Keegan POV:
Clement’s grip on his fork intensified. “We need him to help your mother and half-sister.”
She flushed angrily. “Damn you. I have been through hell and back. I am having a hard time coming to terms with trusting anyone, least of all, you and your army of thugs.”
That stung. Since she considered me part of that army. Clement’s eyes narrowed and he looked at me. He wanted me to convince her.
“Vianne, Clement is right. Dennis is the best at investigating and tracking people, and digging for information. If anyone can find your mother and sister, it’s him.”
She sighed, closed her eyes for several tense moments. “Fine,” she growled, stabbing her omelet. Or trying, at least, because she missed. I chuckled, which caused her to slap my arm, laughing too.
I heard the clatter of metal hitting the floor before I could register what was happening.
Clement launched him
Keegan POV:We all listened with rapt attention as she continued weaving her story. She had remained with Brant, recording conversations with shady politicians and keeping records of his abuse, all the while starting to skim money from credit cards and bank accounts. Then she hit the jackpot. For someone who didn’t like crime, she had a knack for it. Maybe it ran in her blood. “I managed to record a conversation. He had a nice little nest egg of about ten million dollars, all from his father’s campaign funds through the years and some shady business dealings. I finally had what I needed to blackmail him. So, with little difficulty, I made arrangements. I knew that my mother and sister wouldn’t be safe. Brant would use them to get to me. I sent them away. Brant thought they were going backpacking around the country. Then I confronted him.”“I threw copies of my files and recordings at him and told him that Claire and I
Keegan POV:“I can ride right now?” Claire asked happily. Vianne set her on the floor and she ran out of the room after her mother nodded. Vianne turned to us. “She doesn’t need to be here for the rest of the conversation. But I have a few requests before I return. Mr. GI Joe here should go to the hardware store.”“What for?” I asked, closing the distance between us. “It’s not safe here. There are no locks to the gym, pool room, and the door that leads to the conservatory. Plus, all the outlets need to be child-proofed. She is pretty good about not plugging things on her own, but it is best to be cautious.”I nodded. She was right. It wouldn’t be safe if Claire decided to wander. The flight of steps was steep, too, and one misstep might lead to a fall. The conservatory on the top floor was mostly made of glass windows, and there was a balcony that ran the length of it. The railing
Keegan POV:Clement stiffened. He rose to his feet, both of his hands clenched into fists. “Are you telling me that the bastard raped you?”She shook her head violently, looking over her shoulder to check on Claire and then back to Clement. “Keep your voice down. He didn’t manage to,” she added when her father sat back down. “I reached for the nearby lamp on the bedside table and hit him.”Clement visibly calmed but barely. He was sitting stiffly, his whole body radiating anger. Not that I blamed him. I felt the same way towards Brant and the situation as a whole. “After I knocked him out, I left him a note. I told him that his father would be receiving information that someone was stealing from him and that if he came for us again, I would disclose everything to his father and the media.”“You blackmailed him again?” I asked. “Do you have any idea what you have done? That man
Keegan POV:It was impossible to care for two people so quickly. Right? The idea of simply walking away or watching them leave me behind seemed to cause an ache to bloom in my chest. The reality of the situation was that if there was a chance of a future with Vianne and Claire, I would never truly be free of Clement. Because I was positive that he would want to be a part of their lives, they were a package deal. Could I live with that?I tried to tell myself that it wasn’t possible. That it was all in my head since I had been lonely and without real companionship for months in a large, silent house. I was a wolf, I told myself.I would always like to have somewhat of a family or a pack around me. But there it was, a little tear in my heart and mind. Hadn’t my father warned me that when the men in our pack fell, they fell hard and instantly? No. It simply couldn’t be and refused to dwell on it any longer. Trying to ignore the los
Keegan POV:“Oh, Keegan,” Vianne said from behind me. I turned toward her and smiled. I looked at Claire, who had her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at me?Like mother like daughter. “Claire,” I said softly, dejected as I looked away. I had never been at the end of a look from a little girl like that. I knelt beside the door I had to work on, putting my tools down, not sure what to say to her. I knelt beside the door I had to work on, putting my tools down, not sure what to say to her. I heard Claire sigh, and then, I felt her tiny body tackle me to the floor. Vianne chided her softly, but I could hear the laughter in her voice. Claire tugged on my hair so that I would look at her. “Don’t break your promise,” she pronounced each word as if each one was a statement. The promise was about what I had said to her when she had arrived. To take the hurt away, to make sure the monster never got her mother
Keegan POV:I headed downstairs from the gym. I had been working out non-stop to help release some of the pent-up frustration. Vianne was certainly not making things easy for me, though it hadn’t seemed intentional. It was mainly my over-active imagination and lustful thoughts. It hadn’t taken much to get me worked up again. Clement and Dennis had left about ten minutes after Claire’s secret promise to Clement. Vianne and I had made a simple lunch.Shortly after eating, Claire had fallen asleep on the couch and Vianne had asked me to take her to her room. After putting Claire down for her nap, I’d gone to check on Vianne. The bathroom door was slightly open. I had knocked on it so that I could offer her my laptop again when I heard a soft voice singing from beyond the door.Curiosity got the best of me and I peered inside. There she was, standing near the shower. She had left the bathroom door wide open, hot steam billowin
Keegan POV:The rest of the day passed by slowly and I spent the afternoon completely avoiding the woman that called to me like no one had before her. An hour after the incident in the office, she knocked on the door, letting me know that dinner was ready. When I had made my way to it, she was already gone. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration for the remainder of the day. Dinner was mostly in silence. Vianne only spoke when someone asked a question, though she was more lively when she spoke to Claire. Me, however, she answered in one or two words. I hated it but knew that it was for the best. How many times did I have to tell myself before I truly believed it?Claire kept looking between us and sighed, no doubt sensing the tension. After dinner, Vianne and I sat down with her daughter. We discussed all the rules and things she could tell her friends she made while at school. We had her repeat everything back to us until she got the sto
Keegan POV:I cursed the bastard that hurt her internally, slipping Claire under the covers. Vianne had remained downstairs to clean up our movie night mess and would come up to tuck her daughter in when she was done. As I turned on Claire’s night light, I found her wide awake, watching me closely. Her bottom lip trembled as her long lashes captured the tears in her eyes. “What is it, Claire?”“It’s starting again,” she whispered. “What is?”“You and Mommy act like her and daddy used to.” That had me shaking my head and I knelt beside her bed. “No, Claire,” I said hoarsely. A lump was stuck in my throat. “No way. It’s not like that at all. I will never hurt your mother. Ever.”“But you’re not talking to her.”I sighed and brushed a wayward curl from her face. There was no simple way to explain to her why things were th
Claire POV:College was not as fascinating as I had thought it would be. My classmates seemed to be just as rash and childlike as those in the high school. But it was the behavior of the professors that kept me going. I enjoyed listening to their lecture. I enjoyed reading the extra material they asked us to read but no one else did.If a professor said it was optional reading, I definitely read it. I asked questions after class, often getting disgruntled looks from my classmates. Sometimes I received irritation from the professors and teaching assistants too. But all of it was overshadowed by the simple fact that I felt watched.It had been a long time since I had felt like something was chasing me at all times of the day.At first, I had ignored it, thinking that Dad was correct, that I was just nervous and missing them. But then the feeling persisted. I knew what nervousness felt like. I knew how much I missed my family. But there was nausea that overtook me at certain times of the
Keegan POV:I heard the baby monitor beep and squinted into the darkness, hoping it was nothing. The clock read three in the morning and this was a usual time for Vianne and me to wake up every morning. One of many. I sniffed and looked over at Vianne, who was curled on her side, still facing me. Her eyes were screwed shut and she was definitely awake, but she didn’t want to get off the bed. Understandable. She had a little shifter for a baby and it was safe to say nothing fun came from breastfeeding our son Kyle. He was still small, needing to wake up every few hours to be fed and bathed. Vianne, who despised breast pumps ended up sobbing in relief when I bought one this time around.I looked at the monitor again and saw that our son was wide awake, blinking and cooing at the camera with a gummy smile. He was a jolly child but he still needed to be fed and changed. I slipped out of bed and turned the alarm on the monitor off. I found Vianne smiling groggily at me and chuckled. “Go b
[Warning: The chapter contains explicit sexual content. Please read at your own risk.]Keegan POV:I heard the chime from Vianne's cell phone and knew it was Claire. She checked it, laughing."She asked if we were at the cabin yet.""Well damn, she gave me away." "A cabin?" "I said it was only a couple of hours by car. And it's pretty secluded and we'll have it all to ourselves." She laughed and kissed my cheek. "You don't have to convince me. It sounds perfect and that explains why you only brought us one bag for a three-night stay." I growled and pulled her hand to my mouth. "We won't be leaving the cabin for much. And being naked all weekend is mandatory." "Yes, alpha," she purred.Fuck. Did she have any idea what her saying things like that, in that fucking hot voice of hers did to me? I groaned when I felt her free hand rub between my thighs. "Oh fuck," I hissed and released her other hand. Both of my own gripped the steering wheel, desperately trying not to fucking kill us
Keegan POV:Minutes later, Vianne stood on a chair as I stood in front of her, holding onto her hips so she wouldn't fall. Behind her were Claire, Tory, and several other single women, all looking up as Vianne waved the small bunch of flowers overhead. Twice Vianne faked it, making them laugh and scream at her.Finally, at the end of the next countdown, Vianne threw it over her shoulder. I looked to see who caught it, finding a wide-eyed Tory holding the bouquet in her hands. However, seconds after, Clement passed her, grabbing the prize and handing the flowers back to my wife.There were several laughs and Tory groaned, chasing him toward Vivian who was too busy trying not to laugh. Then he went back for Claire. Good, I knew he was on my side."I can't believe your dad," Vianne said from her perch. She looked down at me as she waited for everyone to settle again. "You're enjoying yourself aren't you?" I shrugged, not apologizing for my wandering hands. My fingers were barely grazing
Keegan POV:Sensing my eyes on her, my daughter offered me a smile and wave. She blew me a kiss, which I caught mid-air, making her giggle. I winked and turned to Vianne who was watching me."You've been an amazing father," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. "I want to see you with a baby in your arms, sleeping on your chest."I leaned in, brushing her hair aside to whisper in her ear. "I want to see your belly grow with our son or daughter, watch you sit in a rocker as you breastfeed, and listen to you sing a lullaby-like you still do with Claire. I hope you never stop singing like that, sweetheart.""As long as I have someone willing to listen, I won't." She kissed me then, prolonging it with a sweep of her tongue along my lips. "I love you, so much, Keegan."I smiled as I went back for another kiss. "I know." She laughed, smacking my gut with her hand. "I love you, too. It's a good thing you do though. I would hate to be the only one."Something caught her attention over my sho
Keegan POV:"I'll get you!" I handed Claire to Vianne and followed the asshole. Why was it that Claire always asked the most uncomfortable questions when he was around?I heard my mother ask what was wrong from behind me. "He's still struggling with how smart our daughter is." "Did I hear something about baby sister or brother?" I heard several people laugh as I chased Ricki around a table. "It's not my fault she figured out what happens during a honeymoon!" "She didn't even know we were going to one!""Sorry," he said, laughing as he twisted away from my reach. "It didn't take much for her to work it out when I told her she couldn't join you." I growled and tried to grab him. "All you had to say was to ask me or Vianne." "Sorry!" I laughed and shook my head, knowing it wasn't really his fault. I just wanted to give him a hard time. I would smash some cake into his face later anyway. "Alright," I said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "I'll let this go, but not before I tell th
Keegan POV:My baby girl looked like a mini beauty queen. Dressed in a white dress, she was eating up the attention, the gown covered in lace and tiny crystals. Her dark curls held small flowers and sparkled as she threw petals every few steps. She gave me a wink that had me rethinking strategies of keeping her locked up the moment she became a teenager.She was going to break so many hearts.As Mom and Dad made their way down the aisle, both smiling widely, I knew we made the right choice for me to come home for this.The music changed as my parents took their seats, both giving me a small hug before they sat. I looked up toward the entrance where I knew Vianne would appear, anticipation sizzling through me. As the music took on a softer quality, I saw a hint of white.My eyes ran the length of her; she was gorgeous, perfection and mine.The dress highlighted her beautiful body, making her look like a dream come true.Beside her Clement looked nervous as he stared at his feet, to mak
Keegan POV:Tess. She winked over my aunt's shoulder. Somehow, I knew my friends would find a way to be with me on my wedding day. My aunt, oblivious to me, went inside the wedding tent and Tess made her way to me."Don't you look handsome," she said, lifting her hands to fix my bow tie. "I'm glad you're here," I said softly, not wanting to be overheard. She smiled and shrugged. "We wouldn't miss it for the world." "Please tell me Edwin is in disguise.She knew why I asked. Though he wasn't widely known as the man that took over Clement's organization, he had made the news a few times already.“He let his beard grow out and changed his eyebrows. Even I had a hard time recognizing him,” she whispered, still smiling. "Where is he?"She cocked an eyebrow. "I'm the boss today, so he's somewhere around here following my orders."I laughed and wished I could hug her. "Thanks for coming," I said. "Who else is here?" She tried to play it off, but I could see right through her. Some of the
Keegan POV:I should have known. It hurt to know that she didn't seem to feel the bond I felt toward Claire."You feel it acutely because she is your mate’s daughter. It is an unbreakable bond. That's not to say I don't love her already," she added in a soft whisper."You do?""Irrevocably," she said with a smile. "How could anyone not love a pup like her? She's so beautiful and we share a hobby!" She laughed at that and I realized I had nothing to worry about with her and Claire. I couldn't tell her the whole truth, but I had to say something to ease her curiosity."She was running from an abusive boyfriend when we met," I said, coming up with a different cover story as I sat beside her. I hated the lie falling from my lips, but it was a price I paid to keep my family safe. "It was one of the reasons why Troy told you to wait a few months ago. He came looking for them after all this time."She nodded. "And that situation is resolved?""Yes," I said, kissing her temple. "I can't tell