Page 44 of Redeemed Wolf

“Looks like they’ve been busy,” I muttered, taking in all the changes they’d made since I was last here. It might have felt like I’d been gone only a matter of weeks instead of months, but the evidence of their hard work was everywhere I looked.

Pacey maneuvered the truck off to the side beside the pack’s vehicles and waited, letting the engine idle. We didn’t have to wait long until the door to the Alpha’s cabin opened and Shan stepped out, along with Jude, who was clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. I was relieved thatthey’d decided to keep the others back for now. Things were overwhelming enough as it was.

Carter seemed to shrink into himself, trying to make himself smaller, as he clung to me. “No one here will hurt you,” I assured him. “Any of you,” I added, twisting to look at the others in the back. “You’re home.”

Isaac seemed curious, only slightly wary, but then he looked out the window and caught sight of his older brother. He cried out, fumbling with the door handle until he tumbled from the vehicle, not bothering to close the door behind him. Poor Jude looked like he hadn’t slept since I left, with deep shadows beneath his eyes, but seeing his brother, he burst into a run, grabbing Isaac in a bear hug. Neither of these huge alphas had a problem showing their emotions, tears streaming down their cheeks as they collapsed in a heap. A band of pressure tightened around my chest at the display, my own eyes prickling.

Amelia was only slightly more cautious as she approached them, but I suspected that was more for the boy’s sake than her own. She wiped her tears away, but they were replaced by new ones just as fast. Jude climbed to his feet so he could hug her next. She pressed her face into his chest, her shoulders shaking with her sobs, while the little boy clung to her hand, hiding behind her with a shy curiosity.

Carter’s breathing had sped up, and he was gripping my forearm, unaware that the tips of his claws had peeked out and were snagging at my shirt. “I… I think I know him.”

I shared a look with Pacey, and he got out, leaving us with a semblance of privacy. “They’re your family, Carter. Isaac, Amelia, and Jude, the man in plaid. They’re your brothers and sister.”

He shook his head sharply, as though trying to clear the cobwebs. “But—”

“I know you don’t remember them very well, but I think it’s been coming back to you. Those nightmares you have. I know you don’t like talking about them, but maybe there’s something to them.”

He watched the reunion, and I felt a tingling of something new from him—it felt an awful lot like envy. This was an emotion I was familiar with, when it came to watching the Grim Wilds pack from the outside. Carter, however, was being given a chance to belong here.

“Do you want to get out and meet them?” I asked.

He was just now starting to realize everything he’d been missing. “Do you think they’ll want me to?” He sounded so vulnerable, so hopeful, and I knew no matter what, I would make it my life’s goal to help him heal. He deserved nothing less.

“I know they do. They miss their brother.” He nodded vaguely. He must’ve at least sensed something of who they were to him because he didn’t argue it.

“I’m practically naked,” he said, tugging on the tattered remnants of his clothing.

I chuckled, hugging him from behind. “Not as naked as Isaac,” I pointed out. “I promise they don’t care about that kind of thing around here, but give me a second. Let me see what I can find.” I popped the door open and slid out from under him, shifting Carter over and off my lap. In the back seat, I found an old blanket, and I shook out a few dried leaves and brought it back to him. “How’s this?”

Blushing, he slid out of the truck, his bare ass squeaking on the vinyl. He crouched, hiding self-consciously behind the open door. “Thanks,” he muttered, grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around his waist.

Conversation cut out as I took Carter’s hand and tugged him forward. “I’m right here if you need me,” I whispered. Paceymoved into position as my Beta on my right side, offering his silent support to my mate.

Jude met my gaze briefly, and he took a moment to offer me a nod of thanks, before glancing behind me to where Carter was half hidden. “Carter?” His eyes were filled with such hope. I’d never seen the larger man so soft.

“Hi… Jude?” It came out like a question, and Carter glanced at me, subconsciously reaching for reassurance. I nodded and nudged him forward with a hand on his lower back, relishing the brief touch of his warm skin just above the blanket. “Isaac and Amelia…” Carter added, stopping a few feet away from them. He glanced down to the little boy, who couldn’t have been any older than five. “Hello again.”

Amelia smiled. “This is Andy. My son.” Her hard, sharp-toothed smile seemed to dare anyone to dispute their relation, since they didn’t look much alike, not to mention the scent of him was anything but wolf, but blood didn’t mean anything when it came to family. If anyone understood that, it was the Grim Wilds pack.

Isaac seemed to sense that something wasn’t quite right with Carter. His nostrils flared as he tested his scent, and a deep crease formed between his eyebrows. I hadn’t heard him say anything, not since I’d freed him. We were in the middle of taking samples when the alarm had gone off, signaling Joe’s distraction. Dr. Taylor had run off, barking orders, and I’d simply… let go of Isaac’s cuffs. In under 30 seconds, the remaining guards were dead. “Time to raise Hell,” Isaac had growled, his hands painted with blood. Now that blood had dried, leaving dark gloves of flaking red gore. He seemed to guess that Carter felt cornered, even out here in the wild, and wisely kept his distance.

Jude, though, took a step forward, his desperation to hug his brother overriding his instincts. Carter stumbled back a step intome, and I brought my arms up to catch him. Jude froze, nodding as he retreated. “Sorry, I just—”

“I know,” Carter said quickly, and I got the impression that he was piecing it all together as he went. “I’m sorry too.”

There would be time to get to know each other later. For now, there were immediate needs to be met. Isaac stared down at his hands, the splattered mess across his chest, and asked if there was somewhere to get washed up.

Jude’s smile was beaming, radiating joy that he could take care of his family at last. “When was the last time you had a hot shower?” he asked, draping his arm over Isaac’s shoulders to drag him toward the newly expanded bathroom building.

Now that the initial excitement had settled, Brody brought the kids out, and seeing kids close to his own age, Andy squirmed in Amelia’s arms. She set him down and held his hand as they walked over to say hello. Mal, ever the future Alpha, stepped forward and offered his hand to shake, then gave him a clean set of clothes from his own closet. I had no doubt he would take the poor kid under his wing in no time.

Dylan and Morgan emerged from the kitchen, their arms laden with trays of food, and I swore I could hear Amelia’s stomach growl from here, her eyes tracking the movement. I knew Carter had to be hungry too, after his shift, so I whispered in his ear, “Why don’t you go grab a bite to eat. Then you can have a shower next, and I’ll find you some clean clothes.”

“Y-Yeah, okay.” He seemed reluctant to go too far, but the outdoor eating area was still within sight. He and Amelia walked over, leaving two feet of space between them, not talking, but I could sense Amelia’s urge to touch him, to make sure he was real. The kids followed behind them in a noisy gang. None of them were untouched by trauma in some way, and I was constantly amazed at how resilient they were.

Pacey and I stood sentry while they settled in for a meal, watching over my mate. Shan ambled over to me, wearing a gentle smile. “You did good, Silas.”

I shrugged, gaze skittering back to where Carter sat with his arms kept close to his sides in a defensive position. I didn’t like the distance between us. It clawed at my insides, almost impossible to ignore. “Anyone would’ve done the same,” I said with forced levity. But then I thought back to holding Amelia down in her cell, to wrestling Isaac into submission and letting Dr. Taylor take their blood, muscle, spinal fluid. I couldn’t imagine Shan doing that, or Tristan or Jude. I’d always been cynical and bitter, hardened after living under Thorn’s rule, and my father’s before that.

---