Rejected and special

Chapter 12

Once the rogue finally left, silence crept back into the woods.

The little boy and girl climbed down from the tree with practiced ease. I shifted back into human form and knelt down, gently taking the girl's tiny hand in mine. The boy grabbed my other hand tightly—protective already, even though his small fingers were shaking.

Together, we walked through the trees, their little footsteps quiet against the dirt.

When I opened the pack house door, I was immediately met with a wall of tension—Kyle stood right there, eyes blazing with worry and frustration.

He opened his mouth, but then he looked down.

At the two children.

His expression softened in an instant.

I gave him a look that said, Not now, and walked past him silently, guiding the kids upstairs to my room.

Once inside, I shut the door softly—and locked it behind us.

I turned to face them, keeping my voice gentle. "What are your names?"

The little boy stood a little taller and answered, "My wame is Eitan, and this is my wittle sissy—her name's Morgana."

I smiled. "Nice to meet you, Eitan and Morgana. My name's Jamie."

Morgana looked up at me with wide eyes and said, "I wanna call you Mommy."

I blinked, heart clenching.

Damn.

"How old are you two? And how did you end up in that tree?" I asked softly.

"I'm five," Eitan said proudly. "And sissy is three."

"Okay... and what happened? Why were you in that tree?"

Eitan's little face darkened. "We was walking with that nice lady—the one the big bad wolf killed."

I swallowed hard.

"That woman... was she your mommy?" I asked gently.

Morgana jumped up, shaking her head fiercely. "No! We don't got a mommy!" she said, voice cracking.

Before I could respond, the door burst open.

Eitan leapt in front of Morgana and me, growling. That little boy's heart was fearless.

"Easy there, little man," Kyle said, holding his hands up. "The door wasn't locked all the way—it jammed when you shut it."

Kyle stepped inside slowly and looked at me. "Jamie, can I talk to you?"

I nodded. "Let me run the kids a bath first."

I took them into the bathroom and turned on the warm water. Within minutes, they were in the tub, splashing and giggling like nothing had happened. For a moment, it felt... normal.

I stepped back into the room with Kyle. He stood there, arms crossed, still tense.

"Yes, Kyle?" I asked.

"Where did you find those kids?" he asked immediately.

"In the woods," I replied.

"When? Where? How?!" Kyle pressed, concern pouring out of him.

"Sit down, Alpha," I said with a half-smile. "This might take a while."