Philip's POV
Running the afternoon training session with the pack children proves nearly impossible today. Not because the kids are misbehaving, but because my thoughts keep drifting to the stunning woman I encountered on my way to the school.
That cascade of rich auburn curls tumbling down her spine made my fingers itch to tangle in the silky strands and angle her head back while I claimed her from behind. Those piercing blue eyes held a depth that made me want to watch them flutter closed in pleasure as she knelt before me, her lips wrapped around my length.
Too bad she's human. All these fantasies will remain exactly that since I can't act on them. As co-Alpha of our unconventional pack, I must set the standard, and relationships between species are strictly prohibited among us.
Her circumstances intrigue me though. She mentioned recently ending her marriage, and the boy claimed his father was absent, completely missing from their lives. That's incredibly unfortunate because that child is definitely a wolf shifter, and I doubt his mother realizes it. Either incredible luck or destiny brought them to our territory, because without pack guidance, that young wolf would face serious danger.
Whatever male sired Warren and abandoned them both, leaving him to grow up human-raised and packless, deserves a bullet. If they hadn't found their way here and the boy experienced his first shift alone, he could have injured his mother badly and exposed our species to humans or attracted hunter attention.
After finishing with the children, I reach out through the mind link to my twin brother and our Beta pair, also twins, requesting an emergency meeting.
"Where should we gather?" Ajax, one of our twin Betas, responds immediately.
"The cabin. I'm heading back now," I reply, jogging through the dense forest.
I reach our shared home to find Karl, Ajax and Sean already assembled on the front porch, waiting. We all share this space together. During construction of our small pack village deep in the woods, we bunked together temporarily. When time came to build individual cabins, we discovered we enjoyed each other's company and chose to construct one large dwelling instead of separate ones.
We won't consider moving into private cabins until we find our destined mates. Since twins typically share one fated mate, we'll likely only need to build one additional cabin when that time comes.
"Should I grab beer for this urgent discussion? Or do we need to prepare for battle?" Sean inquires with a grin.
"Beer works perfectly," I respond, matching his smile.
Karl and Ajax each raise a finger indicating their preference, and Sean disappears inside.
"How did things go at the school?" Ajax asks as I settle into the wooden chair next to Karl.
"Excellent. The pups performed beautifully. Maggie mentioned they're really adapting well with the human children." I nod approvingly.
Sean emerges carrying four cold bottles, distributing them before taking his seat beside Ajax on the bench. "So what's this urgent matter that pulled us away from our work?" he questions.
"A new woman has arrived in town," I begin, uncertain how to approach this delicate situation since merely thinking about her sends my mind spiraling into inappropriate territory.
"Incredible revelation. A woman relocating to a new town. How absolutely unprecedented," Ajax responds sarcastically, earning himself a dark glare from me. He'll pay for that attitude later.
"Silence, wise guy, I'm not finished," I growl. "She has a child, and he's one of our kind."
"So there's an unknown she-wolf in our territory who hasn't requested permission?" Karl's voice carries a threatening rumble.
His wolf's possessive instincts surface in his tone.
"That's exactly the problem. She's human, and I'm certain she has no knowledge of what her son truly is."
"Damn. Where's the child's father?" Sean demands.
"They're clueless. The boy claims he's missing, but I suspect he either abandoned her or hunters eliminated him."
"For his sake, I hope the hunters found him first, because if I discover which worthless bastard impregnated a human then left her to raise a shifter child alone, I'll end him myself," Karl snarls with increasing intensity.
"Absolutely agreed," I declare, raising my bottle in solidarity, while the Beta twins nod grimly.
I take a substantial gulp of the cold beer, allowing the crisp, bitter liquid to slide down my throat while we all contemplate our violent thoughts.
"Now we must explain to her what her son is without terrifying her," Sean sighs heavily.
"We need extreme caution. Without establishing her trust first, she might flee with the child," Ajax observes.
"Exactly, and that boy desperately needs us. You should have witnessed his reaction. He embraced me instantly upon seeing me. It seemed like he was starving for that pack bond. He requires pack guidance."
"You both understand better than anyone what growing up packless and ignorant of your nature feels like. We cannot allow that child to endure what you two experienced," Sean states firmly.
"We won't permit it." Karl shakes his head decisively. "Philip, can you get close to the mother? Work on earning her trust before introducing our group. Only after she trusts us completely will we reveal the truth about ourselves and her son."
"I believe I can manage that. I certainly won't mind spending time around her. She's absolutely breathtaking," I admit with a tortured groan.
Why couldn't she be a shifter as well? Sometimes fate seems particularly cruel.
"For crying out loud, Philip. Keep your pants zipped. Do you understand me? Do not sleep with her," Karl commands harshly.
"I understand, I won't act on it, but I cannot promise to stop fantasizing about it," I grin mischievously.
"You're completely shameless," Ajax chuckles.
"Wait until you see her yourself, then you'll comprehend. She has this incredible petite figure that's practically begging to be conquered, and those eyes, sweet goddess, I could lose myself in them eternally," I murmur, closing my eyes to visualize my dream woman once more.
"Go shower immediately and focus on work. Perhaps bring her flowers as a welcoming gesture to the town. Concentrate on the child. Women adore men who care about their children," Karl suggests.
"Since when did you become a relationship expert? As far as I know, you've never actually pursued a woman, especially not one with children," I snort dismissively.
Karl develops that distant expression I've observed whenever we discuss dating or fated mates. I finish my beer and stand to take my shower. There's no point attempting conversation when he retreats into whatever mental space he occupies. I wish he would confide in me about it. We may not have been raised together, but we shared the womb, and now we share a home and pack leadership. Perhaps someday he'll trust me enough to discuss whatever haunts him.
"Do you know her address?" Sean asks as I approach our cabin door.
"I have a solid idea. She doesn't know anyone locally, so she must have secured her own residence, and only one house was available recently as far as I know."
"The property on Grant?" he queries.
"That's correct," I confirm with a nod.
"I think I actually spotted her. Yesterday during my run, I glimpsed two women through the window. I assumed they were simply viewing the property though," Ajax mentions.
"And you didn't consider mentioning this? Who is the second woman?" Sean presses.
"I didn't realize it mattered. They could have been real estate agents for all I knew," Ajax shrugs casually.
"The second woman is her sister. She mentioned attending university in the neighboring town," I explain, glancing at my brother who remains lost in contemplation.
With a resigned sigh, I head inside to shower and indulge in fantasies about all the things I'd love to do to the little human who has somehow bewitched me completely. I suspect she's just secured the starring role in all my future dreams.