“I don’t know,” Rory said with a shrug. “I don’t believe so.”
“You weren’t there when he was born?”
A strange glint entered his eyes. “Kian’s older than I. Ten minutes older.”
“Ten—” She stared. “Twins? You’re twins?”
“Aye.”
Shay brought a trembling hand to her forehead and leaned against it. The shocks were coming too fast, too hard for her mind to process. “I need a nap. My brain’s fuzzy.”
“We’ll both take one.”
As he rose and extended a hand, she gazed up at him suspiciously. “Why are you taking a nap? You don’t look sleepy to me.”
He smiled, slow and sexy. Shay felt moisture pool between her legs. “Never said I was. We’ll sleep…after.” He tugged her to her feet and into his arms, his erection a hard pole against her belly.
“Yes, after,” she agreed.
That night after work, Caleb and MacDougal came to the house in response to Rory’s call.
Shay sat on Rory’s lap behind a mammoth desk in an utterly masculine office domain Rory stated used to belong to his father. The chair was roomy and wide, completely made of leather, and positively screamed I’m in charge. The dark cherry wood of the desk gleamed in the lamplight.
Opposite it sat Caleb and MacDougal, in two not nearly as imposing office chairs facing the desk. Caleb’s pose was relaxed, with both hands resting on the arms of the chair. His dark, long, well-maintained dreads were pulled back from his face in a low ponytail. MacDougal had one foot resting on the opposing knee and settled into his chair with what Shay considered an insolent smirk. She didn’t like the way he kept checking her body out, ogling as though he were visualizing her naked.
Shay observed him through narrowed eyes, making no attempt to mask her dislike.
MacDougal wagged his eyebrows at her. “Like what you see?”
“No.”
He grinned at her abrupt answer, obviously not taking her seriously.
Rory didn’t keep them waiting. “For security reasons my mate has requested that access to the house be denied.”
“Being led by your bitch?” MacDougal asked with a sneer.
Rory’s body stilled and seemed to swell. Shay felt the heat of him increase against the skin of her back and thighs where she connected with him. “You will refer to my mate with respect, or I’ll rip your tongue out of your mouth and force-feed it to you,” Rory said, his wolf in his voice.
MacDougal lost his stupid grin. Though he didn’t respond verbally, Shay could see a hint of contained anger in the lines around his eyes.
“Of course.” Caleb spoke into the silence. “The security of the alpha pair, especially when they are breeding, is of utmost importance. How can we assist?”
The claws digging into Shay’s thigh retracted as Rory relaxed. “Spread the word that from now on, anyone wishing to meet with me”—Shay cleared her throat, a pointed reminder of her presence—“with us will need to call first. The doors will be kept locked, even when I’m in residence, so they’ll need to knock and be granted entrance—”
“And the locks will be changed,” Shay added, looking up at Rory as she added her decree.
He frowned down at her. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Who all has a key to the house?”
Rory paused, then glanced at Caleb in question. Caleb didn’t seem to know either. He shrugged. “When Rory became alpha, he instituted the open-door policy. No one has needed keys because the door is always unlocked.”
“How old are these locks?” she asked.
Rory’s brow furrowed as he thought. “They’ve been here since I was a child, at minimum. I don’t remember them ever being changed. They were sturdy enough when I did the last remodel to leave as is.”
“Then you really have no idea who could be walking around with spares. You’re going back to work soon. I don’t want just anyone walking in, catching me unawares,” she told Rory.
“Scared of the wolves, little human?” MacDougal asked.
Shay shifted until her gaze met his, then stared until MacDougal lowered his gaze, silently acknowledging her dominance. She stared for another moment, letting him feel the weight of it, before turning back to her mate. Rory didn’t comment on the byplay between her and MacDougal, but she could feel his pride in her, and his anger at MacDougal.
“She’s right,” Caleb said.
Shay tossed him a smile of thanks.
Rory sighed. “I’ll change the locks. As second and third, you two will have a spare for emergencies—”
“No!” Shayla declared forcefully.
All eyes turned on her. “Caleb, yes. He’s your second, and I know he’d sacrifice his life for yours. MacDougal, no. I don’t like him, and if a knife ever sprouted from your back, I wouldn’t be surprised to find him holding the handle.”
MacDougal made sounds of protest. “I would never do anything so underhanded, so vile.”
Shay glared at him, her dislike tangible. “You’re rude, disrespectful, egotistical, and most of all, a sore loser. So you fought for and lost the position of alpha. Get over it or get out. The pack doesn’t need your poison.”
MacDougal’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. There was a choked sound from Caleb. When she glanced at him, his face was blank but his eyes danced merrily. Rory stroked an approving hand down her spine.
“Who else besides the three of us, and Shannon, needs a key?” Shay asked, turning once more to Rory.
“If you object to MacDougal, then that also leaves out the council,” Rory mused.
“Those old farts? Over my dead body,” Shay said.
Another choked sound from Caleb. This time when she glanced over, a smile showed. He said, “You don’t have a problem speaking your mind, do you?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Good. When dealing with this pack, boldness is an asset,” Caleb said.
“Laurie Bell,” Rory said, still throwing out names.
Shay thought for a minute. “No.”
“She’s the pack’s healer,” Rory reminded her.
“I know, but unless she’s psychic, she’ll be coming in response to being called, including emergencies. And if she’s summoned, she’ll be expected. There’s no need for her to have a key. Same goes for Ashley,” Shay added.
At the sound of her name, MacDougal stirred. Shay noted it but was distracted by Rory saying, “Caleb, that reminds me. Inform Ashley she can resume cleaning, but she’ll be on a schedule determined by my mate and her duties will be restricted to the lower levels.”
Again the look Caleb gave Shay contained a healthy dose of respect and, if she wasn’t mistaken, approval. “When do you want her to start?”
Shay opened her mouth, considered, then stopped when she realized she had no idea what day of the week it was. “What’s today?” she asked. “I’m losing time.”
“Sunday,” Rory answered.
“Is Ashley paid by the hour or a set rate?”
“A flat rate. We can change that if needed,” Rory assured her.
“No, I understand why you have her cleaning. I don’t want her to lose money she may be dependent on. Neither one of us are messy people. Beginning next Monday, tell her she can come twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, between one and four.” To Rory she said, “I believe we deserve another few days of privacy before life returns to normal.”