Page 17 of Kendrick

“I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him in years. Being a hunter doesn’t make it easy to keep in touch with your family. I was so soft with Devon because of Ryan. I couldn’t help but imagine Ryan in his place and think about how I’d want him to be treated if that happened to him.”

“I’d hope that your brother wouldn’t do what Devon did,” Jonas muttered.

“I wouldn’t know. He was a kid when I left, but he’ll be eighteen now. That’s an entirely different person.”

“Maybe you should reach out to him, then. I understand why you didn’t while you were on the move and living in abandoned spaces, but you’re not anymore. You have a home where Ryancan stay if he wants to visit.” Jonas reached over the table to take Kendrick’s hand. “Take it from me. I lost my entire family, and there isn’t a day I don’t miss them. You still have your brother. You should make the most of that.”

“He might not want anything to do with me. It’s been a long time since we saw each other.”

“But he might also have been trying to find you. You won’t know until you reach out.” Kendrick deserved to have his brother in his life.

Jonas could understand why Devon had been so drawn to Kendrick. It was the same reason Jonas was, even beyond the bond they shared. Kendrick was sweet and gentle. It was at odds with him being a hunter, but it made sense because he was also fiercely protective of the people he loved, even when those people hurt him, like Devon. He wanted the people he cared about to be happy and safe.

He really was the perfect man.

And he belonged to Jonas.

* * * *

Kendrick knew Jonas was right. He finally had the opportunity to reunite with his brother without fearing for Ryan’s life, so why shouldn’t he do it?

He knew why. His father wouldn’t be happy if Kendrick reached out to Ryan. Kendrick still remembered the words his father had slung at him when he was younger. He’d been angry at Kendrick’s mother, and he’d taken it out on Kendrick. It was why Kendrick had left as soon as he turned eighteen when Ryan was only eight. He’d hated to leave his brother behind, but he hadn’t had a choice. Besides, he had had no idea where he was going or what he’d do, so it hadn’t been practical. Ryan had his mother. He was a happy kid, and Kendrick hoped things had stayed the same.

“Maybe I can find a way to get him my number,” Kendrick offered.

Even if Ryan never wanted to see Kendrick again, Jonas’s smile made it worth it. “You don’t want to call him?” Jonas asked.

“I think it would be better to give him the means to call me but to leave that to him. I don’t want to force him to see me or to talk to me if he doesn’t want to.”

Jonas wrinkled his nose. “Why wouldn’t he want to? Did you fight before you left?”

“We didn’t, but he was only eight. My father and I fought, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d stopped talking about me entirely or if he’d said things that would make it so that Ryan doesn’t trust me. I want him to have the possibility to contact me, but I won’t force him into it.”

“If you tell me where your father lives, I can pay him a little visit,” Jonas said, sounding threatening. “I don’t know him, but I don’t like what he did to you.”

“I don’t like what he did to me, either, but I don’t need you to avenge me.” Kendrick squeezed Jonas’s hand. “I’m fine. I always knew I wouldn’t see my father again after I left, and I made my peace with that and with the kind of person he was. The only person I miss is Ryan.”

Jonas took his hand away, for which Kendrick was sorry, but it was only to take out his phone. “Tell me his full name and a few things about him.”

Kendrick didn’t remember much, and what little he did remember probably wouldn’t be enough to find his brother. He’d only been eight when Kendrick had left, so he hadn’t had a phone or social media.

Sure enough, they didn’t find Ryan, but they managed to find Kendrick’s father. Through him, they found his wife, and through her social media, Ryan.

Jonas turned his phone to show Kendrick a picture. Kendrick stared, stunned by how much his brother had grown. Of course he had. Ten years had passed, and he was eighteen now. “What now?” he asked.

“Now, we send him a message. Since you don’t want to call him outright, I’m going to send him your number. He can do whatever he wants with it.”

Kendrick wanted to hope that Ryan would call him, but there was no way for him to be sure, and that was okay, too. He’d been without his brother for ten years. He could continue being without him, even though that wasn’t what he’d prefer.

He wasn’t alone anymore. He had Jonas, Boyd, and Chris. He had Boyd and Chris’s mates, even though he didn’t know them well. He had Rachel, Clay, Rowan, and the rest of the clan. Even if he never got Ryan back, he’d be happy.

“And done,” Jonas said as he put down his phone. “I texted him that I was writing for you and gave him your number. I hope he’ll call you.”

“So do I, but I’ll be fine even if he doesn’t.”

“Because you have me?” Jonas grinned, telling Kendrick that he was teasing.

Kendrick wasn’t teasing when he answered. “Because I have you and everyone else. I always thought I would die young and alone, probably killed by a Kudlak. I knew the life I was choosing, and I felt that most people wouldn’t care, anyway. I was just another hunter. Then I became friends with Boyd, Chris, and Rachel. I had people who cared about me and who I cared about. It gave me even more reasons to fight, and I’ve been doing so ever since. I can’t leave my work as a hunter, because I think I’m doing something good, but I have so much more to live for now.”

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