Page 55 of The Wolf's Surrogate

A tug on her hand got her moving again. She really didn’t need much prodding from me. Most of the time, a firm word inspired her obedience. It made my heart soar to realize that she trusted my voice enough to heed it.

That alone should have eased my worry. But her question last night to the alphas had been slightly jarring.She’s worried about me leaving her.

I homed in on the sensation of our hands swaying together.

Doesn’t she realize how hard I’m trying to keep her around right now?

Just up a small hill, we exited the forest and skittered down a sandy path toward the ocean. Two figures stood near a red blanket with a beige basket and a pile of snacks about ten feet ahead of us. Behind them, the ocean shimmered with sunlight, the horizon alight with a riot of colors.

One wore dusty black clothes while the other was done up in rosy pinks with a full face of makeup and auburn hair like mine. That was my sister and her mate. Their opposing personalities were too evident, a clash of dark clouds with sunshine that made for plenty of great jokes and fun times.

Anita stopped with a gasp. She stared at Kylie with glossy eyes that were beaded with tears. The tip of her nose reddened and then the blush spread to her cheeks as a weak smile appeared.

She peered up at me. “Your sister?”

“How could you tell?”

“Eyes, hair…” She glanced back at Kylie. “Definitely that smile.”

I pulled gently on her hand. “Come on. It’s time for you to meet her.”

We trekked through the dry sand to the red blanket where Kylie went directly for Anita. She scooped Anita into her arms like they were long-lost friends. I had to admit that standing aside to watch them embrace made me feel a bit left out.

But the shining look of relief on Anita’s face was more than worth it.

Fred raised his pale eyebrows at me, jerked his head toward the tree line, and then sharply studied our surroundings.Look alive. That was a good call given the circumstances.

Our pack had stellar security. There wasn’t a chance that a single human, regardless of his achievements as a lightweight boxer, could break past Jermaine’s carefully constructed perimeter of cameras and motion detectors. In addition to that, a team of shifters were on rotating shifts.

Nobody got in or out without us knowing about it.

Kylie sighed loudly. “I was wondering when he was going to get us together. I’m glad that day is today.”

Anita beamed. “Has he told you anything about me?”

“Unfortunately, no. So, we’ll have to sit and chat, won’t we?”

Flushed with crimson all over her face, Anita joined Kylie on the blanket. I was all but forgotten on the sand where Fred cast me another look, this one more entertained by the unfolding event.

I quietly stepped onto the blanket and reached for the basket. Kylie swatted my hand, causing Anita to giggle. My nostrils flared as I wrapped an arm around Anita possessively. “Come on, Ky. You know I’m always hungry.”

“Anita gets to pick first,” she claimed. She turned to Anita and offered the basket. “There’s chicken, ham, and beef sandwiches. We only had cheddar, so that’s what I put on them. But there’s condiments if you want.”

Anita hesitantly reached into the basket like it was going to bite her. A warm rush of feelings trickled into me, a satisfaction I only felt when I was spending time with family. As Anita plucked through her options, Fred wandered around the blanket, watching the trees.

Kylie craned her neck. “Sit down, nerd.”

“I’m just being cautious, genius,” Fred shot back. His icy eyes swept over me and then landed on Kylie. “Save me a ham, will ya?”

I snorted. “We’ll be lucky to get anything with these two digging through the basket.”

Both women shot me an intense stare that made me show my palms. Damn, that had to be the wildest thing I’d experienced to date. Because the way Anita resembled my sister in that moment—not in physical appearance, but in energy—was as impressive as it was alarming.

Kylie stared at me the longest. We wouldn’t be such close siblings if she didn’t keep our connection fresh with a motherly glower every so often. I guessed somebody had to be motherly in this family.

I studied Anita’s profile.Anita is motherly enough for everyone.

She chose a chicken sandwich, smiled as she held it up for me to see it, and then peeled away the plastic wrap to get to the goodness inside. Just watching the delight on her face as she took a bite made me happy. Her left cheek bulged as she chewed, hair tickling her cheek from where it tried to escape her ponytail.

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