Page 74 of Redeem Me
Chapter 57
Jade
It was showtime. I had gathered everyone that needed to know who Lucas was in the manor. Rafe watched me with curious eyes from the head of the table but I chose to ignore him. I couldn’t let his dark eyes undo me in front of everyone else. It was bad enough that I smelled like him now that I was living in his home. I had walked through the front doors to the manor and he had taken a long satisfied whiff when I walked by him. I swatted his shoulder playfully but an elated feeling had washed through me at the same time.
The Guardians all sat around the table with Tracey’s family. Rafe watched me with careful eyes. I simply sat next to my best friend and waited for Lucas to make his appearance. His scent washed over the room first. Vivian leaned forward and frowned before she looked at her family. Granny’s lips twitched into a knowing smile. Of course, she was aware of who the stranger wolf had been. Lucas walked around the staircase in all of his human glory. He had given himself a haircut and his face was shaved nice and clean. His clothes were a tad bulky on his frame but I knew he would fill them out now that we were out of Damian’s estate.
Vivian was the first one out of her chair. It toppled backwards with a loud crack but she didn’t stop until she was throwing herself into her son’s arms. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Is this a trick? My baby!” Her sobs shook the room as she fell apart. The next one throwing herself into the circle of emotion was Tracey. She cupped her brother’s cheeks inside of her hands as her face fell.
“It’s you,” she whispered. “It’s really you!”
Axel stood off to the side awkwardly until Tracey and Vivian untangled themselves from Lucas’s arms. He stood up straighter under his father’s gaze. “I can’t believe it’s you.”
Lucas took a hesitant step toward his father and they both fell apart. Tears coated Axel’s cheeks as he pulled his son into a tight embrace. Granny brushed away a few tears before she got up to hug her grandson. The emotions in the room were stifling. Everyone took turns hugging the man that had become one of my best friends.
Vivian kept her hands wrapped around her son even as everyone started to leave. I didn’t imagine she would let him out of her sight for a while. “You were held captive by Damian too?”
Lucas looked down at his mother. “That’s more of a complicated story than what I want to get into right now.”
Vivian nodded. “Take all the time you need, I’m just happy to have you back. I can’t believe you’re back.”
It wasn’t till later that night that everything seemed to hit the fan. All because Lucas was annoyed with how snarky Rafe was being. Tracey informed me that it probably had something to do with Lucas having a wolf now and not understanding where he fit in the pack dynamic. There would be many challenges until he found his spot.
Rafe launched himself across the small space. “You slept in the same bed as my mate?”
Lucas grinned while he popped his knuckles. “Yes, and you should know she only had lace and silk negligees to wear at night too.”
I rolled my eyes. Why was this happening now and why was Lucas getting so much pleasure out of bothering Rafe? “Can you stop baiting him, please?”
Lucas frowned. “I don’t want to stop. He just told them that they should have left me behind.”
Rafe crossed his arms over his chest instead of murdering my friend. “That’s because you have a thing for my mate. I can smell her all over you. It’s different now.”
Lucas let out an exasperated sigh. “I really don’t have a thing for her.”
“He’s gay, remember?” Knox nudged Rafe.
“He’s bi, you idiot.” Rafe shook his head incredulously.
Knox made a face. “They have men that are bi?”
Tracey smacked her forehead. “Did you crawl out of the dark ages with my dad?”
He grinned at her. “Only if it gets me brownie points with him.”
Lucas snarled at Knox. “Stay away from my sister.”
Knox took a mocking step toward the woman in question. “What if I like them feisty?”
“Can you all just shut up?” I pinched the bridge of my nose. Idiots. But then it hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. My eyes found Rafe’s. The color drained from my face. “Mate?”
Rafe took a step toward me. All of this had managed to bite him in the ass. It was written all over his face. “You weren’t supposed to find out this way.”
I looked between Lucas and Rafe but my words were for Lucas. “You knew? You knew and that’s why you were baiting him.”
Lucas’s cheeks stained pink. “I might have.”
Rafe snarled at him. “How did you know?”
