“And Benjamin?” I want to know.

“A team of my warriors are chasing him and tracking him down,” Henry tells us. “Matthew is leading them. Now that he’s got his shit together, he is slowly returning to his usual capabilities. He is a great tracker.”

I nod, stretching out the tension in my body. My muscles feel so tired after this long night, and it will be a long day too. I can’t wait to close my eyes and sleep with my mate in my arms. The five of us return to the large open area in front of the pack house, where Marcel joins us.

“Aww, it’s almost the whole gang back together again,” Anthony says. “It doesn’t feel the same without Steve, though.”

“Yeah, I bet he hates that he missed it,” Marcel says.

“He had a decision to make,” Elodie points out. “And he chose wisely. He was man enough to step out of this battle for his mate’s sake. Not many men can do that.”

“Steve is not like many men,” Henry says with a hint of admiration in his voice. Again I’m amazed by how far he has come, that he can acknowledge another man like that.

We are still catching up and planning our next steps when Matthew and some of the twins’ warriors return.

“Young Alphas.” Matthew approaches us with long strides and addresses Anthony and Henry directly now. “We found the fugitive. Benjamin is in our custody now.”

“Did he put up a fight?” Henry wants to know.

“Not much,” Matthew says. “We brought him to our camp outside of the pack. Alpha Elden told us he will take him to Silverlake later today. He…”

“Yes?” Henry urges, slightly impatient.

Matthew, however, seems to have forgotten what they were even talking about. He sniffs the air slightly, spinning around like crazy in search of something. Then his eyes fall on the young man Freya is friends with. Emmanuel was his name, I think. A pretty young man with dark hair on pale skin. Like all the former slaves, he looks malnourished, but there is fire and determination in his eyes.

All of us hold our breath. Liam joins us, too, watching what’s going to happen. He looks slightly worried and ready to jump in if something should happen.

Matthew strides towards the young man, who stays rooted to the spot. His eyes wide in slight fear at the bulky man approaching him. “I can’t believe it,” Matthew whispers before dropping to his knees in front of Emmanuel, leaning his head against the younger man’s middle and wrapping his arms around him. “Thank you, Goddess, thank you!”

Emmanuel seems slightly confused yet also happy he has not been rejected. He seems to have no idea what he should do now.

Matthew gets up again, lifting Emmanuel with him and marching away from prying eyes to goddess knows where… maybe to consummate his mate bond… who knows?

“At least ask him for his name before you do him!” Anthony calls out to him, a bright cheesy grin on his face.

Henry elbows him. “Tony,” he huffs.

“Anthony is right,” Elise says dryly. “If you put your penis into someone, at least ask for their name.”

Elodie groans while Anthony grins. “See, this woman understands me. I’ve never fucked anyone without asking for a name first.”

“Same!” Elise nods. “It’s one of my rules.”

Henry shakes his head. “Awesome that you two can connect on such a deep level,” he says sarcastically.

There is a warning glint in Anthony’s eyes. “Oh, we don’t want to go there, Henry.” He chuckles darkly. “Or do you want me to tell them how awful you were as a teen.”

Henry looks flustered. “You’re right. I’d rather not. Just continue with whatever you and Elise are doing.”

We others chuckle while Elise eyes him curiously. “I’m still amazed that you and Tony can tell us apart so easily.”

“I think it’s because we’re twins too,” Henry muses.

“Yes.” Anthony nods. “I’ve heard once that twins are used to seeing the tiniest details that differentiate them from their twin. Henry and I have different hairstyles and in general, we style ourselves differently. But if we didn’t, we would look almost entirely the same. It’s the nuances.”

“Makes sense.” Elodie nods while I wonder who the heck can even see any differences. My hint is always the bracelets they’re wearing. If it weren’t for that, I’d be lost.

With everyone busy with their tasks and most things being dealt with right now, I decide to spare a moment to talk to my mate. I catch her while she fetches something from one of the barns, where they store their potatoes and other vegetables. I wrap my arms around her, enjoying how she squeals in surprise before relaxing into my embrace. She leans back against my chest. “How do you feel?” I whisper. “Being back here?”