Xander âl invited Mason here, Mother,â | said.
I'd never seen her look so rattled.
It made sense, though. He was living proof that my father wasnât the man he claimed to be for all the years theyâd been together.
Mason stood up and extended his hand.
Gabriela shifted Lanie in her arms and shook it in a daze, her eyes flitting to Katie.
âThatâs my mate, Katie,â Mason said.
My motherâs brow furrowed, and I thought she might say something else, but she seemed to shake herself out of it.
Thank you for taking care of the twins,â | told her.
She nodded and passed off Lanie to me while Mindy handed Isaac over to Zane.
Wait...Mindy?
Why the hell was she even here?
And why was she looking after our pups?
After that weird s hit sheâd pulled after the regional gathering, weâd asked Maxim and Monroe to make sure she stayed in her quarters.
âYou looked after them?â Zane asked Mindy.
He was clearly having the same thoughts.
âGabriela brought me in to help take care of the twins while you were gone. She thought | was the most appropriate choice.â Her voice sounded small and wobbly. Maybe she was scared weâd punish her again.
But her scent told me she was more shocked than scared. Something else had her all shaken up.
She kept looking over at Mason and Katie just like my mother had.
Had she told Mindy about my secret brother? It didnât seem like something she'd share...
âMaxim and Monroe are your most trusted High Guards,â Mother jumped in. âTheir mate seemed like the safest person to help me out.â
âSure.â | nodded. She nodded back, and then scurried back out of the den.
âThese little ones are yours Iâm guessing?â Mason asked.
Mason moved toward me to get a closer look and instinctively | turned away, pulling Lanie in closer.
Mason froze, his eyes narrowed, but he backed off without another word.
âSmart,â Zane said. âWe canât risk him getting too close.â
| had no idea if Mason knew he might be the father of Aliceâs pups, but | wasnât about to plant that idea in his head if he didnât.
away.
And it, by some chance, he could tell just by getting close to them... Well, then it was better to keep them Hot bile crept up my throat at the thought of giving these | swallowed hard. No f ucking way that was happening.
ups / to Mason We'd spent too much time with them, weâd bonded too much.
Lanie and Isaac were ours. No more questioning it.
| heard a low groan and turned to see Katie stirring on the couch.
When she sat up and looked around at all the people in the room, her eyes widened.
âKatie, are you feeling alright?â Mason asked. âDo you need to shift?â
She shook her head and gave a weak laugh.
âLow blood sugar probably. | was so nervous | barely ate anything today She shot us all a quick smile, then bit her lip.
She was lying, but why?
âYou should keep resting.â | told her. âYou and Stella can have your own quarters. Itâs already prepared.â
Mason moved toward Stellaâs stroller, but Zane made it there first.
âYou rest, too, Mason,â Zane said, his mouth lifting in a slight smirk.
| shifted Lanie to one hand, and held my other out the Katie, helping her up off the couch.
I âYeah, we'll take care of Katie from here,â | said.
| looked Katie deep in the eye, ignoring everyone else around us.
âMy home is your homeâ