Page 13 of Homecoming

“Seriously? She seriously wants back on the team? But I thought with the pup she’d…” Darius looks away as his mind races. “I thought she’d given up on all that. Hell, it’s been so long, and she’s been through so much. I’m surprised she’s even considering it. I can’t see her making it back, can you?”

“Depends how determined she is. She seemed pretty keen from what Riley was tellin’ me. Don’t worry, I’ll tell her it’s too soon. Hell, she’s stillfeedin’that pup, but I have to say, I noticed she does seem physically stronger. and at lot more at peace with her wolf—that could be a fearsome combination.” Marco smiles. “Still, it’s gonna take a couple of months even if she startstrainin’now. But like I said, I thought you should know. That way when she asks you can have already given it some consideration.”

“Shit… That’s all I need. Okay, thanks for the heads up. It’s appreciated.”

“Dee, what will you do when she asks?”

“I have no idea,” Darius sighs loudly. “But if it’s what she wants and she can make the grade… I guess I’d have no reason not to let her come back, right? Unless she doesn’t get the psych clearance… Do you know who does the evaluations for our teams these days?”

“I can find out but… Are you considering getting her turned down on her eval? Darius, if she finds out you did that—”

“ButIwouldn’t be the one doing it, would I? You would.” Darius smiles at Marco before his eyes return to the forest.

“C’mon, I can’t ask someone to do that to her, not if she wants it. Not if she’s okay.”

“Do you seriously think after having Evelyn, she is going to be capable of making the team?”

“Oh, I don’t know, but isn’t that what the evaluation’s for? What I do know is that Riley said she was pretty set on it. I’m not sure you’ll dissuade her that easily.”

“Alright,we’ll talk about this at a later date. For now, I’m going to check out thisotherproblem.” Darius whistles loudly and gestures Zak and Oz towards the forest as he strides towards them.

Theairhasturnedcoolerandit carries with it a fresher breeze. As the sun makes its disappearance behind the skyline of trees, Darius stands, arms folded, staring into the darkness at the very edge of the forest.

“Did you find anything?” Darius asks as Digby now emerges naked from the other side of the glade and he notices the fine sheen of sweat on his skin from running. He can also hear the pounding thud of his heart beating hard in his chest.

Digby's blue eyes glisten brightly after his shift. “No. I told Zak and Oz to go back to the house to keep a check on things. There was definitelysomethin’out there—I could smell it, but it probably was just those damn poachers again. Astral, one of the alphas from the village, said there’s been a few more of them lurking around recently. They’re going to step up patrols and keep scaring them away. Hopefully, they’ll get the message soon enough. If not, then we may just have to eat one to make a point.” Digby laughs. “I’mjokin’—well, maybe.”

“Alright, but make sure they all stay alert. Where’s Kat now?”

“I left her with Evelyn back at the house. She’sfixin’somethin’to eat. Darius, she’s fine.”

“I just don’t like it. I have this niggling feeling in my gut that something’s wrong. Like I’m waiting for something to happen.”

“Well, we didn’t find anyone, so that’s good. But I agree someone was definitely out there.C’mon, we’re all a little on edge with Kat being back, but justtry andrelax. Things are gonna be fine. The team’s all back together now, and that’s all that matters.”

“Did you tell Noah what happened?”

“No. I didn’t want him to worry Kat—sometimes that man is too damn honest for his own good,” Digby laughs.

“You know, you really need to stop hating on him and start accepting that he’s going to be part of Kat’s life. I thought you were done with all that drama. Maybe you should finallysettle your differences once and for all.”

“Yeah, I guess I have been a little off with him since they came back. But hey, I can’t help if I get jealous. It’s just the way he is around her—allunderstandin’andmeanin’ful. Not to mention the fact he got to spend all that time alone with her. Hell she even stayed on at the mountain rather than come home to us. What does that tell you?”

“That wasn’t the reason, and it wasn’t his fault. But you’re right, it will take a little time for things to adjust. In the meantime, we can’t just ignore him because he’s not going away and I think if you finally know the truth—find out if he is actually your brother—it might help.”

“Half-brother. And how do I do that?”

“Get Marco to arrange a DNA test. Digby, it’s the only way to know for sure if he’s blood related and if he is, then you might find it easier to accept him as part of the pack. I think you’re trying to pretend he has nothing to do with you when the truth is… well, I think you know the truth. Hell, don’t ask me. Speak to Rhys and see what he thinks.”

“I know what Rhys thinks—he likes him. But I also think that’s because he can boss him around andcuzhe’s so damn naïve to the ways of the world—Rhys takes advantage. Noah was a big hit with the ladies at the club. And you wonder why Rhys likes him?”

“Well, I’ll tell you this, he’snotas dumb as he lets you think he is. He’s well read. Him and Kat have a lot in common, and I can see why she likes him. He offers her things… things that we can’t.”

“So you’resayin’what exactly? We just give her to him? No, I can’t do that. I don’t wanna give her up. You might be able to do that, but I can’t—hell, if you didn’t forget, I’m the one that’s bonded to her.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. And of course I know you’rebonded, dumb ass. It’s just… Digby, you have got to find a way to make this work. This relationship—the three of us—if we want her to stay in our lives, we have to compromise. And that,” Darius pulls the gold-colored cellphone from his pocket as it bleeps, “starts with you finding out if he really is your blood. We’ll deal with whatever comes after that.” Darius glances again at the phone text. “Alright, are you sober because Edwards just pinged, and he wants us back at base?”

“Are wegettin’spun up again?”

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