52
There is a huge team inside the house when we arrive back on the ranch. There is Alice in Wonderland themed everything decorating the living room. As well as monster truck toys that I am guessing are for Aizen. What really warms my heart is that there are other kids here. Not many, but enough for whatever is happening to be fun for the twins.
The two of them stick behind me as we get inside. Ayrie hides behind her giant dragon as two little girls approach with gift boxes in their arms. They stop in front of her. Ayrie lowers her dragon and stands her ground in front of them. They’re a bit smaller than she is, but determined and she’s never been one to back away from a challenge
“Thas a pretty big dragon!” One little girl smiles at her
“Thank you, my pop–pop got it for me,” Ayrie nods. “My name is Ayrle. What’s yours?”
“Kaylee and this is my little sister Cassie, the adorable little blonde points back at the tiny version of her.
“You have a little sister?” Ayrie shouts excitedly. “I want one of those!”
I press my lips together as the little girls all run off together. Aizen looks up at me and shakes his head as if saying, please
- no. Not another one.
“Hi Aizen!” a little boy rushes over to us.
“Elias,” Aizen greets him politely. “Mom, this is my friend Elias. His dad is the coolest. He takes care of the horses!”
“Hi sweetie,” I greet him
“Luna,” he bows politely and the two of them run off leaving me all alone with a bunch of werewolves. Disneyland and the incident are long forgotten.
“Phoebe, I want to apologize, Knightly starts.
“Don’t,” I stop him. “It’s not your fault. And they don’t really know what happened so, water under the bridge,”
“You know exactly what’s happened. I know you’re worried about them, but I care about you just as much as I do them. You‘ re my mate and it feels like I’m failing you the most,”
I scan the area making sure the kids are within sight and address him.
“I don’t really know much about mates. I never cared for it because of my dad. Until now, I’ve considered myself a fairly normal human, and being human means that shit happens. I’d like to address what is happening as such.
“I’m all over the place. Things have changed drastically and I’m coming to terms with it. I’m your mate and there’s not a lot can do to change that. You’ve made it clear that if I try to run it wouldn’t go well for me. So, we’re in each other’s lives now and this is what yours looks like. Just help me catch up?”
“Phoebe, I think you need to take a moment and really look at what’s in front-”
“You want me to snap you? To tell you you’re a fucking ass hole for taking everything from me from the moment you spotted me in the airport? For what? So you can feel worse about it all and make shit difficult for all of us?
“I don’t have time for dramatic shit like that, Nate. I didn’t get this far with our kids by kicking and screaming. I like to get shit done. I like being in control of everything around me. From the way people act to the way they’re dressed. If it’s not to my liking I change it. I’ve found that it’s kind of easy to deal with people if you let them believe they’re getting what they
want
He stares back at me with a blank expression. I don’t want to waste time being angry at him, I get shitty parents or parent in his case. I’ve had enough of that growing up the way I did. If I’m going to be mad, it has to be important. Like these alpha werewolf assholes fucking with me and my kids without me knowing. Like them poisoning my baby and thinking they can. get away with it. Like Ruin talking to me like I owe him something or as if he owns me.
Becoming a shifter wasn’t on my list of things I’d like to do, but Ayrie and Alzen are shifters. They now need me to become more than what I am now, and if it means I can better protect them, then I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Knight is hot and he seems great, but if I’m being honest, it’s not on the top of my list of things that require my full attention.
“I just think you need to sit down and take a deep breath,” he says calmly but his eyes are on fire.
“Phoebs, come meet Miss Addams She’s the academy advisor here. Mr. Blake waves me over to him.
“I think
you
should sit down and take a breath,” I tell Knight. “Maybe step away so the kids don’t see how wired you are right
Successfully unlocked!
King back at him.
I see his shoulders tense up and flare as I walk
eting my eyes. Mr. “Luna Phoebe, the woman I’d met with a few days after arriving is standing in front of me without meeting my
Blake looks between us and smiles politely
“Do you two know each other?” he asks.
“No,” I answer before she can. She looks up at me stunned. “Hi, Phoebe Altaha, Loffer her my hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Miss Addams, was it?”
“Yes,” she croaks and then clears her throat, and then takes my hand. “Bliss Addams, Luna,”
“I’ll leave you girls to it while I go deal with my idiot son,” Mr. Blake excuses himself.
Tm sorry,” she says as soon as he’s gone. “You didn’t have to do that,”
“I didn’t, but I really want my kids to go to your school. It’s the highest–rated education academy in Cali so if you’re willing to start over and get me what I want. The rest of it didn’t happen,”
“It wasn’t personal. You were just in the wrong pack,” she says quietly. “Alpha Xochil’s pups don’t go school here. Even if they are mortal. In which case, yours are not,”
“That makes sense given everything that’s happened. I’m sorry I was rude to you. I just get carried away when it involves my kids. I want what’s best for them,”
“Clean slate then?” she grins.
“Clean slate,” I agree.
By the time the kids are tired and ready to go to bed, the twins are enrolled at the school effective Monday morning. What am I going to do here when they’re not around?
Every time I try to help the other girls clean up, I am dismissed, but it is literally driving me insane not to. I give up when Ayrie comes over to me rubbing her sleepy eyes. I get the two of them ready for bed and once they’re asleep I go find
Knight to see if he’s done trying to convince me he’s at fault for everything going on. I’m literally here with him experiencing the same shitstorm we find ourselves in.
