She shrugged, looking uncertain. “I don’t want this to sound strange.” I raised an eyebrow, silently urging her to continue. “Could Alpha walk me home?”
“Is that all?” I asked, relieved. She nodded. “You never need to feel nervous about asking to see him or wanting to spend time with him.”
“I guess I’m just not sure how that works,” she admitted. “I mean, you’re both the same, but in my mind, you feel like two separate beings. Does that even make sense? I just… I have this urge to see him right now.” She shrugged again, a little embarrassed.
“You can spend as much time with him as you want**as long as I get an equal share,” I teased, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “Let me change quickly and toss my clothes in the truck with Bennet.”
“Okay,” she replied softly.
Bennet said nothing as he followed me outside, where I could change and shift behind the truck. I wondered if Kennedy had ever witnessed a full shift before. It was something I made a mental note to ask her later. I didn’t want to frighten her if it was new to her.
Alpha padded around the truck to meet her, shaking his sleek black fur. She simply stared at him, as always. She seemed momentarily mesmerized, as if she couldn’t quite believe he was real**even though she’d been around shifters her whole life. Alpha nudged her gently with his shoulder, breaking her trance, then began to walk toward the packhouse.
She remained quiet for a while, but eventually her curiosity got the better of her. “So… are you always in Ryker’s head? Or do you go to sleep or become dormant until he needs you? I’ve always wondered how this ‘two minds’ thing actually works.”
This was yet another thing I admired about her**how naturally she spoke to him, treating Alpha as his own person rather than just a part of me. She knew I was listening somewhere inside, but she didn’t seem bothered by it.
“We both can listen to the conversations happening around us,” Alpha explained. “But I can also pull back if I need to. After a tough fight or when we need to recover, that’s what I do. It helps me focus and conserve energy, which speeds up healing. But I’m also very present for any interactions with you.”
“Is that so?” she asked, intrigued.
“Yes,” he confirmed.
“What’s been your favorite interaction with me so far?” she pressed.
“Don’t you dare!” I scolded, laughing. She wasn’t playing fair, and he clearly didn’t care about embarrassing me at all. This could go in so many different directions.
A quiet chuckle escapes him, barely audible. “There are just too many moments to pick from. Every time I interact with you, it feels different, interesting in its own way. I have my own perspective, but I also see things through Ryker’s eyes.”
“That’s a pretty vague answer,” she teases, a knowing smile curling on her lips**the same smile my mother wears when she’s plotting something mischievous. “So, what’s been Ryker’s favorite moment with me?”
Before he can respond, Alpha abruptly halts, colliding with Kennedy. The sudden stop is sharp, and I can tell his mood shifts instantly. Kennedy’s fingers tighten in our fur, a silent signal that she senses something too. Our eyes scan the surroundings, alert and focused.
“What’s the situation?” I ask, opening the link to my team, hoping they’ve already been alerted.
“Three rogues crossed into our territory about three minutes ago,” Alpha reports quietly but urgently. “We’ve been tracking them along the border all day. Looks like they were waiting for a signal. They’re heading straight for your location, boss. Your mom is safe for now.”
“I’m two minutes out,” Bennet’s voice comes through the comm. Josh confirms the same.
We inhale sharply, tasting the tension in the air. “Two minutes won’t be enough. Get here fast and secure Kennedy.”
No sooner do I finish speaking than the faint rustling grows louder, carried on the breeze. Two wolves emerge, their approach anything but stealthy. It’s clear they’re on a suicide run**here to deliver information and die trying.
Kennedy clutches our fur tightly, her gaze fixed on the left flank**the direction the wind is coming from. Yet, no one is visible there yet. I wonder if she’s sensing something we haven’t detected.
“Ken, stay close to me. Don’t let go unless absolutely necessary. Bennet and Josh are coming. Don’t engage them**it’ll only put us all at risk. Understand?”
“Mm hmm,” she whispers, her voice barely audible. “They’re here.”
Just then, a dingy gray wolf steps out from the shadows between the trees, followed closely by a brown and white wolf who looks better cared for. They lunge at us immediately. Kennedy’s quick to adapt, moving fluidly with my wolf’s body to shield her. Our presence keeps the rogues at bay, even as they snap fruitlessly over my back, trying to reach her.
One manages to clamp down on my wolf’s shoulder, drawing a snarl from me, but we hold our ground. It lunges again, only to be met with a fierce counterattack as Josh crashes into it, biting and clawing with savage intensity.
“Boss, get her out of here! We’ve got this. Backup is right behind us,” Bennet commands, diving into the fray.
Without hesitation, I lower myself, signaling Kennedy to climb on. She protests softly about my injury, but thankfully she doesn’t delay. Her hands grip handfuls of our fur tightly, her body pressed flush against my spine. If there weren’t danger all around, I might have teased her about holding on so tightly.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.