Deciding not to wake him, I cracked the door and let the hall light shine in.
At first I wasn’t sure what I was seeing. My eyes focused on the bed on the far right. A shadow moved when one of the model airplanes on his ceiling caught a draft from the open door. But it was the shadows moving beneath the covers that made me squint and look closer.
The thin blanket pulled up on one side and revealed a nude body beneath it.
Two nude bodies.
One on top of the other—a tangle of legs, hands moving up and down—and the sound of kissing in the darkness. The visual was shockingly sensual—the slow caress of a palm against someone’s hip, fingers biting into the soft skin, the rocking movement. Someone gasped and then moaned.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
Had Trevor brought home someone from the party?
The breathing intensified, and when I heard whispering, I panicked, realizing I was actually standing in an open doorway, watching one of my packmates have sex.
I stumbled backward, and as I closed the door, I caught a glimpse of a boot with long laces. Beside it, a familiar black jacket neatly folded. Suddenly a phone rang with The A-Team ringtone.
“That’s your phone,” Trevor whispered.
“Indeed.”
I quietly closed the door to a crack and spun around—my back pressed against the wall, my heart galloping in my chest.
Holy shit! That’s William. Had this been going on under my nose the whole time? It couldn’t have, or I would have noticed. Something happened tonight at the party—something that launched this into more than just a friendship.
“Close it all the way!” William called out from beneath the covers.
“Shhh,” quickly followed, interrupted by William’s trademark chuckle.
Every red blood cell in my entire body rushed to my cheeks. I reached to my right and pulled the knob until the door shut. Then, as if I’d never been there, heated breaths and kissing resumed.
“I thought you were going to bed, chickypoo?”
I jumped and looked to my left. Naya was holding Wheeler’s hand, and he abruptly let go, patting her on the rear before swaggering down the adjacent hall to their bedroom.
She lingered by the stairs. “Do you need someone to talk to?”
I hurried toward her, afraid she’d hear what was going on. “No,” I whispered in reply.
Naya swept a lock of hair away from her face. “I’m exhausted. Too much red wine. I’m putting in my earplugs, so if you need anything, just walk right in.”
“Like I’m going into the den of iniquity after hours.”
A wicked smile curved up her cheeks. “I have to admit all that testosterone has my panther in a tizzy.”
“I’ve got the cure for tizzy,” Wheeler suggested, poking his head into the hall from their room. He smiled darkly and winked before moving out of sight.
Naya studied her fingernails. “Well, at least give us an hour before you come knocking.”
“I’m fine. Maybe I’ll just make a glass of apple cider since I can’t have beer anymore.”
Naya briefly held on to my stomach and said, “Good night, sweet baby. Auntie Naya can’t wait to buy you pretty dresses.”
I pretended to go downstairs until Naya went into her bedroom. Then I sat down on a step and gripped the banister, resting my head against it.
The shame was beginning to sink in now that my packmates knew the truth about my biological father. God, how humiliating.
The air swirled beside me with a familiar scent.
George rubbed his hand across my back as he sat down beside me. “You know, I was a fortunate man to have six sons. Katharine was pleased. She’s always been a headstrong woman, and that’s why I mated with her. But I never told her that I wanted a daughter. I never wanted her to think that she hadn’t already given me the world, so it’s something I’ve kept to myself. After Austin was born, we decided we were too old to have any more children.”
I leaned against him. George always smelled like smoke from burning logs. It was subtle, but it made me smile.
“When Austin was young, he used to talk about you a lot. I could tell when he got older that he had feelings for you, but I figured his attachment would fade once he began dating Shifters. Since we didn’t live in a pack, we thought sending him to a public school would satisfy his need to be around others. We couldn’t risk humans finding out what we were, so Austin wasn’t allowed to invite his school friends over. We’d met Wes on a number of occasions, but only briefly. I was always curious about you though.”
He quieted, and that was George’s way of making me beg for more of his story.
“And?”
George rubbed his hands together, and the rough skin made a soft hissing sound. “Well, then Austin left home and became a bounty hunter. Your brother’s death was a turning point in his life, and I didn’t think he’d come out of that dark place. A young alpha forms strong bonds, and Wes was like a brother to him. Years passed, and the next thing I know, I get a call from Austin saying he’s getting mated. I have to admit… I was disappointed.”