9. Hawthorne

CHAPTER NINE

HAWTHORNE

I tapped my pen against the table as I listened to the alpha from the Mislulu pack drone on and on about who knew what. This meeting was supposed to discuss a trade between packs, but somehow, the conversation had taken a turn to discussing their lack of alphas. They lacked alphas because many had left their pack over the years. They were a fairly old-school pack, and a lot of people didn't like that. That didn't seem like our problem, but here we were, discussing it anyway.

At least we were on a four-way call, and no one could see my near-constant eye roll. And even though I was stuck here, my mind kept drifting back to my mates.

Since Harper came along, it felt like everything was falling into place. The four of us just fit together, even though it was early. I was trying to keep my cool. I knew humans didn't feel mating bonds the way wolves did, or at least not as strong, and I didn't want to scare her away.

I checked the group again, but it was quiet. I did have a message from Leo, though. "You should come to the clinic. Now," was all it said.

My heart dropped to my stomach. Was he okay? Was Jasper? I clicked myself off mute and interrupted the call. "I apologize, but there's been an emergency. I will touch base with you later."

I hung up and swung my coat off the back of my chair, darting out the door. I knew the quickest way there would be shifting. I got naked, throwing my clothes in my bag, and shifted. I felt my bones crack as skin turned to fur and my face elongated to a snout. I picked up my bag with my teeth and flew through the forest. The clinic sat at the base of the mountain, right at the edge of town. I knew I could get there in ten minutes easily, but I pushed myself hard to get there in six.

When I reached the building I shifted back, threw my clothes on, and rushed inside, though I could still feel my wolf sitting at the forefront. My vision was still as sharp as it was when I was shifted, my senses heightened. Even though I knew I needed to have more control, I couldn't.

Leo was sitting there in the lobby, his face in his phone and his leg bouncing. "What happened?" I asked him.

He looked up at me, his face surprised. "It's all okay," he said, standing to hug me.

I hugged him back, but my unease wasn't settled. "It's Harper," he started. "She's fine, but…"

I didn't hear the rest of his words. It was like my wolf acted before I could, rushing towards the back. If Harper was hurt, I didn't know what I would do. I followed my nose towards her spicy, warm scent scent. She was in one of the exam rooms. I threw the door open and froze.

Harper was standing there with her eyes wide and her body turned, as if protecting someone—a someone who poked her head around Harper's body. She had a blonde hair and cute, rounded cheeks. Her hazel eyes looked at me with interest. She was a carbon copy of Harper.

My mind tried to piece together everything I was seeing, but it was like I was left only with base instinct.

The door opened again, and I was so set on protecting the two of them, I blocked the door. Jasper looked at me in surprise. "What are you doing back here?" he asked.

I couldn't speak, my wolf was too close to the surface. Jasper peered around me to Harper without moving any closer. "I'm just going to talk to Hawthorne real quick, and then we'll all talk."

I followed him as he dragged me into another exam room. My instinct told me to go back, to protect them from whatever scared Harper, but I tried to reason with myself. It was muddy, but even my wolf knew they were safe here.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked. "You're a second from shifting and scaring the shit out of them both."

I closed my eyes and took a few calming breaths, pushing my wolf back down. He was right. I was the reason Harper was afraid. We're scaring our mate, I told my wolf. I could feel it cower back.

That was the strangest feeling. I'd never talked directly to my wolf, nor had I ever felt it as a separate entity, but it was almost as if there were two halves of me fighting for control.

When I opened my eyes, my vision wasn't as sharp and everything felt less intense. Jasper rubbed my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, leaning into his touch. "Yes. Thank you."

He dropped a small kiss on my lips. "I was going to let her tell you, but I feel like I probably should so you don't freak out again. Harper has a daughter, Aria."

My head spun. It made sense. I saw it with my own eyes, but thinking about it made me shake. "Why didn't she tell us?" I asked.

"I think she was worried. I'm assuming something happened before."

I released a growl. Anyone who would leave her because of her child was unworthy of her. I took a deep breath, set on getting myself under control.

"Okay," Jasper breathed. "I'm going to go in there to make sure they're okay. Apparently, Aria has been presenting signs of shifting."

I blinked. "But Harper is human."

"I know." I let the words sink in. Her daughter was a shifter, but how? I didn't bother asking. Even if she told Jasper, I was sure it would be in medical confidence, and I wouldn't intrude on that.

"Just take a minute, and I'll see you out there." He kissed me gently then left as I sat in the dark exam room, letting myself calm down. Though my wolf was taking a back seat, I was freaking out. I had so many questions, but Jas was right. I knew I needed to put my head on straight and be there for Harper. She's a human and would have no clue how to deal with this.

I walked back out to where Leo was pacing. I probably made him nervous too. He paused when he saw me. "What happened?" he asked.

I shook myself off, trying to get back into the right mindset. "Nothing. It's okay. Your text just kinda set me off."

He pulled me into his arms, and I inhaled him. He always smelled sweet and warm like a vanilla candle. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. I tried to call your office phone, but it was busy. And I just shot off a quick text."

I squeezed him harder. I needed to keep my head together. I was the alpha, and I needed to exude that. "I'm glad you did. I want to be here."

We stood there hugging for way too long, but no one paid us any mind. Leo had that sugary scent to him, telling me he was baking today. "Did you get that order to Amber?"

"Yeah, dropped it off right before I went to Harper."

I nodded and pulled away. "Show me the photos."

He lit up. We sat together in some nearby chairs, and he pulled up the photos. He really did do beautiful work, and knowing he was doing something he was passionate about made me happy. The doors to the back swung open and Jasper and Harper appeared. My eyes drifted to the little girl between them with a lollipop in her hand.

I resisted the urge to throw myself in their direction and stood, approaching them slowly. "Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Aria is okay," Jasper assured me. "We did some tests, but I'm fairly sure she's getting ready to shift."

Harper looked shaken but not distressed, which was good. I nodded to Jasper and squatted down until I was at her height.

She looked at me without fear, which made me feel better. "It's nice to meet you, Aria. I'm Hawthorne."

She looked to her mother for guidance. I looked to Harper too, and she gave a reassuring smile that made me release a deep breath. "Hi, Hawthorne," she said, stumbling a bit over the syllables.

The overwhelming need to protect them both washed over me like a tsunami.

Her eyes widened. "Your eyes changed color," she said.

She was right. My wolf was at the forefront. Though being with Harper made me feel more connected to my wolf, it seemed to mean he was more eager to come forward.

I looked up to find Harper was watching me cautiously, but made no move to pull her away. That level of trust was something I knew I needed to keep.

I stood up and faced Harper, who looked unsure. "I know you probably want to take her home, but I think we should discuss options."

"Options?" she asked.

"Yes," Jasper jumped in. "Learning to shift is very important for young ones. She should be around other shifters to teach her how to do it responsibly. If not, it can become uncontrollable as she grows older. Ideally, she would stay with them."

Harper took a shaky breath out. "I-I don't know any shifters I could stay with. I don't know the first thing about any of this."

"You know at least three," I said easily. "I know we haven't been seeing each other for long, but maybe you can stay with us until this is all sorted out."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Positive."

"Okay. We'll go home tonight and get our stuff, and we'll be over tomorrow after work." I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to insist they come over right now, but I didn't want to push too hard. After this sudden disconnect I was feeling with my wolf, I needed time to straighten it out.

We all went outside and she helped Aria into her car. When she pulled away and shut the door I was there.

"Are you okay?" I asked, rubbing her cheek with my palm. She leaned into the touch.

"I'm good," she breathed. "I'm glad she's okay, even though I'm not sure what we're going to do about this."

"I am too." I shifted on my feet. "I think we should talk about…everything."

She nodded. "Probably."

I leaned in and kissed her, unable to stop it. She was so sweet and soft, she made me want to protect her from anything that could hurt her.

I pulled away too soon. I could feel my wolf back at the forefront.

"What's that about?" she asked, gesturing to my eyes.

I kissed her forehead. "A wolf thing," I said. "We can talk about it tomorrow."

She seemed like she wanted to argue, but nodded, satisfied with the promise.

Leo was there next, giving her a hug and kiss goodbye with a promise of ready breakfast tomorrow. Then came Jasper, promising everything would be okay.

I opened the car door and helped her in.

"See you tomorrow," I said as I knocked the top of the car and retreated.

As I went, Jasper met me, and we watched them drive away. "She's really okay, right?" I asked.

Jasper nodded. "It's early enough that we'll be able to teach her shifting easily. And it shouldn't have any effect on her development."

I let out a sigh, pleased we probably wouldn't face any complications. "I'm more interested in what happened back there," he continued. "I thought you were going to shift in my office."

"I know," I said. "I think I was just shocked." I wasn't ready to admit how out of control I genuinely felt, not even to myself.

He didn't look convinced, but he seemed to let it go. "I'm going to head back to the office for a bit. Are you going home?" I asked Leo.

"Yeah. Don't be too long, okay?"

"I won't."

"I have some things to finish up here," Jasper said, "but I shouldn't be too much longer. See you at home?"

I turned to him. "Of course. I think Leo has some leftover cookies."

"That I do," he said with a sly grin.

Jasper leaned into me, wrapping his arms around my middle. "As long as you don't eat them all before I get there."

I scoffed. "I would never."

He hummed, and I silenced him with a kiss. Though this kiss was just as sweet as our previous ones, something about having our mate so close made everything feel much more intense. He always tasted clean and minty and something all his own that I was addicted to.

Then, I pulled Leo to me, kissing him just as hard. His taste was so much different, more sweet and warm, but just as good.

We pulled away, and I nudged his nose with mine. "See you at home. I love you."

He sighed. "I love you too."

With that, I reluctantly pulled away. He and Jasper were saying their goodbyes as I headed back towards the tree line.

I shifted there, running back to my office. I was sure the meeting was over, but I needed to make sure everything was settled before I left.

Luckily, I was right about the meeting, and my second, Amir, had taken over for me and took diligent notes, though it seemed most of the conversation stayed on the Mislulu pack.

As I was finishing up and heading out, Amir stopped me. "Hey, everything okay from earlier?"

"Yes, thank you. Everything is fine. I just had something urgent to deal with." I didn't say anything more. Though I trusted Amir, there were plenty of nosey ears in the pack house listening in, and I didn't want any prying eyes on Harper or Aria when they came. My mind was racing thinking about them, preparing for them to come. I needed to get out of here as soon as possible to do that.

"That's good. I wanted to let you know that I got a call from the Mislulu pack not too long after the meeting. It was one of the leaders wanting me to let you know?—"

"Could you just leave me a note on my desk?" I said, cutting him off. I didn't mean to be rude, but I was sure whatever it was could be dealt with on Monday, and I needed to go.

He nodded. "Of course. Have a good night."

I planned to go right home to help. I was sure Leo had already gone out and bought some things to entertain Aria with, but I wanted to help set up. However, instead of driving back to the house, I found myself heading down the mountain and towards her apartment. It again was as if I wasn't in control. It was as if my wolf took over and directed me back to her, demanding we check in and make sure she was safe.

I parked my car across the street, where I could see into her window. Her curtains were open, and she came into view quickly, looking to be packing some clothes for Aria, who I assumed was helping, but seemed to be making more of a mess.

Her apartment looked cozy but minimal, with lots of nude and beige colors, save for the colorful toys spread throughout the space.

I watched as she grabbed her phone and looked down at it. She smiled. I checked mine and saw that Leo was talking about how excited we were to have them come tomorrow.

I stayed for a few hours, watching as she got Aria ready for bed and packed some things of her own. Once she was fast asleep, I left, heading back up the mountain for tomorrow.