AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I have no idea.” I shrug when he huffs.
“What was his full legal name?” George is trying to remain composed as he peppers me with questions, but I don’t know the answers to most of them.
Ryan had a terrible childhood, and I never, ever wanted to push him to share things he wasn’t able to share. We built a life around the memories we shared together because all that mattered was the life we were creating.
The past was where it belonged—in the past—and we were happy.
Until he was ripped away from me.
“Ryan Tartan is what I knew him by,” I say, a small smile gracing my lips. But the werewolves both frown, clearly not recognising his name. “But he was estranged from his family, so I’m not positive if that’s his family surname or not. He… he had a bad relationship with his parents and moved away so that he could avoid them.”
George nods, but I can sense his unhappiness with this. “And she’s definitely his baby?”
“Yes.” I sigh, the tiredness overtaking me, but that’s better than anger. How dare he insinuate I’m lying. What would his fake claim do? He had no life insurance, there’s no child benefit to claim… I shake my head, wanting to move past this inquisition. “Look, I called the police?—”
“We know, and thankfully, our people handled that. We’ve got men in place to handle any of our more… supernatural cases,” George says a little abruptly. His demeanour is putting me on edge, and I’m very close to leaving, their help be damned. “We can help you with your daughter, Maia, but you need to be honest with us.”
“She’s only five days old,” I whisper, taking in the gorgeous black hair she has and her tiny button nose. “She shifted into a freaking wolf. My mind is blown at the idea that this is real. But trust me, I want to ensure my child thrives and has the full life she should’ve. Sadly, Ryan is dead, so he can’t help us with this part. But I am not lying to you—surely, any secrets he had would’ve died with him.”
“You’d think,” George murmurs, frowning at my baby—I hope—because otherwise it’s my boobs he’s giving such a dirty look.
“I can only imagine how hard this is for you, and nobody doubts your desire to protect her,” Julie says. There’s a forced calm about her, as if she’s trying to appeal to me to understand their position. But how can I understand a world I don’t know anything about? “Unlike George, I wasn’t born a wolf. I knew before having my children, of course, and we made the decision that I’d turn?—”
“Turn?” I gasp, clutching Phoebe closer to me. She chose to turn into a werewolf? “Is that a common occurrence in your world?”
The front door opens, and I hear two—maybe—men joking around as one teases the other for embarrassing himself at the bar. I tense, and Julie’s face pales.
“Fucking shit,” George snaps, jumping up to his feet. “I’ll go kick them out.”
But before he can even move, the footsteps come racing into the room. The two men—identical twins—zone in on me, causing my heart rate to beat erratically. A cold sweat appears on my forehead, and I freeze in place.
They’re big, scary, and have an aura that warns me to back away.
Their hair is the same light caramel that George’s is, their eyes a bright hazel. They’re probably a couple years older than me, with facial hair that’s a couple shades darker than their hair. It looks good against their honey skin tone.
One of the men is wearing a suit without a jacket. The white shirt is tight against his body, the top button undone, with the sleeves rolled up to show off his forearms. The other is wearing a thin black, long-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of joggers. The first looks like he’s just untucked himself after a long day, whereas the other is holding himself together so tensely.
Their faces are identical, but it’s clear they’re very different personality wise. They both sniff the air, and I swear their pupils dilate as their bodies shudder.
“Mate,” they hiss in identical tones.
My eyes widen as one of them advances towards me, and I swear, with how loud my heart is pounding, they’re all going to hear me. I cringe into the sofa, holding Phoebe tight to my chest to try and stop him from taking her. Is this because she’s a wolf? Are they just going to take her from me?
My grip is as tight as it can be without hurting my daughter.
He crouches down in front of me, sniffing deeply, before tilting his head in confusion. A crease appears in his forehead, his button nose wrinkling. “Baby.”
“Ben, step back,” Julie says. Her tone seems unconcerned, but her lips are pressed firmly together as she watches him.
“Mate,” he repeats, his eyes a bright blue—fuck, weren’t they hazel just before?—as he leans in closer to peer at my little girl.
“Me?” I whisper, and he grins a toothy smile and nods. Dimples appear on both cheeks, barely hidden by the scruff of his beard.
“What’s your baby called?” he asks, still seeming confused about her existence.
“Phoebe.”
His eyes widen at my answer, and there’s an almost wistful look as he glances at her, before the confusion fills his face once more. “She’s a wolf.”
