Yeah, Callen Harris,” he says, extending a hand. “And you are?”
I glance at his outstretched hand, looking for the small birthmark Ryder always had, but it’s gone. How can this be? How can someone look so much like Ryder… but not be him?
“I’m Paige, and this is my son, Jaxon,” I reply.
I reach for his hand, but Jaxon beats me to it, grabbing Callen’s hand and hopping to his feet before wrapping his arms around him in a spontaneous hug.
Callen laughs softly, ruffling Jax’s hair like they’ve known each other forever. I get to my feet and then stand there, stunned. Jax never warms up to strangers this quickly, especially men.
Does he sense something? Some kind of connection? Because there is no way Callen and Ryder aren’t related.
Ryder never knew his birth parents. Could Callen be a twin he never knew about? But what are the odds I’d run into both of them? And how would I even bring that up? For all I know, Callen was adopted too and has no idea. I’ll need to tread carefully and try to find out more before I mention anything.
I gently pull Jaxon back from the stranger, making a mental note to talk to him about stranger danger later.
“Where are you two from?” Callen asks.
“We just moved up from the south,” I tell him. “What about you? Have you lived here long?”
“About four years. Do you have family here?”
“Not in town. My sister’s at the university in the next town over. We moved to be closer to her.”
“Sweet. Does your husband know anyone here?” he asks, nodding toward the wedding ring I’d forgotten I was still wearing.
My stomach twists. I’d forgotten I was wearing the ring. I slip it off and tuck it into my back pocket.
“Oh, no. It’s just me and Jax now.”
“Sorry to hear that. If you need help to settle in, let me know. The school’s fantastic, and there are some great places to eat. I’d be happy to give you a tour,” he offers, flashing a smile that makes my heart stutter. He’s so much like Ryder.
“Thanks, but we actually have an appointment at the school soon,” I say.
“I’m headed there too. Let me walk you,” he replies.
“Thanks. Do you have kids there?” I ask as we stroll.
“No, I run the sports sessions for some of the… high-energy kids.”
“Will you teach me sports?” Jaxon pipes up.
“You bet. What kind do you like?”
“I don’t know. My teachers said I’m too strong to play with the others.”
“Well, that won’t be a problem here. We’ve got lots of strong kids. Did your dad teach you any?”
“No. I haven’t met my dad yet. But I think he’ll come back for me when he can,” Jaxon says with heartbreaking hope.
“I’m sure he will,” Callen says gently, then gives me an apologetic look.
I can tell he has questions, but thankfully he doesn’t ask.
At the school, Callen shows us to reception and goes to find the headteacher. A short time later, a slim woman with short blond hair and warm brown eyes greets us.
To my surprise, Jaxon wraps his arms around her in a hug.
What is going on with him? Is he just feeling lost and insecure without Greg? Or is there something deeper happening here?
* Callen’s POV **
Trying to do the sports session with the pups is difficult today. Not because the kids are being difficult, but because I can’t get my mind off the absolute goddess of a woman I’d met on the way here.
Her auburn hair had hung in loose curls down her back and I envisioned myself wrapping it around my hand and pulling her head back as I rut into her from behind. Her crystal-blue eyes had mesmerised me and I wanted to see them staring up at me whilst she kneels in front of me and sucks on my c*ck.
What a shame she is human and imagining doing all that to her is as far as I can go. As joint Alpha of our little ragtag pack, I have to lead by example, and interspecies dating is something we have forbidden.
I am curious about her situation. She said she had recently separated from her husband, and the kid said he didn’t know his father, that his father was missing. Which is really sh*tty, because that boy is 100% a wolf shifter, and I suspect his mother has no idea. It’s either a tremendous stroke of luck or fate that they are here because, without a pack to guide him, that pup would have been in some serious trouble.
Whoever fathered Jaxon and bailed, leaving him to be raised by a human and without a pack needs shooting. If they hadn’t come here and the boy shifted, he could have hurt his mother and exposed our kind to the humans or drawn the attention of the hunters.
After my session with the kids, I mind link with my twin brother and our Betas, who also happen to be twins, and tell them we need to meet urgently.
“Where do you want to meet?” Remy, one of the twin Betas, responds.
“At home, I’m headed there now,” I say as I jog through the woods.
I arrive at our cabin to find Ryder, Remy and Parker waiting for me on the front porch. We all live here together. When we had been building our small village for our pack in the woods, we had shared accommodation. When we got around to building our cabins, we decided we liked each other’s company and decided to build one big cabin to house us all rather than two separate ones.
We have no plans to move into our own cabins unless we find our mates. Twins usually share a fated mate, so we would most likely only need to build one more cabin if we find our mates.
“Is beer appropriate for this urgent talk? Or do we need to fight someone?” Parker asks.
“Beer is always appropriate,” I grin.
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