Female Novel
Chapter 51
Once we got back into town, Alec picked up a rental car to drive the rest of the way. After a half anhour, the buildings began to look familiar. Anxiety churned in my gut as we drew closer to town. I rolledmy lip between my teeth, something I often did when I was stressed out. “There’s nothing to worry about.” Alec reassured me, flashing me one of his dimpled grins beforeturning his attention back on the road. “Garrett won’t get his hands on you, and Grace is out of thepicture. You won’t be anywhere near Melissa and Frank either.” “It’s not them I’m worried about.” I sighed, “When I ran away, it wasn’t just you and Kade I left behind.”
“Tori.” Alec nodded, his eyes on the road. I could feel the echo of pain deep within him, suppressed yetpresent. Leaving had hurt Alec and Kade more than I could’ve ever understood. “She was moreworried than anything, but I can’t speak for her.” “I don’t blame her.” I shook my head, “For being upset, I mean. It was my fault.”
“You did what you thought was right at the time.” Alec grimaced, and I nearly flinched as his underlyingpain seeped to the surface. “None of us can blame you for that.” “I just–I didn’t know you guys could help.” I admitted, ending my sentence with a little snort. “Although,now I understand why you and Kade are so massively large for high school seniors.” “Massive?” Alec mused, flashing me a sly grin. “If you want to see massive–“ “Don’t finish that.” I shook my head, face flaming. “Not to worry, once we get home, I’m sure Kade would love to hear about how massive you think weare.” Alec’s smirk widened, his dark eyes flashing playfully. I sunk lower in my seat, avoiding the heated yet playful gaze of Alec as my body reacted to his words.It’s not like I haven’t been intimate with the twins, yet each time had been so overwhelming, evenbefore I was aware of the mate bond. Their touch was all consuming, chasing away the mosttroublesome thoughts from my mind. When they touched me, all I could think about was more–waswanting more of them. After what felt like seconds, we pulled into town. The town was nestled in the middle of the dense
woods, far from prying eyes. I now understood why someone would build a town so far out in the forest.The thick woods gave the perfect coverage to shift without anyone seeing you. The town itself wasquite beautiful, much nicer than the town the humans lived in. The buildings were all shiny and new,clearly well taken care of. Within minutes, we were driving down the street where Alec and Kade’shouse sat. Their house was the largest in town, with a long wrap around porch just out front. It was asnice as Garrett’s newly built house, though Alec and Kade’s home felt more—lived in. Garrett’s housereminded me of a show home, beautifully decorated, but cold on the inside. novelbin
My stomach dropped as we pulled into the driveway of Alec and Kade’s house. My eyes were glued toTori’s house, which was just a few houses down the block. Her driveway was empty, she must have notbeen home. Swallowing the nausea, I felt, I let Alec open the door for me and followed him into hishouse. The foyer was large, an intricate crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The house wasn’t cold andextravagant like Garretts. This house was luxurious, but actually felt lived in. My eyes scanned thepictures on the wall, instantly seeking out a young Alec and Kade. Both were chubby toddlers, withdark tufts of hair on their head. Each picture seemed to show them a couple years older, up until whatlooked to be this year. My head snapped towards the open kitchen as I heard voices filtering through the house. Alec gave mea light smile and tugged me forward. My legs threatened to lock up, yet somehow, I managed to followafter him. The kitchen was large, big enough for a family of ten. It had two stoves, and a refrigerator with a largescreen. I hadn’t been to a house quite this nice, and found it hard to believe I’d actually be living here.Kade was the only person I noticed, looking much like he had when we left Beth’s bakery. His hair wastousled, and he had changed his clothes. A blush spanned my cheeks as I wondered if he too endedup naked after shifting, if it was a common occurrence among werewolves. Kade turned and met my eyes as though I were a magnet walking into the room. A genuine smileformed on his face, one that nearly took my breath away. I heard Alec chuckling lowly behind me as I
wrapped my arms around Kade’s waist. The shock they felt whenever I willingly touched them wasalways mixed with just a hint of awe. Kade’s arms snaked around my waist, and I felt his lips pressagainst my hair. “Miss me already, sweetheart?” Kade asked, one of his dark eyebrows raised. A light voice cleared their throat and I stiffened as I realized we weren’t the only people in the kitchen.A woman with wheat colored hair and crystal blue eyes, her figure was slim as was her face. The mansitting next to her was the spitting image of Alec and Kade. Dark hair, dark eyes, broad shoulders, anda large build. Alec and Kade’s Mom was watching the three of us, her eyes curious but not judgmental. “Are you going to introduce us?” Their Mom scoffed, though a smile played at the edges of her full lips.“I swear I didn’t raise you boys without manners.” “Mom, Dad, this is Aurora.” Kade chuckled lowly. “Our mate.” “Our?” Their Dad asked, his eyebrow raised in an expression that was nearly identical to his sons. Thesight made me want to laugh, as I now understood where the two of them had gotten their serious yetplayful looks from. “Our.” Alec nodded, the hint of a smile on his ace. “And is this what you needed to talk about last week?” Their Mom asked softly, her eyes remaining onme. “Partially.” Kade shrugged, giving my hand a gentle squeeze before wandering through the kitchen towhere three large platters of food sat. Through my anxiety, I hadn’t smelled the thick scent of food wafting through the kitchen. My stomachrumbled angrily, making Kade smirk in my direction. Kade lifted the lid to one of the platters, grabbingat a piece of steaming food. “Don’t you dare!” Their Mom snapped, waving her hands at Kade as she chased him off. The sight was one of the most amusing things I had seen. Kade towered over his Mom by at least afoot and a half, yet he trotted away at the wave of her hand. Her lips were set in a tight line, though hereyes twinkled with amusement. This is what a family is supposed to be like, I thought to myself. It was clear from the gentle touches
and quiet words, that their parents loved each other greatly. I assumed they were also mating, though Iwasn’t entirely sure. It seemed in the werewolf world that one always ended up with their mates. “You boys are sure she’s both of your mates?” Their Dad asked, his intense eyes on me. “We’re sure.” Alec nodded, one of his arms snaked around my waist, tracing little circles on the small ofmy back. Their Dad’s eyes narrowed into little slits as he stared me in the face, making my heartrate skyrocket. Icouldn’t feel any emotion bubbling from him like I could with Alec and Kade. For once, I felt somewhatblind. I couldn’t tell what was churning behind his dark eyes. “Your eyes look familiar.” Their Dad grunted, his face losing that crippling intensity after a few shortmoments. “There’s a reason for that.” Alec cleared his throat, shooting a quick glance over to Kade, whohappened to be creeping closer and closer to the food. “She’s Garrett’s daughter.” If I had thought their Dad was intense before, I hadn’t seen anything yet. Their Dad’s eyes widened; hislips set in a grim line as he looked me over. Even their Mom looked stunned, and somewhat worried.She placed a hand on her husband’s arm, giving him a gentle nod. “I didn’t know Garrett had a kid.” Their Dad grunted. “Yeah, me either.” I blurted the words out without thinking. “It would’ve been nice to know I wasn’thuman seventeen years ago.” Alec and Kade’s Dad snorted, before letting out a low chuckle. I could feel the approval radiating fromAlec and Kade, along with pride and another intoxicatingly sweet emotion that I couldn’t quite place. “Well, we sure have a lot to talk about.” Their Mom chuckled lightly, the tension leaving the room. “Careto stay for dinner, Aurora?” I sent Alec a brief look, wondering if they knew I was hoping to live here. Alec gave me an encouragingnod, his eyes telling me we’d talk about it later. I turned to their parents, two people who held nothingbut genuine concern for their sons. I realized then that I wanted them to accept me, I wanted it morethan anything. I couldn’t leave Alec and Kade a second time, and I wasn’t sure I could handle morepeople fighting against me. Instead of succumbing to the nerves boiling under my skin, I mustered up a
kind smile and nodded my head. “Sure, I’d love to stay.”