Ryder and Remy raise a finger, indicating they want a beer too, and Parker heads inside.
“Everything good at the school?” Remy asks as I take a seat on the wooden armchair beside Ryder.
“Yeah, the pups did great. Regina said they’re really learning how to fit in with the other kids.” I nod.
Parker returns with four bottles of beer and hands each of us one before sitting beside Remy on the bench. “So what is so urgent that you had to pull us from work?” he asks.
“There’s a new woman in town,” I say, wondering how exactly to approach this because, at just the mention of her, my mind has gone straight into the gutter.
“Wow, what a shocker. I can’t believe a woman has moved into a new town. That’s so unusual,” Remy snorts, and I scowl at him. I’ll make him pay for that sarcasm later.
“Shut up, smart ass, I’ve not finished,” I huff. “She has a kid, and he’s one of us.”
“So we have an unknown she-wolf in our territory, and she hasn’t asked permission?” Ryder growls. His wolf’s territorial nature comes through in his voice.
“No, that’s the thing. She’s human, and I don’t think she has any idea what her son is.”
“Shit. Where is the kid’s father?” Parker asks.
“They don’t know. The pup said he is missing, but I suspect he ran out on her, or the hunters got him.”
“I hope for his sake the hunters got him because if I find out who the piece of sh*t is that got a human pregnant and then left her to raise a shifter pup alone, I’ll kill him,” Ryder growls even louder this time.
“Amen to that,” I say, raising my bottle, and the Beta twins nod.
I take a long swig of my bottle of beer, letting the cool, bitter liquid fizz down my throat whilst we all process our murderous thoughts.
“So now we have to explain to her what her son is without scaring her,” Parker sighs.
“We will need to be careful. If we don’t gain her trust first, she may take the kid and run,” Remy says.
“Yeah, and that kid needs us. You should have seen him. He hugged me as soon as he saw me. It was like he was desperate for that pack connection. He needs to be with a pack.”
“You two know better than anyone what it’s like to be raised without a pack and with no idea what you are. We can’t let that kid go through what you two did,” Parker says.
“We won’t.” Ryder shakes his head. “Callen, do you think you can get close to the mum? Try to gain her trust before introducing her to us. Only once she trusts us all will we tell her the truth about us and her son.”
“I think I can do that. I certainly don’t mind spending time with her. She is so damn hot,” I say with a pained groan.
Why couldn’t she be a shifter, too? Life is unfair sometimes.
“For fuck’s sake, Callen. Make sure you keep your damn dick in your pants. Do you hear me? Do not f*ck her,” Ryder growls.
“I know, I won’t, but I can’t promise not to imagine doing it,” I grin.
“You’re such a perv,” Remy laughs.
“Just wait until you see her, then you’ll understand. She has this hot little body that’s just screaming to be ravished, and her eyes, oh goddess, I could stare into them forever,” I hum as I close my eyes and picture the woman of my dreams again.
“Go take a damn shower and then get to work. Maybe take her some flowers to welcome her to the town. Focus on the kid. Women love men who love their kids,” Ryder says.
“Since when are you an expert on women? As far as I know, you’ve never actually dated one, especially not one with kids,” I snort.
Ryder gets that far-away look in his eye again that I’ve seen him do whenever we bring up dating or fated mates. I down the rest of my beer and then get up to take my shower. There’s no point trying to talk to him when he goes to this place in his mind. I wish he would tell me about it. We might not have grown up together, but we shared a womb, and now we share a house and a pack. One day, he might trust me enough to talk about whatever happened.
“Do you know where she lives?” Parker asks as I pull open the door to our cabin.
“I have a pretty good idea. She doesn’t know anyone here, so she must have her own place, and there was only one house available as far as I know.”
“The place on Alpine?” he asks.
“That’s the one,” I nod.
“I think I saw her, actually. Yesterday, while running, I saw two women through the window. I thought they were just viewing the place, though,” Remy says.
“And you didn’t think to mention anything? Who is the second female?” Parker asks.
“I didn’t know it was important. They could have been the estate agents for all I know,” Remy shrugs.
“The second one will be her sister. She mentioned she attends the university in the next town over,” I explain, glancing at my brother, who is still lost in his own thoughts.
With a sigh, I head inside to shower and imagine all the things I’d like to do to the little human that has managed to put a spell on me. I have a feeling she has just earned her starring role in all my future fantasies.
** Paige’s POV **
The school was fantastic, and all the staff were very welcoming. The head teacher, who prefers to be called Regina rather than Mrs Green, didn’t seem at all phased when I explained Jaxon’s history at his previous school.
By the time the tour was over, Jax had already made friends with a few of the kids, and he hadn’t wanted to leave. Regina had agreed for him to start with half days tomorrow before he starts full-time next week.
The walk back through town had been nice. We had stopped for ice cream at a small parlour. Then we had picked up some art supplies from a craft shop, so Jaxon can sit in the garden and paint, whilst I call the utility companies to get everything set up.
I’m still on hold with the internet company when there’s a knock at the door. I glance at Jax, who is still sitting in the back garden painting, and move to answer the door. Poppy hadn’t said she was visiting today, and we don’t know anyone here yet, so I’m tempted to ignore it, but curiosity gets the better of me and I open the door.
My heart seizes for a second when Ryder’s face stares back at me with a grin and my eyes shift to his hand, checking for the birthmark.
“Hey, sorry to call unannounced, but I was passing and thought maybe Jaxon wanted to kick a ball around,” Callen says with a ball tucked under his arm.
He has changed his clothes since I saw him a few hours ago. Swapping out his black shorts and T-shirt for a baby blue T-shirt that makes his eyes look even more blue.
“Um… he’s actually busy at the moment,” I say, just as Jaxon runs in, holding up his painting and proudly declaring he’s finished.
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