Family Secrets
1704 Words
Elaine Carter stood in the middle of the living room, looking at the three women who had somehow become part of her family overnight.
Her gaze moved from Remi…
To Rae…
Then to Del.
A slow smile spread across her face.
“So,” Elaine said warmly, “these are my sons’ mates.”
Rae raised her hand.
“Technically, yes.”
Trey groaned.
“Rae.”
“What?” She shrugged. “I’m just making sure we’re all clear on the situation.”
Del laughed.
Remi covered her smile with her hand.
Elaine laughed too.
“I think I’m going to like you.”
Rae pointed at Trey.
“You should probably ask him first.”
Trey crossed his arms.
“She hacked our entire system.”
Elaine blinked.
Silence filled the room.
Rae slowly turned toward Trey.
“You weren’t supposed to lead with that.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
Elijah immediately pointed at him.
“You absolutely were.”
“I was just explaining.”
“You’re terrible at explaining,” Rae muttered.
Elaine looked between them.
“She hacked the pack system?”
Rae smiled innocently.
“Technically, it was extremely easy.”
Will rubbed his forehead.
“Rae.”
“What?”
“You didn’t just hack it.”
Elijah suddenly blurted out,
“She hacked our phones, our security network, our cameras, our communications system, and then completely installed her and Del’s technology throughout the pack.”
Rae’s mouth dropped open.
“Elijah!”
“What?”
“You weren’t supposed to tell her all of that at once!”
Trey started laughing.
Del shook her head.
“Welcome to the family, Elaine.”
Elaine looked at Rae.
Then Del.
“You two did all of that?”
Del lifted both hands.
“Mostly her.”
Rae nodded.
“I designed it.”
Del pointed at her.
“And I helped install it.”
Rae grinned.
“And upgraded it.”
“Repeatedly.”
“Because their original system was terrible.”
Luke cleared his throat from across the room.
“She isn’t wrong.”
Will shot him a look.
Luke immediately looked away.
Elaine stared at her sons.
“You let these two completely rebuild the pack’s security system?”
Trey shrugged.
“After Rae proved she could do it better.”
“And after she saved everyone from those attackers,” Elijah added.
Elaine’s expression softened.
She looked at Rae.
Then Del.
“Thank you.”
The joking disappeared from Rae’s face.
“For what?”
“For protecting my sons.”
Rae swallowed.
“We protect our people.”
Del nodded.
“That’s what we do.”
Elaine smiled.
“Then I suppose you’re already family.”
Rae blinked.
Del’s expression softened.
Remi smiled.
But before anyone could say anything else, Marcus chuckled from his chair.
“You know, Elaine, I think you might be the last person in this room to officially meet these two.”
Everyone turned toward him.
Remi frowned.
“What?”
Will looked at his father.
“Dad?”
Trey’s eyebrows rose.
“You know Rae and Del?”
Marcus smiled.
“I’ve known them for years.”
Silence.
Rae slowly turned toward Marcus.
“Oh, no.”
Del’s eyes widened.
“Wait.”
Elijah looked between them.
“How?”
Marcus leaned back comfortably.
“Anna and Sam.”
Remi stared.
“Rae and Del’s parents?”
Marcus nodded.
“The Carter family and the Winters family have had an alliance for years. A very strong one.”
Will’s expression changed.
“You’ve met them before?”
“Many times.”
Trey looked at Rae.
“You’ve met my father before?”
Rae shrugged awkwardly.
“Technically.”
Del nodded.
“More than once.”
Elijah folded his arms.
“And none of you thought this was important information?”
Rae pointed at Marcus.
“I didn’t know he was going to be here.”
Marcus laughed.
“You knew I was part of the Carter family.”
“I knew that.”
“And you knew our families had an alliance.”
“I knew that too.”
“Then you knew there was a possibility.”
Rae narrowed her eyes.
“I don’t like where this conversation is going.”
Marcus grinned.
Remi looked at Del.
“So my friends have known your family for years?”
“Apparently.”
Will looked at Rae.
“And you never mentioned meeting my father?”
Rae shrugged.
“It never came up.”
Trey laughed.
“That’s the most Rae answer I’ve ever heard.”
Elijah shook his head.
“Unbelievable.”
Marcus looked at Rae.
“Besides, I’ve known you long enough to know exactly what kind of trouble you can get into.”
Rae froze.
Del immediately started laughing.
“No.”
Marcus nodded.
“Yes.”
Rae pointed at him.
“Don’t.”
Trey’s grin widened.
“What?”
Marcus smiled.
“You remember the fireworks?”
Rae closed her eyes.
“Oh, come on.”
Remi looked confused.
“What fireworks?”
Will looked at Rae.
“What fireworks?”
Elijah leaned forward.
“Now I really want to know.”
Rae sighed.
“It was nothing.”
Del laughed.
“It was absolutely not nothing.”
Marcus chuckled.
“Rae was banned from using fireworks.”
Trey stared at her.
“You were banned?”
“Temporarily.”
“Why?”
Rae crossed her arms.
“Because everyone was being dramatic.”
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
“You almost burned down a dock.”
Rae immediately pointed at him.
“Almost.”
Remi’s mouth dropped open.
“You almost burned down a dock?”
“It was an accident!”
Del was laughing so hard she had to sit down.
“You launched the fireworks too close to the dock.”
“It was windy!”
Marcus nodded.
“It was very windy.”
Rae looked at him triumphantly.
“See?”
“But the dock caught fire.”
Rae’s triumph disappeared.
“Briefly.”
Trey burst out laughing.
Elijah shook his head.
“I can’t believe this.”
Will stared at Rae.
“You almost burned down a dock?”
Rae glared at him.
“You’re supposed to be my future brother-in-law.”
Will fought a smile.
“I am.”
“Then act supportive.”
“I am supporting the fact that you apparently shouldn’t be allowed near fireworks.”
Del laughed harder.
Rae pointed at her.
“You’re next.”
Marcus smiled.
“And Del was there.”
Del’s laughter stopped.
Rae slowly turned toward her.
“You were?”
Del shrugged.
“I wasn’t the one lighting them.”
Marcus nodded.
“No. You were the one trying to keep Rae from lighting another one.”
Trey looked at Del.
“So you’ve known my father for years too?”
Del nodded.
“Through Anna and Sam.”
Marcus smiled.
“Exactly.”
The room suddenly became quieter.
The three brothers looked at each other.
Then at their mates.
Then at their father.
“So our families have been connected this entire time?” Elijah asked.
Marcus nodded.
“For years.”
Will looked at Remi.
“And somehow none of us knew.”
Remi smiled faintly.
“Apparently our families have been keeping more secrets than we realized.”
Elaine reached over and squeezed Remi’s hand.
“Well, that changes tonight.”
She looked at Rae and Del.
“You aren’t strangers walking into this family.”
Then she looked at Remi.
“And you’re not coming home to strangers either.”
Remi’s eyes softened.
Elaine suddenly pulled out her phone.
“There is one more person who needs to be here.”
Remi knew immediately.
“Mom?”
Elaine nodded.
“Layla and David.”
Remi’s heart tightened.
Elaine called Layla.
The phone rang twice.
“Elaine?”
“Layla, sweetheart. I need you and David to come to the pack house.”
A pause.
“Is Remi okay?”
Elaine smiled.
“She is.”
Another pause.
“Then what’s happened?”
Elaine looked at Remi.
“Something wonderful.”
Remi’s eyes filled with tears.
Elaine continued.
“Your daughter found her place.”
Layla went silent.
Then her voice softened.
“We’re coming.”
Elaine ended the call.
Remi wiped beneath her eyes.
“Thank you.”
Elaine walked over and hugged her.
“You never stopped being their daughter.”
Remi closed her eyes.
For the first time since returning to Bayou Falls…
Home didn’t feel like something she had lost.
It felt like something she was finally getting back.
Marcus looked toward Rae and Del.
“And I’ll make sure Anna and Sam know everything that happened tonight.”
Rae groaned.
“Please don’t tell them about the fireworks again.”
Marcus laughed.
“They already know.”
Rae froze.
“What?”
“They were there when it happened.”
Del covered her mouth.
“Oh, Rae.”
Rae looked horrified.
“My parents know?”
Marcus nodded.
“They’ve known for years.”
Trey laughed.
“This is the best night I’ve had since meeting you.”
Rae narrowed her eyes.
“Enjoy it while it lasts, Alpha.”
Trey’s grin widened.
“I plan to.”
Elijah laughed.
Will shook his head.
And Remi couldn’t stop smiling.
For the first time, the pieces of their lives weren’t colliding.
They were connecting.
The Carter family.
The Hayes family.
The Winters family.
Old alliances.
New mates.
Awakened powers.
And three women who had no idea just how deeply their lives had already been intertwined with the Bayou.
Outside, headlights appeared through the windows.
Remi’s heart skipped.
“That’s them.”
Layla and David were here.
Her parents.
Her past.
Her family.
And tonight, they were about to learn everything.
Will slipped his hand into Remi’s.
She looked up at him.
“You ready?”
Remi took a breath.
Then smiled.
“For the first time…”
She squeezed his hand.
“I think I am.”
The front door opened.
And the next chapter of their lives was about to begin.
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