Page 7 of Claiming His Virgin Mate

The things she’d learned that day had been eye-opening in many ways. Maggie learned a lot about her father and his wife in a matter of minutes from total strangers, and yeah, that sucked, but at least she could try to do her best by Joelle because of that knowledge. Images of that scene flashed through her head while she waited for the manger to speak to her.

“Ms. Flint, I’m Rafe Maccon, this is my wife Charley. What I am about to tell you is profoundly serious, and also very secret. You might not believe it at first,” he began, and she found herself pinned by his ice-blue stare.

“Rafe, you’ll scare her,” Charley had said, and sat next to Maggie, taking her cold hand in her warm ones.

“Sweetie, we are so sorry about your father and Debra. I only met them once, but they were a very warm, loving couple.”

At that, Maggie had frowned. She wouldn’t know if they were warm or not. How could she when she had never really been invited to come around much?

“Your father named you Joelle’s guardian, Maggie, and it is important you understand what that means.”

“I assume it means that even though they didn’t want me around her when she was a baby, I am stuck raising my half-grown sister, and she doesn’t even know me!” she’d yelled angrily.

“Oh honey, I am so sorry,” Charley had seen past her anger.

She’d pulled Maggie in for a fierce hug and held her despite the sobs that had soaked through her shirt. Embarrassment didn’t begin to cover how mortified she had been, especially when she learned who the Maccons really were.

“What?” she’d screeched.

“We are Werewolves, or Wolf Shifters, as we prefer to be called. Your father and Debra were part of the Pack,” Rafe’s ice blue stare never wavered as he spoke, “I’m the Alpha. That means I lead the Pack. I am responsible for its members.”

“But I am not-”

“I know, Maggie. Not everyone with a Shifter parent inherits the gene. Still, he should have told you. Joelle has already had her first Change a few weeks ago. Lots of new things for such a young girl to face alone.”

“She can turn into a Wolf?”

“Yes, but she still needs help and guidance. That’s what we can offer you. Both of you. You see, Maggie, Pack is family, and Wolf or not, you are that pup’s family, which makes you mine. Please call us if you ever need anything,” he said, and handed her a card.

It was the same card she now gripped tightly in her fist while the bank manager’s secretary pushed her glasses up on her face. Never before had she given in to the desire to call the Macconwood Pack Alpha for help, but Maggie found herself seriously tempted. The older woman gave Maggie a long once over that had her smoothing her skirt nervously.

She should’ve called the Maccons before the meeting. Hell, she should’ve called them when she’d received the first notice from the bank that something was wrong.

Butshoulda coulda wouldawasn’t going to solve this problem. And it was her problem to solve. No one else’s. They’d already done so much for the Flint sisters already.

They’d helped Joelle by making sure she knew when Pack runs took place and even started her with after school activities at theMacconwood-Nighthawk Teen Outreach Programrun by Cat and Tate Nighthawk.

The older she-Wolf was the Alpha’s sister. A drop-dead gorgeous blonde who was mated to one of his deadliest guards, Tate Nighthawk. The man looked way too serious to Maggie, but he was always polite. She had met with them both a few times. After all, Maggie might have arrived late in her sister’s life, but that didn’t mean she was just going to pawn her off on strangers.

Research was kinda her shtick, and she did her homework on the center before she signed Joelle up for their arts program, and their soccer clinic. The kid had a knack for performing and sports.

As it turned out, Maggie liked Cat Maccon-Nighthawk very much. She’d even offered to hire some of the older teens in the program to work around the inn during the summertime when things would supposedly get busy.

Of course, that offer would be null and void if things at the bank didn’t go her way. And judging from the blank stare of the manager as she entered the room, Maggie had a feeling, things were not about to go her way.

“Ms. Flint you were supposed to be here an hour ago,” he began, “I’m sorry but-”

“I apologize,” she said, not bothering to explain how she had managed to miss such an important meeting.

Did one just blurt out that she had to go to the woods behind the school to search for her sister who’d apparently Wolfed out during Phys-Ed class? Was that something that was done? If it was, she supposed Maccon City would be the place, being the hub of all Werewolf activity in the Northeastern United States. Still, she should probably keep her mouth shut.

Sigh.

Her one win of the day, while the manager droned on about her lack of initiative and irresponsible actions that led her to this point in her life, was that Joelle was safe and home now.

“Miss Flint, I find myself obligated to tell you that had you had a better grasp of the situation…”

Just what she needed, she seethed inside. Anothermansplainingsession from some jackass who thought having a dick made him smarter than her.

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