Chapter Thirteen
“I’d like to meet her.” Mina soothed her hand over Rafe’s shoulder.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Not until we know more about her or the purpose for her coming here.”
“Rafe, baby, she is your sister. I’m sure everything will be fine.” Mina ran her hands across her stomach. Affection spread over her beautiful face, warming his heart. There was no doubt his mate loved the babies she carried within her.
If anything happened to them—ugh! He couldn’t even think about it. Pain tore through his chest at the mere idea. His life—his world, was his mate and the twins she carried within her body.
“I can’t bear the thought of something happening to you or our young.” He pulled Mina close, enveloping her in his arms.
“You worry too much. I’ll be just fine, and so will our babies. I’m not without my own powers.”
“I know that you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself, but I can’t help being a bit overprotective.”
“Ha! A bit? Rafe, you’re one hiccup away from a heart attack. If Prozac worked on shifters, I’d call Erin for a prescription in a hot second. You need to relax, baby, and trust me.”
“I don’t like it.” He didn’t. Not at all. The whole situation was off. Adalyn’s story about why she came to Black Paw, her sob story about her mother—the whole damn thing. None of it sat well with him.
“Son, you know she speaks the truth. You witnessed her very first shift to human. You heard the truth of her words. You felt the truth she spoke.” Grace stood in the doorframe, a cup of coffee in her hand.
“Mom.” Rafe sighed.
“Don’t Mom me. I don’t like it any more than you do. But we have got to face the facts, Rafe. She is your half-sister. There is no other explanation. I’ll be with Mina when she is ready to meet Adalyn. I’ll take Brenna with me. Mina and the babies will be perfectly safe.”
“It’s not just a safety issue. I’m not sure I want Adalyn to feel overly welcome here,” Rafe grumbled.
“Rafe!” Grace and Mina shouted in agreement.
He had the good sense to lower his head and look away. What he had said wasn’t nice. He knew it. They knew it, and they called him out on it. “What do you want me to say, Mom? That I hope she stays. I hope we can catch up for all the lost years and become BFFs? Not fucking likely.”
And it wasn’t probable—in any way, shape, or form. He really wanted nothing to do with Adalyn, and he sure as hell didn’t want her under his damn roof. She may not have lied to him yet, but it was only a matter of time. She would lie, slip up somehow and when she did, he would be there to take her down.
“Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, Adalyn is just as innocent in this as you are? That she had nothing to do with her mother’s plotting and scheming?” Grace yelled at her son.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever been called innocent,” Rafe huffed. “And for the record, I don’t think she’s innocent. Not by a long shot. She may not be in line with her mother’s agenda, but you can bet your ass she has her own, and it’s only a matter of time until we find out exactly whatthatagenda is.”
“You’re wrong, Rafe. I can feel it in my blood, in my bones,” Grace warned.
“Maybe I am wrong. Maybe I’m not. Only time will tell. The one thing I do know for certain is that I’m sure as fuck not about to let my guard down and welcome Adalyn with open arms like the long-lost sister she claims to be. Mom, I hate to say this, but you’re foolish to think that’s what I should be doing. There are too many what ifs at play here.”
“Where is the welcoming and kind Alpha I fell in love with?” Mina asked quietly.
Rafe sighed, glancing at his wife. He didn’t want to fight with her about any of this. “He’s still here, but I have to think of you and our babies first. I have to think about the pack and what’s best for them. Don’t the two of you understand? If Adalyn’s claim is true, as the oldest of Bjorn’s children, that would make her the rightful Alpha of Black Paw Pack. Do you know what could happen if we had to submit to her? The damage that could be done to this pack? How devastated our ranks could become if she decided to assume control with her mother guiding her?”
“But she accepted you as Alpha when she shifted!” Mina gasped.
“She accepted Rafe, for now. But she didn’t relinquish her claim as Alpha,” Grace whispered.
“Exactly. Until that happens, I can’t trust Adalyn or her intentions.”
“I get that, Rafe. I really do but leaving her alone to stew in silence isn’t going to do any good. Let me and some of the other women here get to know her. Let her see what pack life means. She probably grew up thinking we’re monsters. Let’s show her who the pack really is,” Grace offered.
“Your mom is right, Rafe. You don’t have to do everything on your own. Let us help you with this,” Mina said.
“Fine,” Rafe grumbled. “But I do not want you to be alone with her. You are to have someone or a couple of powerful someones with you at all times. Am I clear?”
“Crystal.”
