“I’ll be as big as the giant!” He bounced up, arms stretched to the sky, more open and little boy than I’d ever seen. “I’ll howl and all the bad wolves will run away.” He raced around the green space, making howling noises as I watched in amusement.
“Thank you,” she whispered, easing down next to me.
“It really is amazing how silent you are,” I mused, shaking my head. “Either that or I’m really unobservant.”
She chuckled under her breath. “You learn. It’s really hard to sneak up on a wolf. I’ve had years of practice.” We watched Nicky tumble in the grass for a minute. “Thank you for watching him. For reminding me why I did it.”
“He’s a smart boy. I think he talks better than I do.” I grinned at her and she bumped my shoulder.
“Flatter my child and I’ll give you anything.”
I opened my mouth and then hesitated.
“What is it?” She prompted in a no bullshit voice.
“We might have sorta ran into your dad,” I replied in a rush, bracing myself for whatever backlash was coming my way. When she didn’t say anything, I peeked at her through my lashes. “Well, that went better than I anticipated.”
“He was okay?” She pointed at Nicky and I nodded. She nodded too and we just sat there nodding for a second. “Dad…..Dad saw him?”
“Yeah, they spoke.” I rubbed my mouth, debating the next part. “Your dad told him he was a Navarre not a Hanley.”
Sam snorted. “Of course he did.”
“Nicky wanted to know if he would be as big as Hank,” I added and Sam smiled.
“We do tend to be bigger than average,” she admitted in pride, her own height towering over mine at six feet. “He’ll be a giant like Dom.”
“He told me he was going to be a wolf.”
“He will,” she answered with a nod. “He’s got the right genes.”
“How can you tell?”
“Smell for one, but the eyes were a dead giveaway. All Navarre men born with those eyes are shifters.” She glanced over at me. “And the Hanleys did blood tests. Certain markers are present in shifters.”
“How modern,” I quipped, striving for light and falling flat when she gave me a pained glance.
“They took care of the ones that didn’t have the ability,” she murmured, her fingers curving when she said, ‘took care.’ “Wren,” she shook her head, unable to finish. “I was lucky.”
“And now you’re free,” I reminded her.
She turned a burning gaze toward me. “I won’t be free until every one of those bastards is buried.”
“Okay, then,” I said with a gulp. “Noted. Death to the Hanleys.”
“To the bastards that hurt us,” she corrected, some of her intensity easing as she turned back to Nicky. “Not all of them were bad.” She paused. “Most of them, but not all.”
“We can make a list,” I suggested, wondering if I’d just offered to write a hit list for Dom’s sister.
“And mark them off one by one?”
“If it makes you feel better,” I said honestly.
“Frank Hanley,” she said, nodding. I patted my pockets searching fruitlessly for something to write on or with and finally settling on my phone. I opened a blank message and typed Frank Hanley in.
“Who is he?” I asked idly, trying to decide if I needed to maintain some type of database.
“Nicky’s father.”
I paused, lifting my head, but her demeanor didn’t change. “Okay,” I replied and decided to skip descriptions. It was probably better that way. “Next?”
“Kyle Hanley.”
“I’m guessing they’re all going to have the last name Hanley.” I typed quickly, not asking who he was for fear of the answer. “Which is kind of gross. Are they all related?”
“Pretty much,” Sam said shortly. “Dennis Hanley. Joe Hanley. Nicholas.”
Her voice faltered on the last name and I glanced up. “Was he one of the good ones?”
Her mouth worked for a second. “No, he was the worst of them all. He’s their alpha.”
“Oh.” I hurried to type his name when I heard Sam snarl.
“What’s he doing here?”
“What?” I looked up and saw a man at the edge of the forest. He stared at us and fear jolted through me. “I don’t know him.” I reached for Sam, my gaze searching for Nicky, relieved to find him close. “We should go. I don’t know how he got through the patrol.”
“Because he’s the Alpha’s brother,” Sam replied, her eyes locked on him and abruptly I realized she knew him.
“Who is he?” I asked her and her eyes clouded.
“Payne.”
Chapter Four
“Like literal pain or metaphorical?” I questioned, my forehead wrinkling as my gaze darted between them.
Sam blinked and glanced at me. “No, his name is Payne. He’s Caleb’s older brother.”
“Ohhhhh, well now I feel dumb.” I squinted at him, trying to get a better look. “Huh, I just realized I’ve never met Caleb’s brother.”
“You’re not missing much,” Sam muttered.
“He’s cute,” I mused. “Is that like a wolf thing? You’re all really attractive.”