The Swan Who Flew After a Wolf (13 page)

would break his heart.

“Very well,” she said. “I suppose you deserve the benefit of the

doubt since my son has given you that chance.”

“You should stay for a few days,” Anson offered, much to Reed’s

surprise. “I’m sure you and Shiloh would love to catch up, and we’re

having a party to celebrate my son’s arrival in the pack.”

Reed almost couldn’t believe his ears. He was left dumbstruck, so

he couldn’t come up with anything that could stop the upcoming

disaster. “Maybe,” his grandmother said. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt

if I saw for myself how things are here. I’ll talk to Daniel and I’ll see

if I can work something out.”

Reed had no doubt that Daniel would allow her to stay, as

relatives of pack member mates were always welcome. Since he could

no longer do anything to prevent his grandmother from doing exactly

what she’d said, he forced a smile and said, “That’s a great idea.”

His grandmother’s expression softened. “I know you probably see

me as an ogre, Reed, but I really do want what’s best for you. You

believe that, don’t you?”

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83

At that, Reed couldn’t exactly keep his distance anymore. He

broke away from his mate and went to hug his grandmother. The

embrace was very brief—the Holdens weren’t big on that sort of

thing—but it did convey the genuine affection she held for him.

“You take care, all right?” She kissed his forehead. “I want to

believe he is your mate, but I’ve learned to be skeptical about many

things in life.”

“Everything I said is true,” he replied. “I guarantee it.”

She just smiled enigmatically and didn’t contradict him. “Well, I

guess it’s good-bye for now,” she said. “Reed, Mr. Wright, if all goes

well, I will probably see you at this famous party. Now I’m off to visit

my son.”

Reed and Anson led her to the door where they watched her get

into a car and drive off. As soon as she was gone, they stepped back

into the house and Reed turned to his mate. “Oh, my God, Sonny, that

was evil. My father is going to kill you.”

Anson snickered. “Call it payback for making me sleep one room

from you without being able to touch you.”

This time, Reed couldn’t suppress a small laugh. As he gave the

idea more thought, however, he realized it did indeed make sense.

“It’s probably the best occasion for her to get used to the thought and

also meet Paris in the process.”

Anson nodded, his lips twisting into a fond smile. “I want us to be

a family, baby. I want all this to be behind us, so that we can build a

peaceful future. You, me, and Paris, and maybe later, another child of

our own, Paris’s mate and their kids.”

“I think we’re already on our way to making that happen.” Reed

stole a look toward the kitchen. “Come on, Sonny. You have more

pancakes to cook.”

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That weekend, the preparations for the party finally led up to the

main event. With some reluctance, Daniel had agreed to host it in the

mansion. It seemed that when she wanted to, Aria could be very

convincing and charismatic. Most of the members of the pack

gathered, possibly smelling a potential scandal.

For Anson’s part, he was glad there would be a lot of people

around, as it might mean he wouldn’t have to spend too much time

around the woman. A part of him wondered how the hell he’d ended

up in bed with her in the first place. Oh, she was beautiful, even now,

years after their one and only affair. But there was also something

about her that seemed repugnant, a wickedness that Anson didn’t

know how to read.

Even if the party was scheduled to start at noon, Anson and Reed

got at the mansion early in the morning. Anson still had some

paperwork to finish, since the rest of the day would probably be a

bust. Reed went to lend a hand with the last arrangements. Anson

would have kept his mate by his side had he been able to, but Reed

genuinely wanted to help.

Thankfully, Anson managed to wrap up his last tasks with a fair

amount of ease. He found Reed checking on the buffet table, together

with Daniel. Neither Paris nor Aria were anywhere in sight.

Supposedly, Aria would bring Paris after everyone else was already

here. They had gone on a brief tour of pack lands, accompanied by

Jace.

“Everything ready, baby?” Anson inquired.

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85

“Now, all we have to do is wait. You know, I’m actually looking

forward to this. I really want to see Aria face my dad.”

Reed snickered, and Anson couldn’t help a grin of his own. Hell,

yeah, Anson wanted to see that, too. An Alpha female she might be,

but Aria had to watch out for swans protecting their offspring.

Soon, the guests started arriving. Among the first to join them

were Reed’s family, complete with Norma, Reed’s grandmother.

Carson and Brody were also here, and Angel and Clark had dropped

by as well. Lately, the two young men had started making extra effort

to learn everything there was to know about the paranormal world.

They seemed very keen on getting involved with the Agency,

especially now that things were so tricky with the addition of magical

creatures to their extended family. Their urgency made it even more

touching that they had come to greet Paris and welcome him into the

proverbial family. The Cunningham clan had also been invited, but

only Morgan and Layton, with their respective mates and children had

shown up.

Soon, the Alpha mansion was starting to fill with people. “So tell

us about your son,” Layton prodded, holding his own child against his

chest. “Is there anything specific we should know?”

“Honestly, so far, he’s been a great kid,” Anson replied. “Well, I

suppose he’s your age, so not quite a kid. He’s been through a lot,

though, and I want to make him feel at home here.”

“The worst thing about Paris is his mother,” Reed added. “She’ll

probably do or say something today, so if you see me or dad in the

mood to strangle her…Well, you should probably stop us.”

Morgan laughed. “Will do. Don’t worry. We’re used to awkward

family relations.”

“Story of my life.” Morgan’s mate, Alexis, grinned sheepishly,

cuddling his own son, Elian. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Preston smiled and wrapped an arm around Layton’s waist.

“Don’t worry. We’ll keep a watchful eye on your boy, Sonny, and we

won’t let his mother get to us.”

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Soren and Derek arrived last, looking exhausted and a just a touch

glum. They were greeted with a great deal of enthusiasm by Daniel

and Melanie. After finally extracting himself from the group embrace,

Soren said, “We’ll just run upstairs and grab a shower, and we’ll be

right down, okay?”

Derek was already heading inside, but Soren stopped in front of

Anson. “And before I forget, congratulations, Sonny. I’m happy for

you.”

And with that, Soren was off, with Daniel surreptitiously

following behind him. Anson shared an amused look with his mate.

“How much are you willing to bet that our Alpha might not come

down as quickly as he said?”
Anson asked through the mind bond.

“I’m not taking that bet.”
Reed laughed, but then seemed to come

up with a better idea.
“Oh, wait. We can bet a blow job.”

Arousal coursed through Anson.
“Oh yeah? Who gives it to

whom?”

Reed shrugged.
“Does it matter?”
He licked his lips, his eyes

glowing with a lustful flame.
“I’m more than willing to be on my

knees in front of you.”

The imagery made Anson’s cock go rock hard. In that moment,

Anson just wanted to grab Reed, take the swan into their bedroom,

and fuck him until neither of them could walk.

A small moan drew his attention from Reed. Anson looked back

at his friends and saw Alexis a bit red in the face. “It seems it’s

getting a little hot in here,” Alexis said. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m

going to wash my face.”

“I’m gonna accompany you,” Morgan said, just like Anson

expected. It was clear to Anson that more than face washing would

follow.

“I can look over Elian for a few moments if you like,” Preston

offered.

The incubus seemed reluctant to separate from his son, but he

handed little Elian to Preston. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

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87

“No sweat,” Preston said. “You know how much I love this little

guy.”

Elian cooed in response, making them laugh. Probably feeling

neglected, Shea sniffled, drawing his father’s attention. Anson

watched both men deal with the fussy children, and his dream to one

day have that with Reed became even clearer.

Alexis took off with Morgan behind him, increasing the

amusement of the group. “Poor Alexis,” Preston said. “He always

ends up doing that.”

Anson felt a touch of regret in Reed since it was technically

speaking his fault for the incubus’s predicament. “I’m really sorry,”

Reed said. “I didn’t think about how it would affect him.”

“It’s okay.” Preston winked at Reed. “I honestly suspect they

enjoy it. And it certainly puts Alexis and Morgan in a good mood

afterward.”

Reed laughed a little, and Anson chuckled with him. Anson knew

his mate missed the good-natured bantering of his friends. Hell, even

Anson had missed them, as he’d always been used to having them

around. It was nice to reconnect, to catch up on the news and see the

new generation as it shaped together. In a strange way, Anson was a

little of an outsider here, but through Reed, he felt young again, like

he could start life anew. He felt like he could connect with these

young shifters on a level he hadn’t been able to before.

“I guess Alexis should get used to it,” he replied as he hugged

Reed. “He does live with shifters, and as we all know, we’re an easily

excitable bunch.”

“That’s so true,” Layton answered. “Oh, by the way, Sonny. We

didn’t get to officially congratulate you on your mating. So congrats!

I’m so happy for you. I would hug you, but I’m holding Shea.”

Anson hid a smile, knowing Layton wasn’t much for hugs in the

first place. Preston, on the other hand, arched a brow at him. “I admit

we were all getting very curious. We sensed our Reed was hiding

something, but we couldn’t tell what.”

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“Well, not everyone’s been as understanding as you guys,” Reed

answered. He looked around, scouting the area for his parents and

grandmother. “My family wasn’t very happy about it. My dads were

cool with it in the end, but then some other pack members started

making noises. Aria’s presence hasn’t helped.”

They didn’t get to pursue that thread of conversation anymore, as

Aria and Paris at last made their appearance, accompanied by Jace.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t noon yet, and Daniel and Soren still hadn’t

returned. As beta of the pack and Paris’s father, Anson would

therefore have to make all the introductions. It wasn’t something he

particularly minded, but he’d have preferred to keep Reed away from

Aria.

In the end, Carson and Brody helped out. As Soren’s brother,

Brody could act in the capacity of a host at unofficial gatherings. The

two shifters tagged along with Reed and Anson as Anson went to

meet his son.

The first thing Anson did was to embrace Paris. “Welcome,” he

said. “And thank you for being here.”

He didn’t necessarily mean “here at the party,” but rather, “here in

the pack.” He felt a bond with Paris, very different from the one he

had with Reed, but still extremely strong. He had still been unable to

get over his anger at Aria for hiding Paris’s existence from him, but

there was no point in arguing with her now. Instead, he would give his

son all the affection in the world and heal Paris’s wounds. He trusted

that, with Reed’s help, he would succeed.

“And thank you,” Paris said as they broke the embrace. “I really

appreciate this.”

“Hey, would you guys stop being so formal?” Reed piped up.

“We’re family here.”

The beautiful thing was that Reed meant what he said. The young

swan truly considered Paris part of his family. Reed was naturally