Rebel ended up sitting between Shaede and Scott, and I was sitting on Scott’s other side while Cecilia sat on my right and Wade at the head of the table across from Scott. Already this dinner was going much better than last night, Scott was in a better mood too, and although Rebel didn’t say anything, he looked happy enough with the food, so there was that.

“Ah, I had to finish high school from the Paige Clan,” Scott was saying, answering Cecilia’s previous question, “Since I missed nearly a year travelling across the country, I couldn’t exactly go to a traditional school in the human town we were near, so I just studied on my own and entered an online University.”

“That’s incredible!” Cecilia beamed, and Scott laughed a little, shrugging.

“I’ve been studying for the past few years. I have a doctorate in Veterinary sciences and a masters degree in English.”

“Whoa,” I hold a hand up, “Are you trying to show me up or something?”

He snorted a little, “Oh for sure. What did you study?”

My head tipped back, “Ah, for a little I studied sociology and literature, but I had to drop out after three weeks,” I rolled my head to look at him, “After the whole thing with Mini I got pretty sick, and it took me a full year to recover from it, so I wasn’t really healthy enough to go to college or even concentrate on online classes. After the fact, I just focused on my training here.”

Scott’s smile faded quickly and he watched me with heavy concern in his eyes, “Right, you mentioned you got sick after that… it doesn’t still effect you, does it?”

“I’m recovered fully now,” I assured, leaning back and grinning, “Dominique is thriving as head of security, and I’m pretty satisfied myself. My wolf for a while there completely blanked me out, I couldn’t shift, but that’s fixed too. I figure we came to an understanding of some sort.”

“It was terrifying,” Cecilia argued, glaring at me, “We thought he was going to die.”

I slumped forward with a sigh, “Mom, come on.”

“I wanted grandkids!” she complained, folding her arms, and I motioned to Rebel with my hand.

“You have him now! Scott delivered!”

Scott choked hard on his water, setting the cup down harshly with a red face as he lifted his napkin up, looking anxiously over at Shaede before glancing in my direction, and Cecilia hummed a little, though she was still pouting heavily.

“I suppose that counts.”

Scott laughed nervously and set the napkin down, “Y-yea, you both raised me, so you would basically be Rebel’s grandparents, huh?” he smiled at Rebel, who was holding a biscuit with one hand, the little fox toy tucked under his other arm, looking at my parents curiously.

“The trip to the Paige clan must’ve been an interesting one,” Wade said, wiping his mouth with a napkin, and Scott cleared his throat with a nod.

“You could say that.”

“You met Shaede on the way there, didn’t you?” he asked, looking sideways at the former lone, who tensed up at the mention of his name, and Scott nodded slower.

“Yea, towards the end of the trip. Ah, he was hiding out in some caves, living off the land, you know, typical lone wolf style,” Shaede pouted a little indignantly and Scott laughed softly, “I was… well, not in the best shape for travelling. Sick, I guess, and Shaede helped me. After that he just came with me, gave up his lone wolf life to join the pack.”

“You weren’t a lone for no reason though,” Cecilia noted, smiling at Shaede, “Did you just get tired of pack life? That’s normally what happens. If you were banished, you would’ve gone rogue from it.”

Shaede just stared down at his plate with this… numb look in his eyes, not bothering to lift his head as he answered vaguely, “I decided I wanted something different,” he stated, “Different than how I was raised. I couldn’t stay with them. So, I left.”

Scott was frowning heavily as Shaede spoke, flinching when Wade added, “You are a wolf though? You have that scent.”

“Yes.”

“What form do you take when you shift?”

“H-he can’t… actually shift,” Scott answered so Shaede wouldn’t have to, watching as the redhead sank down a little in his seat, “We… don’t know why. I assume something traumatizing happened to block his wolf, but he can’t shift. Oh, he shows some the wolf features when the moonlight hits him of course, but he doesn’t shift.”

“That’s kind of…. Odd,” I said, and Scott looked down.

“Yea.”

“Well, you don’t have to shift to be a wolf,” Cecilia beamed, and Shaede looked up at her, “Thank you for looking after Scott for us.”

Shaede adopted this blank expression, he looked a little confused almost as he met Cecilia’s eye, “You think I’m doing it for you?” he asked, and I tensed up, “I don’t even know you.”

“Shaede,” Scott chided him, and Shaede looked even more confused that Scott appeared mad at him, “I’m really sorry about him, he doesn’t socialize much outside of Rebel and I so he hasn’t exactly refined the art of communication and subtlety.”

Cecilia chuckled, “It’s fine.”

“Who are you doing it for then?” I asked, and Shaede’s eyes shifted to me, “What do you get out of it? You helped Scott while he was travelling, and you rejoined pack life to look after him. Why?”

“I’m the only one who can,” Shaede answered, and I narrowed my eyes.

“I disagree.”

“Oh?” Shaede arched an eyebrow slowly, “Think you can do any better? How about I leave and see how long that lasts? Where were you when your presence was actually needed?”

I bristled, my wolf growling lowly in my head as I grit my teeth. I swear I would’ve launched myself over the table to strangle him, but Rebel reacted first and hit Shaede in the arm, frowning up at him.

“You’re not supposed to yell at him,” he chided, and Shaede looked down at Rebel frowning.

“Why not?”

“Daddy says we can’t be a family if people yell!”

Scott sighed and dropped his face into a hand, shaking his head, and Shaede slumped back in his chair, actually listening to Rebel and folding his arms, looking frustrated he just got scolded. I was a bit frustrated he actually obeyed the kid. The rest of dinner was pretty boring,

Rebel had fallen asleep in Scott’s lap after eating his desert, Shaede had moved into his chair to be closer to them both, and to likely put distance between himself and Wade, and we were sitting at the table with cups of coffee while the former lone drank tea.

“What was with that whole thing the kid said?” I asked, “About people yelling?”

Scott frowned against the lip of his mug and looked down at where his son was lying against his left shoulder, his left arm curling tighter around the little boy’s shoulders as he lowered the mug he’d been holding with his right hand, “Whenever Priscilla is around, she’s normally yelling for one reason or another,” he explained, setting the cup down and reaching over to brsh Rebel’s hair from his closed eyes, “Just another reason we don’t live together. She just scares him, and I won’t tolerate that.”

“Your mate sounds like a grade A bitch,” Wade said, and Scott gaped at him as he covered Rebel’s ear, pulling him so the other was pressed against his shoulder, and Cecilia smacked the alpha.

“There is a child here!”

“He’s sleeping, it’s fine,” Wade whined, rubbing his arm and pouting, “Besides, you know I’m right.”

“Yea,” Scott sighed, raking his fingers through Rebel’s hair and looking down at him as he nuzzled deeper against his shoulder, clinging to the little stuffed fox, “We don’t get along, and her dislike for Rebel is one reason I’m not very open to the idea of trying to let her move in with us. Some of the things she’s said…,” he trailed off and pressed his lips together before hugging little Rebel tighter.

“Your son should be your main priority,” Cecilia agreed readily, “Even if she isn’t hers by blood, she has no right to persecute him.”

“Focusing on him is the right thing to do. You’re a good dad,” Wade added, “You don’t have to worry about him here. This pack would never do anything to threaten you or your son. You’re both safe here, and if anything, ever happens where you or Rebel are in danger because of anyone from the Paige clan, I want you to tell us. You’re their alpha, not a lightning rod to absorb their hatred.”

Scott’s breath hitched and he gaped at Wade before biting his lips, his eyes becoming glassy before he nodded in understanding and bowed his head, pressing a kiss to Rebel’s temple. Truthfully it was making my chest warm to see him like that, nurturing a child so protectively. It just made me remember that night so long ago, after the fact, when he was lying on my chest after making that promise to get married when he returned.

When the fact that I needed an heir came up between us, I said we would just adopt a little orphaned alpha. We would be parents together raising a kid, he would be dad and I would be papa… I’d forgotten about that until now, because through the years, even after planning that, making that promise, I’d never even thought of having kids.

All I wanted was Scott back, that was it, all I remembered was our promise to get married, I never even bothered to remember we were going to adopt. We couldn’t now, obviously. He was married to his chosen mate, he already had a son even. He was daddy but I couldn’t be papa, and I suddenly found myself watching him with Rebel, feeling this unbelievable sense of longing, not just for Scott to be mind, but for Rebel to be mine.

I wanted to look after them both, I wanted them to be my husband, my son, but although they were so close, close enough that I could reach out and touch them if I tried, they still seemed so far away. Too far away. They were nothing but a photograph of what I could never have for myself, and it made my chest ache as Rebel started to stir in Scott’s arms, rubbing his eyes with his fists.

“Hey baby,” Scott leaned back to see Rebel, who just mumbled and turned against his shoulder, clinging to his shirt, “Sorry,” Scott laughed and wrapped his arms around his son, looking over at Wade, “I should probably bring him home to sleep, it’s way past his bedtime.”

“Of course sweetie,” Cecilia stood up with Wade as Scott shifted Rebel around so the kid could wind his arms around his neck.

“Do you need help?” I found myself asking, and Scott gave me a bewildered expression.

“No… I think I got it,” he assured, furrowing his brows, and standing, one arm wrapped under Rebel to keep him supported, his other hand rubbing his little back.

Shaede stood next, moving to stand partway behind Scott as he eyed me and set a hand on the alpha’s back to lead him around the table towards the door. When he was close enough, Cecilia hugged him and pet Rebel’s hair, leaving a kiss on Scott’s cheek and beaming.

“We’ll see you tomorrow sweetie,” she said, “There’s still some planning that needs to be done before the of age feast this Friday.”

“Oh yea,” Scott agreed with a sigh, “It’s taking a bit of time for the Paige wolves to get used to it here. Thankfully the beta and Shaman have been keeping an eye on everything while I settle a few nervous wolves.”

Wade tensed at the mention of their Shaman and took a gulp of his coffee before offering Scott a forced smile, “You don’t have your own beta right now, do you?”

Scott winced and shook his head, “No. The current beta was Amos’. There is a beta who was supposed to be in line after the current, but… I don’t know him very well, so I’m a little wary.”

“Couldn’t Shaede act as your beta?” Cecilia asked, looking at the former lone, “What pack position were you born as?”

Shaede tensed up substantially and looked away, “I don’t know.”

The room grew eerily quiet and I stood up, stepping up to Scott and smiling at him, “Want me to walk you home?”

He laughed, “I think we can manage, thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow though. Come by anytime, preferably the afternoon so we’re all awake, and we came start planning the feast.”

“Cool,” I grinned, watching him leave the room with Shaede at his heel and Rebel in his arms, narrowing my eyes at the redhead and waiting for the door to shut before looking at my parents, “I’m not crazy, right? You guys felt it too?”

“The lone,” Wade nodded, and Cecilia said a hand on her chest, “He has a very powerful aura.”

“Is that what that was?” I scoffed, “He doesn’t come across as powerful.”

“I can’t help but wonder what position he is,” Cecilia said, patting her chest and leaning against the back of her chair, “An alpha?”

“If he is, he’s not like any alpha I’ve ever come into contact with before,” Wade said, and I looked over at the door.

“Do you think he’s dangerous?” I asked and Wade stared at his mug of coffee before lifting his eyes to me, filled with a dead serious shadow that made me shiver.

“He very well could be.”