Page 13 of Stealing Sloane

And now she knew why.

“Holy fucking fuck, Devon Hale is our brother!” Sloane exclaimed. “DevonFuckingHale!”

Devon. Fucking. Hale. The world’s biggest rock star whose concerts filled arenas around the world and sold bajillions ofalbums. No wonder Jacob said Ronan wouldn’t be able to get to him. Not even the Alpha of Boston would dare try to harm such a famous superstar, knowing it would draw a lot of attention to the clan.

“Sloane, you’ve said it like twenty times already.” Stella rolled her eyes. “We’ve been sitting here for an hour. I got over it after, like, five minutes.”

“I know, but DevonFuckingHale is our brother.”

“And he’s also right here.” Stella sent Devon an apologetic look from across the living room and mouthed a “sorry.”

“But he’s … he’s just … it’s mind boggling to think about.” Sloane waved her hands between herself and Devon. “But you know what, it makes sense.”

“Really? How?” Devon asked.

“I always thought your music sucked and you were unsexy as hell.”

The woman next to Devon Hale—her brother!—Charley, burst out laughing. “I think I like you.” She turned to Stella. “Speaking of mind-boggling things … I can’t believe you’re Cliff’s True Mate.”

While she had heard of the concept, Sloane didn’t really know much about True Mates, but in the past few days, Cliff had been educating her and Stella about it.

Stella put a hand on her stomach as she shot Cliff a love-sick grin. While Lycans had difficulty conceiving, True Mates always conceived on the first try. The pregnant female also became invulnerable to any harm, which is why Stella’s wounds healed instantly after their scuffle. That filled Sloane with relief because, for at least the next nine months, her twin would be safe from harm. After all, her mission was not done. Ronan was still out there, alive. If she didn’t get to him first, he would keep coming after her and everyone around her would just be collateral damage.

A hand landed on top of hers. Stella sent her tight smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Sloane could feel the tension coming from her twin, as if she could read her mind and her intentions. Which was silly, because there was no such thing as telepathy between twins.

She let out a dramatic sigh, if only to deflect her sister’s questioning glance. “It’s too bad, though, I was looking forward to being on the lam with you, Stel, getting into trouble together, having adventures.”

“Me, get into trouble? I don’t think so,” Stella laughed. “Besides, I’m glad you stayed.”

“Meh, it’s not too bad.”

She kinda liked Stella’s parents’ house, as well as the Reverend and Mrs. Lennon themselves. It all felt normal, in that TV family sitcom kind of way where every episode started with some kind of crisis that resolved by the end.

As if on cue, Mrs. Lennon’s head popped into the living room from the kitchen. “Does anyone else need more tea? Coffee? How about more food?”

“We’re good, Momma, thanks,” Stella said.

Sloane got up and picked up the tray of empty cups and plates. “Let me get these for you, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Sloane. And please, I told you to call me Alice.” She smiled warmly at Sloane.

She followed Mrs. Lennon—Alice—into the kitchen. “Where should I set these? Or do you want me to wash them for you?”

She laughed, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “No need, dear, just set them down on the table, and I’ll take care of them.”

“It’s really no problem, I swear.” Placing the tray by the sink, she reached for the tap. “This won’t take long at all.”

“Sloane, dear, there’s no need to bother yourself. And you don’t have to worry about making yourself useful. You’re a guest, and it’s our pleasure to host you.”

She took a deep breath and dropped her hands to her sides. Turning back, she gave Alice a tight smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“I appreciate you letting us stay here, Mrs.—Alice,” she said.

“Of course, dear.” She gave Sloane’s shoulder a pat, which made her flinch. Alice must have sensed her discomfort and stepped away. Guilt crept into her, but it wasn’t like she could help it. She wasn’t exactly the touchy-feely type.

“I have to admit, it was a shock seeing you.”

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