Page 41 of Her Shifter Pack

And if it was him, he wouldn’t knock, surely?

The front door opened, and a woman’s voice sung out. “Hello? Is anyone here?”

I gulped. Who the hell was that? Their housekeeper, maybe?

I peeked around the corner and into the living room, not sure who I was about to meet.

A woman in her fifties stared back at me. She was slim and strong looking, with shoulder-length gray hair and dark eyes very similar to Markus’s. “Hello,” she said, studying me intently.

“Ah... hello,” I answered, stepping into the lounge room.

“You must be my sons’ new mate.”

My jaw dropped for a moment before I pulled myself together and rushed over to her. “You’re Markus and Ollie’s mom? It is so nice to meet you. I’ve heard great things about you.”

I held my hand out to shake, but she opened her arms and came forward for a hug.

When she engulfed me in her embrace, I hugged her back, though a little stiffly, I was sure. I wasn’t used to the happy family vibe. I’d always made myself as invisible as possible when I was growing up, glad if my mom and her biker friends forgot I existed.

When she finally pulled back, I said, “I was just about to make a cup of tea. Would you like one too?”

“Of course. But allow me, I know my way around this kitchen. Probably better than you.” She charged ahead, putting on the kettle and taking cups and things out of various cupboards.

I followed, wondering if she’d meant to be slightly offensive, then shaking it off. Of course, she hadn’t meant anything by the comment. It was true. This was her sons’ home and she would know their kitchen better than me. I slid onto the stool at the edge of the island. “I’m Lexie, by the way.”

“Anne,” she said, and this time I noticed that her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “What do you do, Lexie?”

I hated that question, but I answered honestly enough. “Do for what? A job? I’m a waitress, mostly.” What I did to pay my rent didn’t define who I was. Quite the opposite.

“Because you’re studying? At which college?” Her assumption that hospitality was only an in-between job seemed a bit elitest and made me instantly uncomfortable.

I glanced down at the counter, staring at the gray veins running through the marble. “Ah... no. I didn’t finish high school. I didn’t even try to get into college.”

Anne pushed a teacup over the counter toward me. I picked it up and took a sip.

She wasn’t speaking, and I wasn’t sure what else to say. Then it occurred to me that she shouldn’t know about me yet. I’d only met the guys thirty-six hours ago and as far as I know they hadn’t told their mom about me.

My head came up and I studied the woman whose lips were twisted into a strange pinch. “Did Ollie call you and ask you to check up on me?”

She tilted her head. “No. Why would you ask that?”

“Oh, I was just wondering how you knew your sons had found their... ah... mate.” It was still strange using that word and didn’t yet roll easily off my tongue.

Anne shifted her weight, standing a little straighter. “I ran into Nancy last night and she informed me that Ollie had declared you were his mate. In Walmart, of all places.”

I smiled in memory. “Yeah, I had no idea what he was saying at the time, but Ollie asked me to play along, so I did.”

Anne leveled me with the intensity of her next look. “But you understand now?”

I shivered at the strangely veiled threat beneath her words. “If you mean about the perfect pairs and the wolf stuff. Yes.”

“Wolf. Stuff,” she repeated, spitting out each word. “I can’t believe they told you. The council won’t be happy.”

I took another sip of my tea. She didn’t seem to be asking me a question; she was just muttering to herself.

Her eyes flashed silver, then she said, “You’re human. You have no concept of nor respect for what we are.”

My jaw dropped and I put my teacup down. “That’s not fair,” I managed, my temper beginning to ignite. This woman had clearly meant to be offensive, right from the moment she walked in.

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