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Nellie mock gasps as she covers Kael, the red-haired freckled other twin’s ears. “You truly are a barbarian. Do you really have no shame?”

Says the girl that cusses more than I do, but sure let’s pretend you are so perfect.

“Calm down Broadway, nobody here is going to give you that five star rating you are so desperate for.”

Nova coughs to try to cover her laugh as Nellie cuts her eyes to her. Nova holds up her hands in surrender when Nellie points a finger at her.

Thankfully Silas comes walking in with a smirk on his face. He knows how much Nellie gets under my skin every single time, and yet he doesn’t offer any advice either.

He comes to a stop next to me, looking down at his little family with so much love.

“What can I do for you Xav?” Silas says as he raises an eyebrow at me.

“I wanted to talk with you about the Grant issue. My gut is telling me that we need to handle that sooner rather than later.”

He nods his head. “Come on then, let’s go to my office.”

He walks over, kissing Nova on the top of her head as he puts a hand on her stomach before he kisses the twins and signals for me to follow him.

I follow behind him until we reach the front door. With one last look over my shoulder, Nellie flips me off as she blows me a kiss.

I shake my head before I walk out the door. I don’t know what it is about her, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t help but antagonize her.

As much as she annoys me, something about her draws me in. I gravitate towards her each time. As if she is earth and I’m the moon orbiting her. The flash of defiance each time we bicker is like the sun rising over the horizon, lighting up my world each time.

Epilogue

Selene

Two Months Later - The Stranger

My key slides into the lock of The Howlery, locking the door after another wonderful day. It’s been two months since Caelon gifted me this amazing gallery and I’ve cherished every single second of it. I’ve got plans to offer photography classes, have shows featuring different artists in our town, and so much more down the road after our little one arrives.

As if she knows I’m thinking about her, she gives my firm, rounded belly a nice kick. It won’t be long now before we are welcoming our first pup. Thankfully wolves only gestate for sixty-three days instead of the nine months of a human pregnancy. I can’t even imagine doing this for that long becauseat this rate, I’m already over it and I’m only fifty-eight days through.

After Lena came by for the gallery opening, Caelon and I reviewed her offer. While we loved everything about it, we didn’t like the idea of the amount of traveling it required. When we brought the concerns up to Lena, she countered with one trip every six months instead of once a month, which was the initial offer. So far my projects have been local with everything being within driving distance, which was another huge change for me. With Jasper being as small as it is, we aren’t accustomed to driving all the time. I’ve loved all the feedback they’ve given about my photographs though which has made it worth it already.

The street had been silent given the late hour until the high-pitched snarl of an engine cuts through the quiet like a blade. There’s only one group around these parts that ride motorcycles, and they aren’t supposed to be in our town.

There on the bike, with his black leather boot propping him up, is a man with dark, shaggy, black hair. His black shirt is practically glued to his skin, with arms covered in tattoos. He’s got the bad boy look down to a perfected art. But it’s not his looks or his vibe that worries me, it’s the Ghost River Pack tattoo that stands out against his wrist. The black wolf on one side of the river with a mirror ghost wolf on the opposite side of the river. Each tugging on a chain pulled taut between them. The red initials GR bleed into the river giving an almost blood river look to the water.

My hands reflexively cover my belly, protecting my daughter from whatever threat is happening.

“Can…can I help you?” My voice shakes.

I know we had our issues a few months ago, but I thought we solved all that when we paid off the debt. So why is a wolf here?

“I’m looking for your Alpha.”

My eyebrows scrunch in confusion, but I keep my thoughts to myself. I’m in no position to protect myself, and there’s nobody around to aid me either.

“I’m not here to cause any trouble,” he says, his smooth, deep voice trying to placate me.

He swings his leg off his bike as he stands. I can’t tell for sure, but I swear he’s at least 6’2” if not taller. His cocky, assured smile crosses his face as he takes a slow step towards me.

I take a step back, putting distance back between us. He holds his hands up in surrender.

My fingers tremble as I reach into my bag to grab my cell phone. Silas needs to know about this immediately.

Pushing his contact, it only rings one time before he answers. I don’t wait for him to ask questions, or even say a word.

“Alpha, you need to come down to The Howlery right now.”

The End