Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Meet the Parents

When she arrived home, Serena found that Olivia and Oliver were already in bed. Dana had already

tucked them in and read to them. Serena was a little relieved that she could sit down and rest her feet.

She was looking forward to quietly contemplating the events at the hospital. Sometimes, it was hard to

go back to being a mother after seeing so much blood and tragedy. After stitching up Logan, she‘d

helped the nurses in the emergency room, making sure the rest of the wounded were patched up and

had had what they needed. It was a great entrance into her life as a pack doctor, but it had been

exhausting! Serena kicked her shoes off and hunger her stethoscope by the door. Dana was in the

kitchen with a warm cup of tea waiting for her. “Thank you,” she said, accepting the tea and taking a

seat at the table. “Fortunately, there were no fatalities. Beta Carson was wounded pretty badly, but he

will recover.” “That is great to hear,” Dana said. “How were the kids?” she asked. Dana smiled, wiping

down the kitchen countertop. “Wonderful,” she said. “Olivia is so full of life, and Oliver is so wise behind

his quietness.” Serena smiled, sipping the tea. “They are great,” she said. “If there is nothing else you

need from me tonight, I‘d like to get settled in downstairs,” Dana said. “Yes, of course,” Serena said,

motioning for Dana to leave the kitchen. She sat alone in the silence, sipping her tea and thinking about

her interaction with the Alpha. He had been so stubborn to accept medical care! She figured most

Alphas had to be stubborn, but to think his own health was less important than another‘s? Serena

shook her head. He was going to challenge her, especially since she was trying to keep their past a

secret! There hadn‘t been any fatalities in the hospital, but a lot of the pack members had been

wounded. Serena felt bad for the families that had been worried. She didn‘t even know if Carson had a

family, a mate or pups. To think that they had to suffer through almost losing him and not knowing if he

was going to live or die while he‘d been in surgery. Sighing, Serena began to wonder what would

happen to her kids if something were to happen to her. She didn‘t have a .mate; they didn‘t know who

her father was. All she had were her parents and her brother, and they didn‘t know about the twins. li

made her heart sink, thinking the twins would be left all alone if anything were to happen to her. Even if

she was injured and had to be in the hospital for recovery, they would be alone. Serena decided that it

would be better to tell her parents about the kids. She wanted them to meet their grandparents, and it

would mean she could keep the kids away from Logan when he came by to give her a tour the next

day. Serena had wanted to protest because she didn‘t want him around her house and seeing the

twins. If they were with her parents, they‘d be far away. Serena finished her tea, washed out her mug,

and went to bed, happily falling asleep utterly exhausted! In the morning, Serena woke up to find that

both the twins had crawled into bed with her. Stretching her arms out, she grabbed one in each arm

and hugged them too her. Olivia and Oliver giggled and squirmed as she kissed their heads. “Mommy!”

Oliva protested. Serena smiled and released them. “How would the two of you like to meet someone

special?” she asked. Olivia‘s whole face lit up in a smile. Oliver looked more thoughtful. “I want to, I

want to!” Olivia cheered. Serena looked at Oliver. He smiled and nodded finally.

“Good, go get dressed,” she said. The kids ran off to their respective rooms. Serena got dressed and

went downstairs to find that Dana had already made breakfast. Olivia ran down first, grabbing her juice

and digging into her pancakes. When Oliver came down the stairs, he only had one sock on, and his

left pant leg was dangling off his foot. Serena stifled her giggle and went over to help her son get his

clothes on the right way. “There you go,” she said, patting his head once his pants were straight and his

sock was on. “Eat up.” “I made you some coffee too,” Dana said, handing Serena a mug. Serena

smiled and sat with her kids. “I‘m going to be taking the kids with me to meet my parents,” she told

Dana. “I‘d like them to spend some time together today.” “Alright, I‘ve got plenty to do around here, and

I‘ve got a few errands to run,” Dana explained. Serena nodded and finished her coffee. She loaded the

twins into the car and headed to her parents‘ house. It was a bit of a drive, but it was early enough, she

could make good time. She had a sing along CD playing for the twins, and she thought about what she

would tell her parents when she saw them. Thomas and Charlotte still lived in the house that Serena

had grown up in.

Taking a deep breath, Serena led her twins to the front porch, knocking on the door and waiting.

“Serena!?” her mother said excitedly, running out onto the porch and hugging her. “We‘ve missed you!

How are you settling in at Night Sky?” Serena hugged her mother back. “I missed you too,” she said.

“Mom, I have…” she didn‘t get to finish because her mother released her only to be replaced by her

father‘s rough hug. “You‘re all grown up, aren‘t you?” he asked. Serena laughed, sighing into her

father‘s hug. When he let her go, her parents noticed the twins for the first time. “Mom, dad, these are

my children, Olivia and Oliver,” she said, touching them on the heads. Her parents both stared at her

with dumbfounded looks. Clearing his throat, her father stepped back. “Let‘s go inside,” he said curtly.

Her mother and father disappeared inside, and Serena followed, urging her kids along. Serena sat in

her parents‘ living room. They sat together on the couch staring at her, and she sat in a chair across

from them. Olivia and Oliver were standing on each side of her. It was silent, too silent. She could see

that her father was mad. “I‘m sorry I didn‘t tell you,” Serena said, breaking the silence. “Serena, you

kept this a secret from us for five years!” her father bellowed, glaring at her. Serena‘s mother sniffled

and sighed, tears glistening on her cheeks. “It was cruel of you to keep our own grandchildren hidden;”

Charlotte said, sniffling again. Serena suppressed her eye roll. Her parents‘ pain was justified. “Olivia,

Oliver, why don‘t you go play outside,” Serena suggested, nodding to the double doors off the living

room. There is a huge yard out there.” “Come on, Oliver,” Olivia said, taking her brother‘s hand. “Mom

just wants to talk about things she doesn‘t want us to hear.” Serena sighed, shaking her head as the

twins departed. “They‘re smart,” Serena said, smiling sheepishly at her parents. “So, it would seem,”

Thomas said, still a little gruffly. “I‘m sorry I hid them from you,” she said. “The truth is, I didn‘t want to

reveal them to the world.”

“Why, honey?” Charlotte asked. “They are beautiful, and you know we‘d love them and help you with

them. You lived in the human world with them, going to classes. We could have helped with that.” “I

know,” Serena said, holding up her hands in surrender. “It wasn‘t easy, but we go through it. I know I

should have told you, but there were…reasons not to.”

“What possible reasons could you have for hiding the existence of your kids from us for five years?”

Thomas asked with a slight sneer. Serena hated being the target of her father‘s anger. She swallowed

nervously. “Well…the truth is…I was ashamed,” she admitted. “Ashamed of what, dear?” Charlotte

asked, sliding to the edge of the couch and giving Serena a sympathetic look. Serena folded her hands

in her lap, twisting her hands around each other. She couldn‘t tell them the truth. She could barely

admit the truth to herself! “…I was ashamed because…because I don‘t know who their father is,”

Serena blurted out the first thing that came to mind that made sense. She looked down at her hands,

waiting for her parents to berate her for promiscuity and not practicing safe sex. After all, they were her

parents, and it was their right. Slowly, reluctantly, Serena lifted her eyes to look at her parents. She

couldn‘t read their features, and she worried they were both going to be mad at her now. She opened

her mouth to speak again, by her mother dropped to the floor in front of her and grabbed her in a hug.