Page 25 of Reclaiming Home

He was lifting the new pad from the truck bed and pointed where he’d put the old one. “Just pile them there. I’ll toss it all to the dumpster tomorrow.”

Back inside, I went to put the first load of bedding into the dryer and stuff more into the washing machine. We ended up sorting out the other stuff while we waited for everything to be done. Once everything was about where we wanted it, and we had all the bedding, we went upstairs. The room itself was clean and truth be told, the mattress wasn’t that bad.

When I said so, Brodie hummed. “There is that, at least. I think I still want to get rid of it, though. Might as well.”

“Up to you, Alpha,” I teased, and to my surprise, he kind of flushed a little.

He opened the packaging of the new pad and I dodged out of the way when it sprung open, almost hitting me in the process.

“Oops?” He smirked in a way that told me it hadn’t been completely by accident.

“I see what you did there, Mister,” I grumbled playfully.

He laughed and we continued setting up the bed.

It was a king, so all three of us could definitely fit in there without hassle. By the time we were done, it even felt inviting. Everything was fluffy and clean, and it looked a little bit like a nest.

Brodie went to open a window to let fresh air in, then frowned when the window stuck.

“Need to replace the windows, too?” I asked, knowing it was one of those things to add to the endless list he likely had in his head.

“Seems like it. Some are broken.” He nudged his head toward the door. “Here, come take a look with me.”

We went to the next room, which had clearly been the betas’. Everything was dirty and ransacked, as if they had packed in a hurry when Brodie kicked them out.

One of the window panes was cracked, the carpet was disgusting, the wallpaper was peeling, and well, it was a mess.

“This is the room that’s in the best condition,” Brodie murmured, sounding disgusted.

“It has potential,” I answered, because it did. We could start by making this Carys’ room, or her’s and mine.

Brodie glanced at me. “You’re optimistic.”

Chuckling, I walked out into the hall. “Rarely. But I choose to be about this. The pack needs a solid home.”

All the other bedrooms were in different kinds of ruin. There was water damage, some mold, broken and boarded windows, holes in the roof that had let water in. The floors were nasty, but we hoped that once we removed the carpets, there’d be wood underneath and maybe that could be saved.

“This was my mom’s room,” Brodie opened the last door we hadn’t checked yet.

It was in equal condition, but the window was intact here. I went to peer out. It overlooked the backyard, such as it was. We needed to figure out what to do with it as well.

“Are those rose bushes?” I asked, pointing to the back corner of what had once been a lawn but was now overgrown and sad looking.

Brodie came to the window, peering at the yard. “Yeah. I think grandma planted them when Mom was a girl. Mom took care of them when we came here.”

I realized Brodie was very close to me, then. I felt the warmth of his body and wondered if wolves ran hotter or if it was the bulk of this particular one that felt like a radiator next to me.

I gazed at him, getting stuck to the ink I could see on his neck, the sharp jawline and the plush lips. He was a stunning man, and something in me responded to him in a way I hadn’t experienced before.

It was as if I wanted to please him—which wasn’t new, I’d known I was submissive for years—but also, I wanted him to take care of me in ways outside of kink.

When I lifted my gaze to his, I realized he’d been looking at me, too. My breath hitched, I became hyper aware of him.

“Kye, I—”

“Guys! Do we want the steaks for dinner tonight?” Carys yelled up the stairs.

The moment broke, and my heart restarted. Brodie’s cell phone rang, and he fished it out of his pocket while staring at me in that weird way I couldn’t quite read.

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