Page 25 of Moved
“Then, why? I don’t do silent and we have nine months together. We need to resolve this.”
“Gillian.” His voice grew soft. “This just won’t work. It can’t.”
I snorted, held his face between my hands, and bent to kiss him again. He growled and kissed me back, not fighting it. His tongue skimmed mine. A hand pressed between my shoulder blades, pushing me closer. His other hand drifted down my back. So much passion. I withdrew slightly to look at him. The whites of his eyes had darkened again.
“Is this how you really look or is there more?” I asked, unable to silence my curiosity. Had my mother looked like this?
His eyes immediately returned to normal. He eyed me, his expression blank.
“What do you mean?”
He sounded so wary. I gave him a long look and decided I’d waited long enough for answers.
I sighed, crawled off him, and went to my room. The jewelry box sat on the nightstand. I turned it over in my hand, removed the backing, and took out my mother’s letter. Racer stood behind me, watching what I did. I offered him the letter.
“You know what I mean. And we would work...if you wanted us to.”
He took the letter, his eyes not leaving mine for a moment. Then, he looked down.
Watching his eyes devour the lines, I recalled the words I’d long ago memorized.
Gillian,
There are so many life lessons a mother should teach her daughter. It would fill a book. I only have a single tiny page to share two important truths with you.
I love you. You and your father are the best things that ever happened to me. If you don’t believe anything else I tell you, believe that.
Werewolves are real, but the legends are wrong. We are born, not made. We aren’t mindless beasts craving the taste of blood, but we are cunning hunters. We do not look like the pretty wolves of the woods. We are a combination of man and wolf, of skin and fur. We. Yes, I am a werewolf, but your father is not. You shouldn’t have been possible. Werewolf mates with werewolf. There’s been no record of anything else. Yet, here you are. You smell like your father, human. Yet, I can see myself in you. I hope my kind ignores you. Without fangs or claws, you have no place with them. Your father knows my secret but asked me to keep the truth from you. He doesn’t want what I am to hurt you. He loves you so much and will do everything in his power to protect you.
Stay safe. Be loved. Live well.
Love,
Mom
His shocked gaze met my steady one. He didn’t say anything as he slowly sat on the bed and hung his head. After a moment of silence, he looked up at me.
“When?”
“I found it two years ago. I thought about telling my dad but Larry said it would be safer for everyone if I kept going as if I didn’t know.”
“Larry?”
“Yeah. He’s my Dad’s oldest friend. He was there when my mom was still alive. After the letter, I started watching, seeing things. So I went to Larry. When I asked him, he wouldn’t tell me more than what the letter said. Mom hoped your kind would leave me alone, but they never really left, you know? I’m still not sure how do you fit in. Dad said we’re not related—”
“You knew?” His quiet voice worried me. “When you antagonized me...” He stood. “When you flashed me...” He stepped toward me. “When we kissed...you knew?”
I gave a cautious nod. We stood toe to toe. I refused to look away. He didn’t look mad. Annoyed, yes. But he almost always looked annoyed.
“Are you, like, a cousin six times removed?” I said with an arched brow.
He sighed, and a smile tugged at his lips.
“How did your dad handle you on his own?”
“He didn’t. Larry was there, too, and the rest of the gang.”
“Pack,” he corrected.
