Page 45 of The Wolf's Secret Twins

He shook his head. “No, she broke it off. But he became belligerent, and she had to run. Now she’s with us, but…”

“But?”

“My protection can only extend so far, Slater. The deal was that she would stay away from you. She’s broken that deal. I can’t protect her anymore.”

I growled. “But youcanprotect her. She’s been suffering because of that stupid meeting. If you’d just let me mate with her and work things out, then the people around her—your pack members—wouldn’t be attacking her.”

“I can assure you we’ve done everything we can to—”

“You haven’t doneshit,” I growled while standing up. “Some kid beat up Adhara at school and Virginia was forced to take her kids out. Nobody else has protected them except me.”

He stared up at me for a while, seeming like he wanted to say something. I hated that I could feel it as strongly as I did with Virginia. That was what made packs bond so well—they tied us together so we knew what the other was feeling, and that would encourage us to do something about it.

My alpha had more to say. It was my duty to hear him out.

“I don’t care what your parents bitch about,” he said, “but I can’t ignore the concerns of the pack at large. And Virginia should have told you while you were sneaking around.”

“Should have told mewhat?”

He stood up and faced me at his full height. “She should have told you that the twins are yours.”

Good thing the chair was behind me. I plopped down into it, staring at my knees, trying to figure out whether I wanted to fight or scream. Everyone was outside right now—and that meant everyone out there would hear what I was doing in here.

But right now, all I was doing was staring.

Blake touched my shoulder. “She told me after my father died. She approached me with Dr. Windsor to tell me about the twins just in case anything happened to her.”

“She lied.”

“I’m sorry, Slater. It should be her telling you this news, not me.”

I gripped my knees again, digging my partially shifted claws into my flesh and drawing blood. “Shelied.”

“I don’t believe my father knew at all. I think he just wanted to make sure there wasn’t an inter-pack war.” He sighed while drifting back. “I’ll give you time to think about what you want to do next. But whatever you do, Slater, I’ll support you. As long as it doesn’t ruin my pack.”

That said, he left the room. A striking silence remained as I withdrew my claws and focused on my breath, trying to get my wolf under control. All he wanted to do was tear the whole room apart. But all I wanted to do was yell at Virginia. She had cost me everything—my family, my job, my pack.

Again.

Heartbreak like this wouldn’t let me survive. I had to shut off my emotions and decide without any influence from my feelings what to do next. She’d made her choice—and now I would make mine.

But first, I had to tell her the escape was off.

Chapter 16 - Virginia

No, this wasn’t happening. This wasn’treal. It wasn’t possible.

Slater had promised.

With his entire being, with his hands on mine, with his mouth inches away from my lips, he had sworn that he wouldn’t leave me in the dust. He would take me and the twins away. We would be a family.

Why was it over so soon?

Why had he chosen to do it overtext?

I gaped at my phone while I fought the urge to vomit. Just hours ago, he’d been here with the kids, playing games at an ungodly level while looking like he’d just won the lottery. Now he was telling me the whole thing was off. He wouldn’t answer my calls. He wouldn’t give me anything.

I crushed my phone in my hand.I knew he was going to hurt us.

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