Page 46 of Finding Embers and Stars (Twin Flames Duet #1)

Chapter forty-six

T o say we’re stunned is an understatement. I look at Piper and then to our mates before looking back at the elder. Out of all the people from the Alaska pack who could show up, he’s the one I’m least likely to kill on sight.

He was never horrible to us. In fact, from what Piper told me, it was his distraction that allowed us to escape the night we unlocked our shifts.

I let out a sigh. “Come in and explain.” I open the door wider for him to step through and then lead the way into the kitchen. No fucking way am I doing this without coffee.

While I stay busy making a large pot of coffee, for all of us normal people, I also start the electric kettle to make hot water for Piper and Milo.

“Elder Luca, would you like coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?” I turn to find him standing at the edge of the room, looking slightly lost. It couldn’t have been easy for him to come here knowing his reception would be less than cordial.

“Black coffee, if it’s not too much trouble.” He looks around the room, his eyes lingering on the empty chair at the table, though he makes no move to have a seat.

When everyone has a beverage, I push the empty chair towards Luca, and he takes a seat. His fingers trace the pattern on the coffee cup I gave him, the only indication of his nerves.

“When you were both sixteen, I was sent to a domestic violence shelter in Wyoming by the Alpha Supreme. Word had circulated through the supernatural community that there was a place for anyone who had been abused. Whether by a parent, spouse, alpha, or stranger. Anyone would receive help there.”

I glance over at Piper, and she nods. Rhoda had mentioned that Piper’s father had opposed the shelter but said that it wasn’t time for the details yet.

Luca takes a sip of coffee, then continues, “I had no idea what to expect when I got there. I was starting to question the Alpha’s methods, and I had always disagreed with his dismissal of the Moon Goddess and her teachings. But I had no real proof to back up my stance and one man against an army is more likely to disappear than make a change.”

“Especially around the Alpha dick,” Piper mutters.

Luca nods in agreement. “When I got to the shelter, it was nothing like I was told. They hadn’t been stealing our women but rescuing them. Several of the survivors spoke to me, though there were many more who were too terrified to even look at me, given my connection to the Alpha. By the time I had toured the facility, it was clear the Alpha Supreme only hated the shelter because he couldn’t stop them from helping traumatized young women escape his pack.”

Luca looks up at us, meeting our eyes directly. “I asked them if I could stay there.”

Piper’s mouth drops open in shock and I’m not far behind her.

“Rhoda told me the Moon Goddess had tasked them with building the shelter and protecting the survivors. That if I wanted to help, I needed to go back for another two years so I could make sure the two of you escaped.” Now that his story is coming out, Luca calmly sips his coffee while we try to move past the bomb he just dropped.

“Why would you endure years of the Alpha just for us?” Piper manages to ask. From the corner of my eye, I watch Liam pull her into his lap and wrap his arms around her.

“Piper, when I asked if I could stay at the shelter, it was under the condition that I could bring you with me. I saw how your father treated you and I knew that it would only get worse as you got older and you started to come into your power. All the Elders could sense the strength of your wolf. We knew there was a solid chance you would be the one to defeat your father. I knew he would never allow that.” He rubs his forehead, suddenly looking tired.

“Rhoda told me you two couldn’t leave until after the Ceremony of the Full Moon. I could come to the shelter then or I could wait and ensure that the two of you escaped. Later that night, I was visited by the Moon Goddess herself. She reinforced everything Rhoda had told me and said that the two of you were important to reestablish balance in the shifter communities, but it would take time.”

Well, fuck. This was not on my bingo card for today. “So why did you stay after we escaped?”

Luca smiles at me. “I wasn’t going to. I even had a bag packed. Then I got another visit from the Moon Goddess. Once again, she gave me a choice. The shelter would welcome me any time I chose to go there, but she asked if I would consider staying to serve as a double agent to help members of the pack escape. She said that when the Alpha asked me to go to Florida I would know that my time of service was done and I could leave the pack for good.”

“Why are you here? What does the Alpha expect you to accomplish?” Maverick is hovering by the door, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes not leaving Luca for a second.

Luca chuckles. “Well, the Alpha is hoping I will facilitate his team of wolves in capturing both of you. In reality, I’m here early with a warning so you guys can get packed up and back to the shelter safely. While I have no doubt you could take the team of fifteen wolves waiting for it to get dark, I think it would be best to leave without bloodshed.”

I grab my phone off the charger and dial Rhoda. The phone only rings once before she picks up and doesn’t waste any time with pleasantries. “Luca is telling the truth. The jet is already at the airport in Venice. Get your things packed and come home. Felix is sending guards to close up both houses and Shasta is going to reinforce the wards so they can’t get in.” I had opened the bond when she answered, so I know everyone but Luca heard what she just told me.

“Thank you Amma. We love you and will see you soon.” Hanging up the phone, I look around the room and already see organized chaos.

Wyatt steps into my arms, squeezing me tight and kissing my forehead. “Walker and I will head to our house to pack and be back soon.”

Piper spins to look at him. “What about your jobs? I know this is short notice, but we don’t want our problems to cause trouble for you.”

“Embers.” Maverick’s tone is harsh, nearly a bark. “Our home is wherever the two of you are. End of story. We will figure jobs out later. Right now all we care about is making sure the two of you are safe.” He pulls her into a hug, and I watch her melt into his arms.

Piper has always taken care of me. As much as I try to return the favor, I always feel like I’m falling short. Now our mates are picking up the slack and making sure she doesn’t have to stand alone.

Wyatt gives me one last kiss before him and Walker jog out the door. Piper gives me a side hug. “I’ll head up and start packing our trunks if you want to start in the office?” Nodding at her, I slip off the chain for my trunk charm necklace and pass it to her.

Once she’s out of sight. I move on to the next project and turn to Milo. “Can you call for a car big enough for all of us?” He nods and pulls out his phone, leaving the room to get some quiet. “Liam, can you help me pack the office? I was thinking your computer and equipment can go in our trunk to save space if that’s okay with you?”

He nods and leads me down the hallway to the room that he took over for his office. Gripping the wire net that hangs from my necklace, I whisper, “Place,” and the magical trunk appears on the floor before the desk. This one is even bigger than the original ones that papa made for Piper and me on our eighteenth birthday. When he saw how many bags and boxes we had to transport once our books got popular, he immediately made us a new one just for work.

This trunk is on a separate chain from my personal one, so either Piper or I can wear it depending on who needs it.

We quickly pack up Liam’s belongings and then I put the trunk away for the climb to the third floor and our office space.

It’s frustrating as fuck that we just got all this stuff here for our book release and now we have to pack it all up again. Oh well, such is life.

I place the chest again and Liam quickly jumps up and starts handing me things to pack in the trunk. Working together it takes hardly any time to have all our paperbacks and the swag items packed. It helps that papa made specific book slots that are the perfect size to drop our paperbacks in, so they stack vertically. No bent corners or wrinkles on my watch.

Soon we are down to the heat press for the shirts and the printers. Liam gently closes the trunk, grinning at me. “Stars, we can buy a set for the Wyoming house. There’s no point in moving these back and forth. Leave them here, my love.”

I grumble about how long it took to get them shipped to us the first time, but there is no denying that he’s right.

I whisper, “Hide,” and the trunk shrinks back down and returns to the wire net on my necklace. Turning off the lights, I give our writing cave one last look before shutting the door and heading back downstairs.

Back on the second floor, I make my way down to my bedroom and find Piper shutting the lid of my personal trunk. She hands my necklace back and I return my trunk to it, then we head downstairs.

As we walk through the house, we make sure all the windows are closed and locked and the lights are turned off. By the time we get back to the kitchen, the guys are back with their bags sitting by the front door.

“The car will be here in ten minutes. Is there anything else we need to do to get this place closed up and safe?” Milo walks up and offers a hand to each of us.

Lacing my fingers with his, I look around the kitchen. Piper seems to be having the same feeling as I am. “I’m not ready to leave yet,” she whispers.

“We will come back.” Walker pulls her back into his chest, his arms surrounding her.

She sighs and nods, a look of resignation on her face. I know she hates to run like this. It rubs against her and Atlas’s nature to flee before a fight instead of meeting it head on. The one thing we have learned about the Goddesses in our lives is when they don’t give us a choice, it means that if we don’t do exactly what they have instructed, something terrible will happen.

Piper knows it’s not worth the risk, but I understand it still grates for her to feel like she’s running. Especially from him.

“The guards that Felix sent will also clean out the kitchen and donate all the food. There are caretakers coming who will handle everything else. If you want, they can go to your house too?”

Liam looks at his brothers and they all nod. “The guest code is 0311. Go ahead and give it to whoever will need it.”

Walker strolls in with a tray of travel mugs and a basket of breakfast sandwiches. “I got food for everyone since we missed breakfast. Luca, I’m assuming you’re flying back with us?”

Luca nods as he takes one of the mugs looking slightly overwhelmed. It’s been less than an hour since he showed up on our doorstep and now we are all packed and leaving.

It’s time to go back to Wyoming.

The flight gives us plenty of time to talk to Luca about everything that’s happened in the pack since we left.

By the time we land at the shelter’s private air strip, my sorrow over leaving Florida early has faded away. As much as we both love our time at the beach house, coming back to where our family is truly feels like coming home.

I look out the window and catch a glimpse of Nox’s chocolate brown hair with emerald highlights. Grabbing my purse, I head for the door, squealing in excitement when he swings me around in a bear hug.

When he finally lets me go to hug Piper, I turn to Olive and Hunter, pulling them both into a hug. I’ve missed these two brats.

Piper and I make introductions, and it’s then I realize Maverick is still on the plane.

“Mav! Let’s go slowpoke!” I can’t fight my grin as I wait for my grumbly wolf to exit the plane.

As soon as Maverick steps into view, Hunter shifts and starts growling.

Nox throws his hands in the air, looking more exasperated than upset. “What the fuck, Hunter? That is not how we greet people!”

Maverick looks up at the snarl and when his eyes lock with Hunter’s, he shifts and leaps down the stairs.

“Atlas has this, guys.” Piper barely gets the words out before she shifts into Atlas, who leaps between the two circling wolves with a snarl.

As big as Mav is, Atlas is bigger and a lot more dominant. I have no doubt he can sort this out.

“Ummm, Olive? Any chance you can sparkle our asses out of here before we draw the wrong kind of attention?”

“Oops.” She finally drags her eyes off the wolves and shouts, “It’s sparkle time, bitches!”

Reality shifts and a moment later we are standing in front of the shelter, Mav and Hunter still circling each other.

What none of us expected was the whole rest of the family to be waiting for us when we got there.

Everyone starts talking at once until Zeke lets out a shrill whistle and Shasta jumps in to the silence that follows. “Everyone back the fuck up and let the brothers sort their shit out!”

That has both Mav and Hunter freezing in place, matching looks of shock on their faces.

“Now.” Shasta turns to the wolves, her hands on her hips, looking every inch a scolding mother. “Are you both quite done?”

They both shift back, and I run over to take Maverick’s hand. “Let’s go inside and sit down. There is a lot we need to talk about.”

We all head inside, but everyone that isn’t my mate or a Goddess breaks off and lets us have a private room for our discussion.

Shasta doesn’t beat around the bush with her announcement. “Maverick, Hunter is your half-brother.”