Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,138

vases. Then there were two adorable little stuffed dogs. No, wolves. One was red, but the other was a grey pattern that was close enough to Roman to count. Then there was a pair of heart-shaped boxes filled with chocolates.

Set in front of it all was an envelope addressed to both of us. Gabby reached for the Roman dog, but I had to know, so opened the envelope. Inside was a sweet Valentine's Day card, but it was the signature that made me smile the most.

The most amazing women in Wolf's Run deserve a little pampering. Enjoy your mother/daughter day, and know that we already miss you both. ~Your Guys.

P.S. The grey one is from Roman.

"Well," I said, "it looks like your boyfriend and mine decided to get us some presents."

Gabby was already hugging the grey wolf. "I think this one's yours, Mom. It looks like Lane." She passed me the red one.

It really did, too. The whole thing made me smile, because I'd said that we never got too old for stuffed animals, and clearly he'd paid attention. So Gabby and I put our new toys on the couch, then moved the flowers inside. One vase held roses. Another had sunflowers. The last one had daisies and carnations, but they were all beautiful. Besides, there was just something wonderful about getting flowers. I wasn't even sure why, yet I liked it.

Then the rest of the day was ours. In all honesty, it was nice to do absolutely nothing. Gabby and I talked about pretty much everything. Her play was a big part of it, along with her upcoming quincea帽era. I mentioned a few things I wanted to do with the house - like new furniture - and we decided the colors needed to change. Then we started talking about guys.

She told me all about her date with Roman. I was fine with that, but when she asked how mine went, I clammed up. How the hell did I answer that? Tell her my threesome with the neighbors was great? Not going to happen. But this was my daughter, and the more we talked, the more I realized what it meant to be an alpha.

"Mom," she groaned, "stop blushing. You spent the night with them. Duh. For the last how many years, you've made it very clear to me what happens when you sleep over with boys." Then she turned on the couch to face me. "But I like them. I know you worry about that, so I figured I'd just make sure you know."

"I really like them too, Gabby. I also think Roman's very sweet, and don't tell, but I understand why you had him bite you. I sorta had the same talk with my boyfriends, and I think I'm going to consider it. Becoming a wolf, I mean, since you won't have to leave the pack if anything happens to me."

"Yeah?" A massive smile took over her face. "So, who's going to bite you?"

"Uh..." Well, shit. That backfired. "I'm not going to get bit," I finally managed to say. "I'm just not worrying about it. If I get exposed, then I figure it was meant to be. So, don't expect me to turn anytime soon, ok? And if I catch this thing, you'll have to stay with Henry or Ashley until I make it through. But if I don't, I'm going to name Ashley as your guardian, ok?"

She groaned. "Mom, you're going to be fine."

"I'm just taking precautions. Although, Henry offered too. So..."

"Ian," she said. "If anything happens to you, I want to live with Ian and his betas. C'mon, they're already like my dads, and Ashley's cool, but she's not really a mom type, you know?"

"So Henry," I said.

Gabby huffed at me. "Sure. If Ian doesn't want to, then that's fine, but I think you're so convinced that you can't put this on your boyfriend that you're missing the obvious. Ian's the alpha. He'd be my guardian anyway - legally or not. You're just thinking about this like a human. Besides, nothing is going to happen to you. Promise! Everyone says that having an alpha help you return to your body the first time makes it much easier, and you have more than one! Henry, Ashley, Kim, Ian, and even me!"

That made me smile. "So, you're calling yourself an alpha now?"

Her mouth opened, and she just paused. "I'm not supposed to say anything yet. Pax made me promise that I won't call Roman and Olivia my betas