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Cev can’t stop staring at my father–in–law as he reviews some of the business plans we‘ ve come up with. By “we,” I mean I say shit, and Cev does his thing to make it seem like know what I’m talking about. I can tell it’s bothering him. Mr. Knightly hasn’t stopped bouncing his leg, but I get it. Cev is both terrified and kind of in love with him. Mr. Knightly has a lot of fangirls and they’re top bitch, sophisticated, eight figure earning baddies.
Knight had to go back to court to talk to the king without us interfering. Mr. Knightly thinks he’s on the ranch with his parents, trying to convince them that it’s best if the twins finish off the term here and then start a new year in Redford City.
Mr. Knightly is–I don’t know if excited is the correct word–maybe happy about us being closer to his pack, but it might be short–lived with what’s probably going to happen. So far, he suspects nothing. I hope.
“You came up with this?” he asks Cev. Cev opens his mouth, and that’s all he does. I kick him under the table, and he shuts his mouth with a loud clack and clears his
throat.
“No,” he almost shouts. “Yes,”
“Which is it?” Mr. Knightly growls.
“I–i–it was a–a–a team effort?” he says unsurely. His voice hits a high pitch I’ve never heard from him before. “I just d–d–do t–t–t–the details,”
“You okay?” I ask as he turns beet red. He stands up and walks toward the kitchen.
“This is your number two? He seems to be, in fact, a sparkly number two,” Mr. Knightly sighs. “I can have a team come up here and do this in a few days.”
“Mr. Knightly, you are the most intimidating man to ever exist. Give him a moment to adjust to your looming presence. I’ll be right back.” The smirk on his face tells me it was the right thing to say.
“You did not tell me he was going to be here. I’m an omega. It’s in my nature to grovel to men like him. And now you,” he waves his hand at me dramatically. His green eyes. stand out to me now. They used to be a soft green shade; now, they glow almost a lime shade. “I knew you were going to be a Luna, but I never expected you to be a fucking alpha, Phoebes,”
“I should have warned you,” I sigh and pull out one of the stools to sit on. “Wines in the bottom part of the fridge, I figured we’d need it and put it to chill.”
“The wine we drink doesn’t work on wolves,” he says quietly.
“I know. Knight got me some new ones,” I nod. He just pretended to be drunk with me. I’m not even going to try and touch that right now. “I’m sorry. It’s just hard for me to keep up with shit right now. Knight is like a fucking werewolf machine, and his father
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is a hundred times worse cause get knows what he’s doing.
“Everything is a test with him, and my wolf loves everything they do like it doesn’t stress me the fuck out, and on top of that. The twins are going to be a whole year behind because of me. I’ve been studying so I can help them with their homework, and they fucking changed math/ Why did they do that?”
“Oh, honey,” he says sympathetically and immediately grabs the bottle. He takes two glasses from the cupboard and brings them over.
“I’d like one as well,” Mr. Knightly calls from my study.
When Cev slides one over to me. I take it to him, and the asshole has the audacity to smile at me in a very wicked manner. I sneer back at him, only making him laugh. It’s a scary, throaty laugh that unsettles both me and my wolf. I spin around and go back into the kitchen. Cev’s hands shake as he tilts his glass to his lips.
“I don’t know how you can stand that. There are two of those things in your house. Mama, two,” he holds up two fingers like his tone isn’t dramatic enough. Dammit I’ve
missed him so much.
“Try finding out that the one inside of you is even more dangerous.” I sit down and take the glass he set out for me. “I’m not sure what you feel, but I don’t feel threatened by either of them unless it’s direct, and even then, it’s kind of provoked.”
Holy shit. We are all hotheads.
“That’s how it should be. You’re all the same rank. I’m surprised you haven’t tried to kill
one another.”
“Knight and his dad are rarely here at the same time. This sucks because I want Knight to be here more, and he can’t be because I need training. I feel like my muscles are ripping every time I move.”
I wonder if he thinks these things are small because he knew he was going to be a werewolf. I still kind of want to blame Knight for biting me. That scar is always going to be there. The idiot touches it all the time, and I don’t know if it’s fear that gets the reaction out of me. At this point, I’m too afraid to ask.
“Because it’s working,” the two of them say at the same time.
“He’s right, mama. Getting your body into shape for the alpha command is rough. Especially squeezing it all into a short time frame like you are. Alphas train their entire life for it, and some of them still have trouble.”
“The twink is right. You’re fine, given the circumstances.” Mr. Knightly comes into the kitchen to wash his glass. “I will keep reviewing these. Are we going anywhere today?”
“No, I canceled the tour of the building in North Hollywood.”
“Why? The digital tour showed promise.” he wipes his hands on the towel hanging on
the oven door.
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“If the twins have to go to school in Redford, I want a place closer to them.”
“Ooo,” the two of them shake their heads.
“What?” I ask.
“Redwood,” Mr. Knightly corrects me. Why do I keep forgetting that? “Is a shit hole. That’s a place for strategic thinkers. You’re more behind–the–scenes and hands–on.”
“Try Magique. That’s where the money and high society snobs are,” Cev adds.
“The twink is right,” Mr. Knightly pats his head. “There are guards all over. Do not leave the premises, Phoebe. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” I salute him.
“Good girl. Behave yourself. I am just a phone call away. Yes?” he is such a fucking dad. He treats everyone like this. Even the guards.
“Yes,” I agree. He looks down at Cev and lets out a heavy sigh before he walks out.
“Are you okay?” I ask Cev.
He shuts his eyes and points toward my study. I laugh as he walks away with his hips turned away from me. Maria isn’t the only one affected; it seems. I take both our
glasses and the bottle back to the study with me.
“Thank you,” he clears his throat.
“I’m going to go check on the twins,” I laugh.
Ayrie is fixing her hair, and Aizen is preparing their camera when I get to their room.
“Hi, Mommy,” Ayrie wobbles over to me with her hairbrush between her legs. “Help?”
“What’s going on?” I take the brush.
“Dad wants to see us unbox our new toys, so we making him a cool video.”
“He is going to love that,” I agree. “Do you need any help?”
“We got it,” Ayrie says when I finish fixing her pigtails. “Actually, can you help with a background? I no want a beach,”
“It took me forever to get everything set up right here,” Aizen groans.
“It’s okay,” I ruffle his hair. “Let’s get the green blanket and cover the doors so we can choose whatever we want later.”
“Yeah,” Ayrie claps her hand. “I got it. It’s in the hallway.”
I go to the doors to lock them. As I’m adjusting the curtain, I see movement, and the alarming sense of danger I’ve felt before courses through my body. I immediately put my phone to my ear.
“I just left,” Mr. Knightly answers, annoyed, but right after the first ring. “I cannot be around your little omega friend. I am an animal.”
“There’s someone on the beach.” I skip past all that.
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“It could be a guard,” I can hear the eyeroll through the phone.
“I wouldn’t be calling you if Midnight wasn’t doing the thing,” I growl at him.
“I’m turning back,” he says calmly. “Get upstairs. Play with the twins. Do not alarm them. It’s not good to scare them this close to transition.”
“Okay,” I agree.
“Got it,” Ayrie skips into the room. “Is big.”
“Your head is big,” Aizen scoffs at her.
I stick my phone in my pocket without hanging up. I hope I can remember all the no- nos when this is over.
“I’m going to get Uncle Cev. I just locked the doors. Don’t open them again; the blanket will fall when we set it up.”
“Okay,” they both agree and start bringing their boxes over for the video.
I close the curtain and clumsily place the blanket over it. I run down the stairs and lock the doors. I freeze when I turn to my study to see a man standing there with his hand over Cevin’s mouth. When he spots me, he lets out a heavy sigh.
“You know,” he says in a very familiar voice. “You look just like her. Do you remember
me?”
