Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Wolf’s Secret Twins Chapter 5

Slater

I knew I should have left at first light.

When Virginia caught me on her front porch like a watchdog, I tried to play it cool. I tried to make it seem like I was just doing the community a favor instead of her personally. But when I saw the twins pop out the door, I knew it was more than that. These kids didn't have a father. Whether he was nearby didn't seem to matter, as he wasn't in the picture.

Seeing her abandoned like that made me irate. How could a pack held together by wood glue turn away one of their own and leave her by herself? The whole mating thing was to ensure protection. But if that was the only form of protection for people like Virginia, then those people were truly f****d.

This was a service. I was a protector. I would make sure that my pack remained safe, even if those within the pack didn't do the same for me. Rebellion occasionally worked in my favor, and today it had worked beautifully, keeping those leech-like parents away from the woman who couldn't defend herself.

Though as the afternoon dragged on, I knew I had to get to Bravecrest land. There were projects happening that needed my attendance. Wendell was working on the new school for the Bravecrest side, and I was the lead in charge. A few texts from my protégé stole me away from Virginia long enough to realize the time.

Sun baked right into my skull as I marched to the other side of the property. Gertie met me at the halfway point, sweating something fierce while holding up a water bottle for me. I waved it back to her, encouraging her to drink. Short red hair clung to her neck and her bangs were plastered to her forehead, pasty coral skin patched red in various places.

Vicious crimson eyes peered at me over the water bottle. She wasn't mad or anything. That was just how she looked all the time.

She gasped. "Buddy, did you have to make me trek all that way?"

"You gotta cover my ass for this morning."

"Slater, did you pick somebody up again last night?"

My eyes couldn't have rolled harder. That was one thing Virginia and I shared-we rolled our eyes a lot. Maybe I got it from her, or she got it from me. It was hard to say when we'd been attached at the hip so long ago. Having her by my side again ruffled some feelings I thought had been cemented in the past.

I rustled my hair thoughtfully. "Well, no."

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing."

She huffed and started heading to the construction site just past the neighborhood houses. "Bull."

"Do I look like I have a septum piercing?"

"It's about a chick, isn't it?"

She wasn't wrong, but... "No."

"I can't cover you if I don't know why."

"It's not a chick. It's a woman."

She swigged the water victoriously.

"Shush," I warned. "She's a single mother with twins and she had some creep-o stalking her. Nobody else was going to do anything about it, so I did."

"Did you smash his teeth?"

I laughed briefly and then cut the sound with a frown. "No. Do I look like someone who would waste that kind of energy?"

"Is she cute?"

"She's-" I blinked through the brain fog. This sounded like a trap for more information that didn't need in Gertie's head. "Irrelevant, okay? Just tell Wendell that I was working out of sight or something. Sheesh."

She waved me off. "Fine, fine. But you owe me a burgie special at The Greasy Jester."

"That the shifter bar in town?"

She nodded. "You in?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm in. Get out of here, you twerp."

She giggled, capped the bottle, and took off ahead of me. Gertie was the kind of gal to want to get her hands dirty rather than cake makeup on her face. She did a lot of things that Virginia would probably do, like hopping trains and going camping. She had never been my type, but word around the neighborhood was that she had the hots for somebody who worked at that damn shifter bar. No idea the guy's name.

Once Gertie captured the attention of the crew by knocking into a table of tools, I slid right into place like I'd always been around. I perused the structure with my hard hat on, checking everything to make sure it was sturdy, done properly, checking the boxes on my clipboard like usual.

Scribbles filled the space between conversation and the sounds of tools. The footsteps that echoed behind me were noted-I just hadn't felt like acknowledging them yet. It was probably Wendell checking in about Gertie's outlandish claim of me being present the whole morning.

But when I turned around, I was met by the kind and gentle smile of Alpha Troy.

I bowed my head. "Sir, I'm sorry. I thought you were Wendell."

"I told him to go home. He appeared haggard. Thanks to your dedicated worker, Gertie, we were able to get him off his feet before he fainted."

I gaped at him. "Oh, I didn't realize-"

"That he was on another work binge?" Troy chuckled lightly. "Even his mate can't always convince him to rest. That's why we have a community-a pack. To help each other."

My heart hammered as I realized he was talking about something he wasn't saying outright. Was it because I had been gone all morning? Had Gertie spilled the beans? If that was the case, then she wasn't getting her "burgie" special at the Greasy Doorknob, or whatever it was. "Sorry, Alpha," I whispered. "I didn't mean to skip work. I just-"

"I'm not here about that. I'm here to apologize for trying to pair you with someone who..." A wrinkle creased his eyebrows. "I was unaware of your history with Miss Denton. She's a wonderful woman. However, I wouldn't want to start a fight within the pack over your family history."

I tapped the pen on my clipboard. "Yeah, well...history or not, Alpha, there's something you should know."

"I'm listening, dear friend."

"Ginny-I mean, Virginia was telling me that this guy Bentley has been bothering her for a good while now," I explained. "I caught him trying to hurt her after the meeting."

The creases in his brows deepened. "Where? When?" He scoffed as he looked away. "I knew I shouldn't have left her by herself. Something seemed off yesterday."

"I followed her. I felt like something was off too."

"Slater, I appreciate your effort to protect your pack members, especially ones who have done you harm in the past."

I shook my head. "It's nothing."

"It's everything." He held my shoulders with a firm touch that resonated with comfort. "You make me proud, dear friend. You're the type of shifter we need in our community. You've set an example for everyone. The way our members reacted to her reveal was-" I growled. "Disgusting."

Troy nodded while gently releasing me. "Precisely, Slater. My sentiments exactly. I will bring Bentley in for justice. Stalking and assault are serious crimes that require punishment." "What about Virginia and her kids?"

"What about them? They're afforded the same care and protection as everyone else in the pack."

I frowned. "Except for when it comes to having a mate. And she's already facing heat at the school with the other parents. How long will that behavior be permitted until it's punished?" "Has anyone else been stalking her?"

"Well, no."

Troy stared at me with a blank expression for a long time. While I didn't get the feeling that I was in trouble, I knew he was studying my every reaction. He was searching for something. For what, it wasn't clear.

"Does something else weigh your heart, dear friend?" Troy asked in a low whisper. "You seem troubled."

That was one word for it. With Virginia going into protective care with the alphas, I didn't have a reason to hang around her house. There was something satisfying about making sure she was safe, and something even more satisfying about resting my head closer to her than I had been in ten years.

So, yes. I was troubled. I was worried about Virginia and her kids-and I had no real reason to be concerned with a woman whose family had screwed us over ages ago.

I scratched the side of my head. "Yeah, no. I'm good, Alpha."

"Well, my door is always open."

As he turned away, I considered the words on the clipboard, the scribbles and checkmarks I had made in various places for my usual round of examinations. I twirled the pen in my hand and glanced at the walls, the bare wood that would soon house drywall, and then after that, would house chairs, tables, games, toys.

Hope lived here. Inside these spaces was space for life to thrive. Given where we had come from, this was a great testament. Our alphas had taken the broken pieces of our packs and sewn them back together. Even shifters like Gertie who had experienced great pain at the hands of the Myrtles were afforded a new life. And with that came hope.

Much like now, the way I felt that same hope permeating my spirit. "Alpha, wait."

Troy paused in the unfinished doorway wearing an expectant smile.

"I, uh..." I scratched my neck with the pen. "Do you think Virginia will be okay with her kids? The people at the meeting were pretty..."

"Angry?"

I nodded. "Yeah, well..." "Well?"

His tone was charming, playful, light. He wanted me to spit it out. And I knew it would be better to lie, yet my body refused to allow me to lie. He was my alpha, after all. While it shocked me to feel such a strong allegiance to him, it was also a welcome feeling after experiencing such disillusion over ten years ago.

"I'd like to make sure she doesn't get harassed," I offered. "I walked her and her kids to school today. I just didn't like how those parents were looking at her."

He retained his smile while squinting slightly. "Are you volunteering to protect her?"

"Well, yes. I think it would be better for now. Just in case. I mean, nothing bad happened. Someone called her a deceiver."

He nodded. "Do you think she's deceptive?"

"I mean..." I looked away. How could I explain to Troy that I had once loved Virginia by another name? "I don't know, Alpha."

"But you think she's worth protecting."

I shoved the clipboard under my armpit and sighed. "Yeah, I know. It doesn't make sense. I don't trust her, but I feel compelled to protect her. Those kids don't deserve to be treated poorly because of actions made by their elders."

"I share that sentiment, Slater. I commend you for reminding me of that."

"Yeah, well..."

His grin grew. "Well, I think Blake would appreciate such forward action from one of his own. You have my blessing to make sure the Dentons aren't harassed. I expect a report in a week."

I saluted him stiffly. "Yes, sir. I mean, Alpha. I mean-"

"At ease, Slater."

"Sure."

He nodded as he turned. "We'll keep you updated on the situation with Bentley. And we'll be in touch with Virginia." He paused once more to add, "Let Virginia know she's safe with us, will you?"

"Of course."

And then he left.

I stood at the edge of the structure with my heart in my mouth and my ears splitting open. Tinnitus came swiftly. I rubbed underneath my ears to clear it up, to no avail, feeling like I was about to lose my mind or explode. Or maybe both. Virginia wasn't worth protecting after what her family did to me. But seeing the way she handled her children-how she protected them-inspired me to do the same thing.

But they weren't my kids. She wasn't my mate. Why did I care?