Chapter 27 Lina
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Lina
The doorbell rang while Knox and Noah were out getting groceries, because apparently werewolves still needed regular human food. I’d been enjoying the peace of their absence, not having to deal with Knox’s longing looks or Noah’s knowing smirks.
Through the peephole, I saw two massive men standing on the porch.
One had intricate tattoos covering his arms, the other had red hair and a grin that spelled trouble.
They looked vaguely familiar, tickling at the edges of my memory from that hotel morning five years ago when my life had taken its first supernatural turn.
“We know you’re in there,” the red-headed one called cheerfully. “Don’t worry, we’re house-trained! We even wipe our paws before coming inside.”
Jesus. More werewolves. Just what I needed.
“Who is it?” I called through the door, not bothering to hide my suspicion.
“Friends of Knox,” the tattooed one said awkwardly, shifting his weight. “I’m Cole. This is Hunt. We’re... um... here to help?”
“Help with what exactly?”
“Guard duty!” Hunt called out with way too much enthusiasm for someone claiming to be security.
“Knox asked us to keep an eye on things while he’s out.
Also, we brought cookies! They’re chocolate chip, and before you ask, yes, they’re from that bakery on Main Street that Knox brought you treats from. ”
I debated my options. Leave them on the porch and deal with Knox’s worry later, or let in two more werewolves who could probably break down the door if they really wanted to.
“Mama, who’s at the door?” Thea called from the living room where she and Rowan were building a fort out of couch cushions.
I opened the door cautiously, ready to slam it shut if needed.
Hunt immediately dropped to the twins’ level, his whole demeanor shifting to something softer. “Hey there! I’m Hunt, and this grumpy mountain is Cole. Want to see a magic trick?”
Before I could protest that my children didn’t need to be entertained by strange werewolves, Hunt was already pulling coins from behind Thea’s ears while Rowan watched with that serious expression he got when trying to figure out how things worked.
“How did you do that?” Rowan asked, reaching behind his own ear experimentally.
“Magic,” Hunt said with a wink. “And years of practice. Want to learn?”
“Are you wolves too?” Rowan asked bluntly, because my son had apparently decided subtlety was overrated since learning about his heritage.
“Yep! Part of Knox’s inner circle. We’re like his brothers, except we’re not actually related and Cole here has zero sense of humor.”
Cole shifted awkwardly in the doorway, looking about as comfortable as a wolf in a sheep costume. Hunt elbowed him hard enough to make the bigger man grunt.
“Say something nice,” Hunt stage-whispered. “You’re scaring her with your resting murder face.”
Cole’s expression didn’t change much, but he managed, “Your children are... impressive.”
From the way he said it, with a slight nod of respect, it seemed like high praise from someone who probably didn’t hand out compliments often.
“Can they come in, Mama?” Thea asked, already attached to Hunt’s leg. “He knows magic!”
I stepped aside reluctantly. “Fine. But any weird wolf business and you’re out.”
“Scout’s honor,” Hunt said, holding up three fingers. “Though I was never actually a scout. They said I was too disruptive. Can you believe that?”
Yes. Yes, I could absolutely believe that.
They settled in the living room, Hunt immediately sprawled on the floor with both twins using him as a jungle gym. Cole perched uncomfortably on the edge of a chair, looking around Noah’s house with careful attention.
“So,” Hunt said, grinning up at me while Thea tried to braid his hair, “want to hear embarrassing stories about your mate?”
“He’s not my-” I started, then stopped. The bite had made us mates whether I wanted it or not, though I still didn’t fully understand what that meant beyond the obvious implication that we were bonded as some kind of supernatural couple. “Sure. Embarrass away.”
Hunt launched into stories while the twins listened raptly, temporarily abandoning their fort construction.
“So there we were, five teenage idiots who thought we could take on a full-grown grizzly bear that had wandered too close to pack territory. Knox was trying to strategize, Cole was silent as always, Noah was cracking jokes, and Blake-”
He paused, glancing at Cole who gave a tiny nod.
“Blake was already halfway up a tree, laughing his ass off at us for taking so long to figure out the obvious solution.”
“Who’s Blake?” Thea asked, settling more comfortably against Hunt’s shoulder.
“Noah’s twin brother,” Hunt said gently, his usual cheer dimming slightly. “He was the best of us. Could make anyone laugh, even Cole here. One time, he convinced Cole to try karaoke. Still have the video somewhere.”
“Noah has a twin too?” Rowan perked up, excited by this connection. “Just like us!”
“You show that video and I’ll end you,” Cole rumbled, but there was no real threat in it.
The stories continued, painting a picture of five young wolves against the world.
Knox as the natural leader who overthought everything, Cole as the silent protector, Hunt as the jokester, Noah as the mediator, and Blake as the brightest light among them.
But I caught the past tense, the careful way they spoke of Blake, the glances between them when his name came up.
“What happened to him?” I asked quietly when the twins got distracted by Cole showing them how to arm wrestle properly, his massive hands gentle as he adjusted their form.
Hunt’s cheerful mask slipped entirely. “Feral rogue attack. Seven years ago. It was supposed to be an easy patrol, just Blake, Noah, and Knox checking the borders. Knox had just taken over as Alpha, still learning the ropes.”
The room went quiet except for the twins’ giggles as Cole let them win their arm wrestling matches.
“There were more rogues hidden than our intel showed,” Hunt continued quietly. “Blake... he saved a family. Mom and two pups, visiting from another pack. Held off three ferals by himself while Knox got them to safety. By the time Knox got back...”
The silence said everything.
“Knox has never forgiven himself,” Hunt said, watching the twins play. “Thinks everyone close to him gets hurt because of him. Keeps detailed files on every threat within a hundred miles now. Trains constantly. And pushes people away before they can get close enough to be in danger.”
Cole spoke for the first time since sitting down. “Idiot thinks if he cares about someone, they’ll die.” He looked directly at me. “Like keeping you at a distance would somehow protect you from being his mate.”
Hunt elbowed him hard. “Subtle, Cole. Real subtle.”
“What? It’s true. He was terrified of her getting hurt like Blake did. So he hurt her himself instead. Moron logic.”
I processed this new information, pieces clicking into place.
Knox losing someone precious, blaming himself, developing the belief that loving him was dangerous.
It didn’t excuse what he’d done to me, didn’t erase the pain of being called a warm hole and abandoned.
But it explained the self-hatred I’d seen in his eyes, the way he’d said he left to protect me.
“Uncle Hunt’s telling us stories!” Thea announced as the door opened, Knox and Noah entering with grocery bags.
Knox froze in the doorway, taking in the scene.
Hunt on the floor with our children draped over him, Cole teaching them proper fighting stances, me curled in the armchair processing everything I’d just learned.
His expression cycled through surprise, worry, and something softer that made my chest tight.
“Hunt, Cole,” he said carefully. “I didn’t expect you yet.”
“You said guard duty,” Hunt replied cheerfully, Thea now attempting to style his hair into pigtails. “We’re guarding. Also entertaining. I’m multi-talented.”
“I see that.” Knox’s eyes found mine, a question in them. I looked away, not ready to acknowledge how the stories had affected me.
Dinner became chaos with seven people crammed around Noah’s table. Hunt grabbed a pair of chopsticks and attempted to eat his spaghetti with them, twirling the noodles dramatically before they fell back onto his plate.
“It’s a sacred werewolf tradition!” he declared as Thea giggled uncontrollably. “Only the bravest attempt the chopstick spaghetti challenge!”
“You’re making that up,” Rowan said, but he was grinning as he watched Hunt’s theatrical failures.
Cole, meanwhile, had quietly taken over Thea’s plate when she struggled with her meatballs, cutting them into perfect bite-sized pieces without saying a word.
When Rowan’s water glass emptied, Cole refilled it before anyone noticed.
He moved with the same silent efficiency he probably used in battle, except now he was battling the chaos of a family dinner.
Knox kept stealing glances at me throughout the meal, something soft and vulnerable in his expression that made me want to both comfort him and shake him for being an idiot.
“Picture time!” Noah announced after the plates were cleared, producing photo albums that looked well-loved. “Time to embarrass everyone equally.”
The first photo showed five young men grinning at the camera, arms slung around each other’s shoulders.
Blake and Noah were identical except for Blake’s slightly wider smile and the mischievous glint in his eyes that Noah lacked.
Young Knox stood in the middle, all sharp angles and serious expression even while trying to smile.
“Look how skinny Knox was!” Hunt pointed out gleefully. “All elbows and attitude. He thought scowling made him look tough. We called him the Grim Reaper’s apprentice.”
“I was cultivating an image,” Knox protested, but his lips twitched.
“You were cultivating teenage angst,” Cole corrected. “You had a leather jacket you wore everywhere. In summer.”
“It was a phase,” Knox muttered while the twins giggled at the photos.
More pictures followed. The five of them at various ages, always together, always touching in some way.
The casual affection between them was obvious, the bond of chosen brothers who’d faced the world together.
And in every photo with Blake, I could see the shadow of future loss, knowing what was coming for these carefree young wolves.
After dinner, I took the twins upstairs for bed. Their protests about not being tired died instantly when Knox appeared in the doorway, looking uncertain.
“Can Knox read us a story?” Thea asked hopefully, already pulling out her favorite book of fairy tales.
My heart clenched at the naked longing in his eyes, the way he looked at me for permission. “If he wants to.”
“Please,” he said quietly, and I knew he wasn’t just talking about the story.
He settled on the floor between their beds with the worn book, his deep voice bringing wolves and magic to life.
He read with different voices for each character, making the big bad wolf sound suspiciously like Cole and the clever fox sound like Hunt.
The twins were transfixed, Rowan’s eyes fighting to stay open while Thea had already lost the battle.
Both were asleep before he was halfway through, but he kept reading anyway, as if stopping would end this precious moment. The way he watched them sleep, memorizing every detail of their faces, made my chest ache with complicated emotions.
“They’re perfect,” he whispered, carefully tucking Rowan’s blanket higher. “How did you do this alone? They’re so smart, so kind, so brave. You’re an incredible mother, Lina.”
“I had help,” I admitted quietly. “Friends, found family. But yeah, it was hard sometimes. Keeping their nature secret, finding ways to let them be themselves without exposing their oddities.”
He looked up at me from his spot on the floor, his eyes bright with unshed tears. “Thank you for letting me have this moment with them.”
The vulnerability in his voice, the raw gratitude for something that should have been his right all along, nearly broke through my defenses entirely. I wanted to rage at him for missing so much, to comfort him for his losses, to kiss him until neither of us could think straight.
Instead, I turned toward the door. “Come on. The others are probably wondering where we went.”
But as we headed back downstairs, I let my hand brush his. Just for a second. Just enough to let him know that maybe, possibly, I was starting to understand.
Even if I wasn’t ready to forgive.