Page 65 of Reclaiming Home

Wrapping my arms around his slighter, shorter form felt like coming home. I’d missed him so fucking much.

He squeezed me back equally as hard, and his laughter turned into tears in my embrace.

“You’re here now, sweetness,” I whispered. “I missed you so goddamn much, but you’re here now.”

I turned us so that I could lean against the rental SUV and just held onto him. I don’t know how long we stayed like that. Time seemed to slow down and speed up at the same time as something inside me settled.

The wolf felt content in a whole new way. I understood that it had been settled by the mate bond, but that underneath, it had craved more pack.

I vaguely heard Ben and Max talking to Kye and Carys, but I tuned them out in favor of being there for my best friend.

Ben and Max joined us a while later, appearing around the vehicle almost tentatively.

I held out one arm and they walked into the hug, folding into it in a way that told me they were relieved to be back home as well.

“You guys look good,” I said when they stepped back. Rian was still burrowed against me, so I reached my hand to wrap around Ben’s neck first and squeezed. “Well done,” I told him, then repeated the touch with Max. “I’m so fucking proud of you.”

Kye cleared his throat on the porch. “If you guys want to come check out your room?”

Wiping their eyes, they nodded and went with him.

I carded my fingers through Rian’s curls as much as I could. He hadn’t dyed them in a while, the red was paler now.

He liked to keep it shaved on the sides and the most vibrant red on top, and the state of it told me how he’d been feeling lately.

“I love you so much,” I whispered to him. “I’m so thankful for you and especially for the fact that you’re here now.”

Finally, he pulled away enough to look at me. “I love you too, Brodie.”

I squeezed him once more, then watched as he blew his nose and wiped his face, trying to make himself more presentable again.

“Now introduce me to your mate, Alpha,” he said, a hint of amusement mixing with the pride in his eyes.

“Brat.”

He grinned. “Always.”

Chapter Sixteen

Kye

As I watched Rian collapse into Brodie’s arms, I felt a stab of jealousy. I could imagine what Brodie was telling him, because it was obvious in their body language they’d been missing each other like hell.

I pushed the emotion away and smiled at Ben and Max.

“Welcome home,” I told them as they approached the porch.

“Thank you,” Ben replied, smiling.

Max nodded, appearing pleased as well.

By now, based on what I’d heard from Brodie, Ben was the one who did most of the talking for the duo. Max was more reserved, but I couldn’t blame him for that. I’d heard enough of the way they’d grown up.

Carys came out of the house, grinning from ear to ear. “You guys look amazing!” she gushed and went to hug both of them.

Some of her therapy sessions had been rough, to say the least, but she was getting more comfortable around strangers when we went into town. Her hugging the brothers so easily made me feel even better about her progress. She’d never been afraid of them to begin with, but it said a lot of how our pack dynamics wouldbe in the long run that she found them approachable from the get-go.

Ben and Max went to join Brodie and Rian’s hug, and I saw Brodie reassure both of them in a way that clearly moved them all.

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