Heart's Desire

Chapter 17 - Kit

When the alpha, his mate, and his sister return, Monty and Sasha explain what happened as calmly as they can.

Still, the alpha isn't happy, and fearful of his anger, I stick close to Monty's side. I know Dane won't hurt me, and that he isn't like my uncle, but I can't help the way my heart races and my limbs tremble at the growl in his voice.

Monty says I have something called 'anxiety,' and 'pee tee ess dee,' and I believe him even though I don't know what that means.

"Fuck," Dane swears, examining the broken glass. "The fuck did this?"

"Dane!" His mate holds both twins, who only left Monty's arms in favor of their father's. "Not in front of the kids. How many times?"

"Sorry," Dane grunts. "But... well, fuck."

"Sasha's out searching the perimeter," Monty says. "She should be back soon."

"Sasha?" Dane asks, a hint of accusation in his tone. "Why not you?"

"Because your children screamed like tiny banshees every time I tried to set them down," Monty replies mildly. "Dug their little needle-claws in my arms, too. That's not a Wolf trait, is it?"

"Nope. They get that from Julian. Regardless, I don't like Sasha out there alone. Freya, maybe you—"

Even as he speaks, an elegant cream and ginger colored wolf trots through the open front door, nipping lightly at his fingers as she goes past on her way upstairs.

"Sasha's a Wolf, too, Dane," Monty reminds him gently. "She can handle herself."

A moment later, Sasha descends in human form, dressed in blue jeans and a loose white blouse, tying her abundant cinnamon curls back in a ponytail.

"That's right," she says. "She can."

Dane crosses his arms over his chest. "So, what'd you find?"

"Not much." She shrugs, coming to perch on the arm of the sofa beside Monty and me. "Just familiar scents—us, the usual wildlife—nothing new or different."

"Who's 'us,'" Dane asks.

She frowns at him. "Everyone staying here, plus Martin and Jake."

"What about neighbors?"

"The nearest live ten miles off. You know that."

He sighs, rubbing a hand over his long, rope-like locs. "Could it have been an accident?" he asks. "A bird, or a tree branch, or something?"

"Any bird hit that window hard enough to break it be a dead bird, and there's no bird out there," Sasha snaps. "And where the hell a tree-branch come from? There's no trees near enough, and it's not even breezy out."

"A coincidence, then?" Dane suggests. "Sometimes windows break from stress—heat and cold, a house settling..."

"Dane, get your head out your ass," Freya says, smacking him lightly on the arm. "Sasha damn near built this place herself, and she damn well knows what she's about."

Sasha nods. "These windows are dual-pane, UV resistant safety glass. They don't break easily."

"Why would someone attack the twins, though?" Julian asks quietly, running his fingers through Luna's soft curls. "They're just babies."

Both twins sit in his lap, playing with a pair of stuffed toys Sasha had brought down from the attic. One is a gray wolf, and the other is a white fox, just like me. A strange, warm feeling had filled my chest when Luca had reached for it and spoke one of his rare words: "Kit."