by Tl Reeve
“Where is she now?” There hadn’t been an ounce of scorn or judgement in her voice.
He shrugged, blinking back the tears he felt building. Danielle appeared slightly fuzzy in front of him and yet he could see her own pain reflected in her eyes. It matched the pain he experienced every day in his soul. “I don’t honestly know. Kalkin took care of her.”
“Ohmigod,” Danielle whispered. She buried her head in her hands. “It explains so much.”
“You know, what Marjorie did to me, it didn’t stunt me sexually.”
“No… just emotionally,” she quipped.
He continued, ignoring her. “I became overly careful when it came to sex. I didn’t ever fuck during the full moon and more often than not if I had sex with a woman, I always pushed for anal first. If she didn’t go for it, I never fucked bareback. Ever.”
“You um… You just had anal with me,” Dani said.
“And came harder than I ever have in my entire life.” Caden gathered her in his arms. He pushed through the uncomfortable feeling of discussing his previous sex life with his mate and continued. “It’s different with you, and you know this, pumpkin. We’re mates, connected on a level I never experienced before. I’m not going to sit here, telling you I did it solely to prevent pregnancy. I’d be lying. I like anal, but I love it with you.”
Danielle quietly traced the tattoos on his chest. “Do you ever think about her?”
Caden snorted. “Not as often as I should’ve. I think I did what I did for Aiden because I couldn’t emotionally or physically do for my own daughter.”
“And you’ve never asked Kalkin where he took her?”
Caden shrugged. “I don’t know if he would’ve told me.”
“All this time, you never tried though?”
He shook his head. If he pushed his twin, he’d eventually give him the answers he sought. Caden never asked Kalkin for the simple fact that he’d worked years to forget the assault and seeing the proof of his daughter would mean he’d have to face his past. It was a pussy move.
“He did it to protect you,” she added.
“Yeah, he did,” he said. “You’re disappointed in me.”
“No,” Danielle answered. “How can you think that? You were a boy, Caden, ill-prepared for the responsibilities of a child.”
“Kal was the same age when he did something no one that young should have to do,” he reminded her.
“Don’t compare yourself to Kal, Caden. It’s not fair. Kalkin didn’t experience what you did. He would have made sure she went to a loving family.”
Caden had no doubts about it. Even as young as his twin was, Kalkin would’ve made every effort to protect his young, innocent niece. “Do you want me to ask Kalkin about her, pumpkin?” Truth be told, after they claimed Aiden and he found out about Nicolas, his long-lost daughter had been in his thoughts more often than normal.
“I think, first things first, you need to come to terms with what Marjorie did to you.” Caden flinched at Dani saying her name. “And you need to stop blaming yourself for something you’re not at fault for or had any control over. Your daughter, when you find her.” Gods, he loved this woman. She said when they find his long-lost daughter, not if. “You need to work on all your current relationships before attempting to bring another one into the fold. When you’re ready, we’ll sit down with Kal, together, and get the information he has on her. She’s going to have questions, and she deserves the truth. Only you can give her it. Not me and sure as hell none of your brothers. Being emotionally closed off with her is only going to end up hurting everyone.”
Caden agreed. “I can do all of it and more as long as you’re beside me, mate.”
Dani didn’t say anything, and she didn’t have to. He could feel the pulses of love and comfort she was sending him. He knew he should stop her. She was still healing and needed to build her strength, not weaken it. However, Danielle was going to do what she wanted to do, no matter how much he protested or bitched for her to stop.
Caden wanted to do something special for them. Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was late, but not too late. He placed her on the bed and kissed her forehead before standing. “Stay there. I’m going to go make a phone call.”
Surprise flashed over her face. “A call…Caden, it’s late.”
“Not that late,” he announced, searching his pants for his cell phone. Locating it, he gave Danielle a wink before walking out of her bedroom and down the stairs. Once he was sure she couldn’t hear him, he called Rapier Dryer.
“Hey, you got a second?” he asked, when the other man answered.
“It’s awful late,” Rapier said. “What’s going on?”
“I’d hoped you could do me a favor,” Caden said. “If you’re not busy.”
“What?”
“Can you watch the boys for a few hours?” Caden planned to have some fun with his mate. All their talk about Marjorie, and what he’d been through, he needed to clear the air between them.
“I’ll be there in twenty.”
“Thanks,” Caden answered. “I owe you.”
* * * *
Kalkin Raferty had gotten into the habit of watching over his family home and land while he waited for his mate to do the last feeding of the night with their twins. Keeley would return to their room where they’d spend a couple hours fucking before falling asleep in each other’s arms. Tonight, Kalkin watched his brother and his mate Danielle, through the double window in his bedroom. The full moon’s bright light made their shadowed figures glow, especially Danielle’s naked rear end as she made her way down the path, with Caden, in his wolf form, trotting behind her. He knew exactly where they were heading. It was the same path he’d followed Keeley down over a year ago. His sardonic smirk reflected in the window.
What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.
Although, Kalkin felt his deceptions were always for the best of his family and pack. One day, they’d all learn, he was several steps ahead of them all. An Alpha always knew best and would do anything and everything in his power to make sure his family was protected and eventually found happiness.
It looked to him as if his twin had finally told his mate what had happened to him all those years ago. Kalkin hoped he was truthful and told her everything, even Kalkin’s involvement in it. He also hoped he’d get his brother back and soon. It hurt him to watch his twin’s downward spiral into self-hate. Kalkin knew he did the right thing and he had done it to protect his brother and family. Caden wasn’t ready to become a dad to the beautiful girl Marjorie had left on their doorstep.
Kalkin knew exactly who she was and where she was. When Caden was ready and came to him, he’d tell him. It’d be another shock, learning his daughter was in their town and pack. Kalkin had maneuvered it that way. He could keep an ever-watchful eye on her, while still keeping her hidden.
Today had surprised his twin, and Kalkin wanted to tell Caden in private about placing Everett, Caden’s best friend and confidante, into the Quincy pack all those years ago. He should’ve sought out his brother when Everett called him on his burner phone earlier. Combine it with Nico informing him Marjorie was back, and Kalkin realized his brother would blow. It had been building for a long time.
Mackenzie had surprisingly taken it much better than Caden. The oldest Raferty had long gotten over the woman he once thought was his mate. Mackenzie simply shrugged and informed Kalkin she wasn’t his fucking mate.
Kalkin suspected if Marjorie got her claws into Royce, she wouldn’t hesitate to inform him of the daughter she had birthed three years earlier and the beloved uncle who had taken the baby girl and hidden her away. She’d also take pleasure in telling his nephew who the little girl’s father was.
Kalkin rubbed the back of his neck. Royce would lose his shit because that’s what Royce did. Hopefully, once his hot-headed nephew calmed down, he could be reasoned to. He’d get blowback, from all sides, no doubt about it, and he’d deal with it. He’d done
the right thing thirty years ago and felt no guilt. It was the right decision for Caden and the tiny little girl.
He planned to tell Keeley tonight. She was a wildcard, and he could never figure out how’d she’d react to shit. She had to know though in case Danielle informed her. He had learned over the last year, the sisters rarely if ever kept secrets from each other. Unlike himself, who played things close to the vest.
Their bedroom door creaked open, and he scented his mate’s approach before she even reached for the knob on the door.
“What are you up to?” Keeley kept her voice soft so she didn’t wake the twins. One of these days his mate would learn his pups could hear everything if they were awake. Whispering wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference. She wrapped her arms around his middle, pressing her tits into his back. He loved her curvier figure since their twins came.
Her breast particularly. He loved making her come, just from sucking on her nipples. “Watching.”
“Pervert.” She laughed.
“I’m not watching that, mate.” He situated them so they were face to face. “Actually, I was watching Caden, in wolf form, chase your naked sister through the woods.”
Keeley didn’t disappoint. She turned to peer out the window. “I can’t see anything.”
“No shit.” He nuzzled her neck. A hint of honeysuckle and the spicy scent of her arousal hit his nose. Fuck. He needed to tell her everything, fast. “He already chased her into the woods. You won’t see anything now.”
“It’s a good sign, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, sweet cheeks. It is. Listen” —he tugged her toward their bed— “we’ve gotta have a conversation.”
“Oh, shit. Every time you want to have a conversation, Kal, it’s never something good,” she grumbled.
“It’s important,” he said.
“You have rotten timing. I’m horny,” she replied.
Kalkin grinned up at her. “I know.”
“If you make me mad, we won’t be fucking tonight,” Keeley uttered.
His little mate had come far in the last year. When he first mated her, she got red and tongued tied even thinking about it. “Angry sex, mate, is fucking hot.”
“Any sex with you always is,” she replied. “Okay, lay it on me, so we can get this over with.”
Kalkin wrapped his arm around her upper arm, pulling her down onto the bed. “It all happened when Caden and I were fifteen...”
Chapter Sixteen
Danielle walked through the ballroom of the Window Rock Inn. The hotel had been very accommodating to her and Keeley. They offered a small room just for children. A few of the younger wolves offered to babysit, along with Nico and Penelope. Mini cheeseburgers and fries were added to the list of food items given to the caterers two days ago. Thankfully, Kylie and Hannah were easy to work with. They hadn’t batted an eye when Danielle came to them in a harried rush.
She’d fallen so behind. After her run with Caden, she decided finding Caden’s daughter had become priority one. She spent her days trying to work through the finishing touches on the auction, then the late afternoons, while the boys slept beside their twin cousins, she and Keeley searched birth records. It’d been a long shot, she knew it before they started, but someone, somewhere had to know what became of the girl. Sadly, they hit road block after road block. Kalkin had done his job well.
Keeley suggested talking to Kalkin; however, both of them worried he’d tell Caden who’d, in turn, tell them to leave well enough alone. Danielle couldn’t though. He’d buried his trauma for so long it’d eaten away at his very soul. His suffering fueled his distrust of women and within himself. She figured, until he reconciled his past with his future, he wouldn’t be able to move past it all. Perhaps, if she found Caden’s daughter, they could heal together, or at least, mend his fractured heart. Because, no matter how much he loved her, it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough, and she understood it. They were two halves of a whole. Both forged in the same fires, both cooled by their love. However, where she’d been shaped into a new person, Caden still kept the jagged edges, never fully being able to slip into his new reality.
“There you are!” Keeley came up beside her. Her long, wheat-colored locks were pulled back in a loose braid. The wispy ends clung to her lashes. She pressed her hand to her chest, catching her breath. “We have so much left to do. We still have to check the centerpieces, make sure there are enough place settings, and beverages.”
“Keeley, relax.” Danielle placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “We still have enough time. Your dress is amazing, by the way.” Mrs. Martin helped them pick out gowns from the rack she had in the store. All of them were vintage. The silver and white off-the-shoulder frock molded her sister’s curves to perfection. Across the bodice were crystal rhinestones. They shimmered in the light, casting prisms along her features.
Keeley sighed, sagging. “Thank you. I didn’t think it would look this amazing. You know.” She poked her belly and boobs.
Danielle laughed. “I believe your mate enjoys both of those.”
Her sister chuckled. “Between you, me, and a fence post, I think you’re right, but you’ll never hear me complain.”
She made the motion of zipping her lips. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
Keeley linked her arm with Danielle’s. “Can you believe we did it?”
“This?” She motioned to the small ballroom. “No.”
“It’s amazing. I’m not sure I’ve wrapped my mind around any of this.”
“No. It’s like...” She couldn’t quite put the feelings into words. “Odd. Like I’m watching this through someone else’s eyes.”
“Yes!” Keeley’s bright, hazel eyes sparkled with merriment. “It’s as if I’ve been walking around in this dream. Any minute I’ll wake up and all this will be gone.” They paused by the podium where the guestbook rested. “I stare down at the twins and wonder how did I—we get so lucky? You know?”
She nodded. “Every day.”
Keeley turned Danielle to face her. Her expression became serious. “Are things really better between you and Caden? We’ve talked about the biggest skeleton in his closet and all, but I worry.”
“We’re good. I promise. I figured out I could either hold on to my hurt and those icky feelings of rejection or I could try to mend whatever was left of our relationship. I can’t even say I’d done it for the boys, because I’d never use them as a crutch. I had to do it for me. I had to let go.” Danielle grinned. “I’m glad Caden caught me.”
“You worried me,” Keeley blurted. “I thought I would lose you completely.”
“I scared myself. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Keeley nibbled on her bottom lip. “I thought if I harped on the fact you looked more like a party skeleton than a human being, you’d retreat even more.” She dropped her gaze. “Repudiation sizzled through our connection. It burned. God, Danielle...” She shook her head, swallowing hard. “It was as if someone poured a bottle of acid directly on my skin.”
Danielle flinched at her sister’s description of how she kept everyone out. “I’m sorry.”
“When did you see yourself? Really, really see yourself?”
“The day Caden stormed into the house and declared he was helping me. I stood naked in front of my bathroom mirror, and I saw myself. I saw the color of my skin. Saw the dark circles and scars. I saw my ribs and sunken stomach... Jesus, Keeley, I scared the shit out of myself.”
Her sister nodded. “I bet. I’m glad you’re better and you didn’t give up.”
“I won’t lie. I thought about it... A lot. Probably more than is normal. The boys helped keep me grounded. Sure, I did everything on autopilot, I can admit it. In the beginning I counted each day by the minute. I made it five minutes without falling apart. Then ten and twenty. Each day I forced the covers off my body even though it hurt. God, did it hurt. Sure, the C-section added to the agony of the other surgeries to fix my lung and internal ble
eding. Sure, it left me drained, but it’d been more.”
“You were depressed,” Keeley murmured, unable to look at her.
“Yes.”
“Now?” Keeley hedged.
“I’m on the mend. I acknowledge it every day. I find one good thing about the day to give me a positive outlook. Like, I made a cup of tea and enjoyed a good book while the boys napped. Or, dinner with Caden. Little things. I also understood if it came down to it, I’d get assistance through my doctors. I’m not naïve enough to believe I can do it on my own. Having a mate also won’t fix a chemical imbalance in my brain; however, I also won’t say it doesn’t ease some of the symptoms. Being depressed isn’t something to be ashamed of, and after everything we’ve both been through, we’re fucked up, Keeley. We have to embrace the messed up parts of ourselves.”
Her sister launched herself into Danielle’s arms. “I love you. I haven’t said it enough lately. I’m sorry I haven’t been the best sister lately.”
Danielle let out a breathy chuckle. “You had twins and the Alpha on your plate. You’ve been busy.”
“I should be saying it every day. I’m sorry.” Keeley sniffled. “Dammit, I shouldn’t be crying.”
“Today is a great day. I feel incredible. We’re doing something amazing. We’re making a difference in a town that, if I had to guess, has been waiting for us. We’re going to make a difference, Keeley.” Again, she motioned to the space laid out before them. “Look. We did this. You did this.”
“Shut up,” Keeley whispered. “Stop making me freaking cry. God, Danielle.”
“It’s the truth. We’re saving lives.” A welling of pride filled Danielle, and she shared it with her sister. “We’re saving our younger selves.”
“We are, aren’t we?”
“Yes.” She took Keeley’s hand. “Let’s go look at those centerpieces. I hope they came out as great as the sample appeared.”
When Keeley and Danielle visited the floral shop in town, they hadn’t been sure what they were going for with this auction. Then she saw them. A small clay pot filled with lily of the valley. They were perfect. The florist had two colors, pink and white, and coincidently enough, the flower meant new beginnings. Then, it dawned on Danielle. There should be more significance for these flowers than just being pretty or eye catching. Each centerpiece would have enough small pots filled with pink and white lilies for each person sitting at the table. At the end of the night, each person would be able to take them home and plant them. If done correctly, the attendee would have lilies of the valley for many years to come as a reminder of their commitment to these children.