Page 48 of Homecoming

“Luka?” Kat gasps at her son's obvious distress. “What’s going on?”

She watches as Noah attempts to console him while QT stands with a confident stance between a growling Darius and the pair, pitifully pleading. “Pl-please let it go. Let him k-keep it.”

Darius looks up and sees Kat and Digby as they enter hand in hand. Digby’s tee-shirt is torn in strips, bandaging his neck. “Was it you who let him have thisthingin the house?” Darius dangles the helpless kitten high in the air by the scruff of his neck.

“Oh that… uh, look Dee, I told Noah to get rid of it but… well, Luka, he kinda likes it—I’m sure it’s just a phase and when it wears off, we’ll get rid of it.”

“It goes—now!”

“Wait…” Kat frowns. “Who made you God? You don’t get to decide. We all live here. We should vote on it like we used to. Noah’s going to take it to the cabin, and Luka needs it right now.” She scoops the crying child into her arms.

Darius snarls. “Well, I don’t want it here. It stinks. It was in my office. For God’s sake Digby, did you not tell her I hate cats?”

“I did but…” Digby sighs. “C’monDee, it’s really not that bad—you kinda get used to the smell after a while and look at the size of you compared to it. It won’t hurt you,” he laughs.

“This is notfuckin’funny.” Darius shoves Digby in the chest. “Get rid of it… out of this house now!” he demands.

“No.” Digby shakes his head. “No, I won’t. She’s right, you’re not in charge. I’m the pack leader and I say it stays.” He looks around with a grin as Noah and QT smile at him. “There… I made the decision… the cat stays.” He hands the small, mewling kitten to Luka. “There you go son, have your cat.”

“Kitty!” Luka beams and smiles. His big blue eyes are filled with large crystal bubbles of tears as he stares pitifully at Darius.

“Fine, have it your way.” With that, Darius hisses, turns on his heels, and disappears.

“What the fuck is his problem?” Digby frowns.

Kat sighs. “I’ll go check on him. You said he doesn’t like cats but there has to be more to it than just that.”

“She’ll sort it.” Noah reassures Digby. “It will be fine.”

“I hope so,cuzhe’s damn pissed at me. Hey uh… so I wasthinkin’… you wan’ a hand with the cabin? If you let me get cleaned up andsomethin’to eat, then me and the guys will come help. If you want us to?”

“Uh… sure,” Noah smiles. “That would be really good and it means I can get the uprights in place this afternoon with your help. Thanks. I’ll go get Luka ready for nursery—they’re late because of this cat and Darius thing. Did Kat talk to you about the daycare? I did tell her to discuss it with you.”

“She did, and we're all good.Everythin’s just perfect,” Digby smiles.

“Hey, you have some blood there. Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I uh… well, I may as well tell you all.” Digby grins from ear to ear. “I got Kat to mark me—make abondin’mark like hers.”

“Oh, okay. I didn’t know that was a thing.”

“Yeahwell, it is now. Right, I should uh… go clean up.” Digby looks nervously down the corridor towards Darius’ office and sighs as he rubs his neck and heads slowly up the stairs to the bathroom.

Seatedbehindtheoldantique desk, Darius lets out a long sigh and rubs his head as he turns on the light, opens his laptop, and scrolls a quick check of his emails.

Hearing hurried footsteps approaching, he sits back in the chair and stares as Kat closes the black oak-paneleddoor and leans against it.

“Are you going to tell me what the hell that was all about?” she frowns.

“What was ‘what’ about?”

“That scene in the hallway—the cat, Digby, making Luka cry.”

“I don’t like cats. I thought dumb ass out there would have told you that by now.”

“Aww… are you scared of the big bad kitty cat?” Kat grins as she rests her hands on the desk in front of her and peers long and hard into his eyes.

Darius doesn’tspeak,but with a hiss under hisbreath,he stands up. Coming around to the front of thedesk,he perches himself on the edge next to her. “Did you want something because I have phone calls I need to make?”

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