Axel shrugged. “There isn’t much we can do. They wouldn’t leave their homes even if we had somewhere to stay. Rafe took a vote from them. They would rather stay and fight.”
“Even the ones that just had babies?” Tracey’s mouth gapped open.
Vivian nodded. “This is their home, they want to protect it just as much as the rest of us.”
“They’re putting their children in danger!” I could agree with Tracey on that one.
“Your humanity is getting in the way, daughter.” Axel clenched his fists at his sides.
“My humanity makes me better.” Tracey grabbed my hand and yanked me out of her parent’s home.
After we had gotten far enough away from the house, Tracey looked at me. “Thank you for being there for me.”
All I could do was nod because I hadn’t wanted to be there at all, but not everything about friendships were good. There would be awkward and emotional times. I was there for the long haul, even if I was extremely uncomfortable.
“You could have talked to me about those things,” I whispered.
Tracey’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “Oh yeah? Just like you were gonna talk to me about what happened when you were held captive by Damian?”
I snickered. “Touché.”
“Maybe we should both just let it out over ice cream and romantic comedies.” Tracey bumped me with her shoulder.
“I think I would like that.”
“I never thought I would like therapy but maybe we can make it fun.” Tracey nodded her head like she had thought of the best idea ever. Her eyes sought mine for a second as she took a deep breath. “Can I stay with you for a little while? I want to say that’s been the first time I’ve been cornered like that but it’s not. They do that every time I come and I’m exhausted by it. I dread seeing them. I think I might need some space.”
I nodded my head. “Of course, you are more than welcome though your brother’s snoring could wake the dead.”
Tracey rolled her eyes. “Not much has changed then.”
Tracey wrinkled her nose as she eyed the two twin beds side by side in Lucas’s room. Leaving the Pack Lands wasn’t exactly ideal but I was thankful the Guardians had helped us move hers from her parent’s home. Her parents hadn’t said anything as we took it apart and carted it out of their home. They knew she needed space and they weren’t going to fight about it. It wouldn’t make the situation any better.
“I can’t believe I’m rooming with my brother,” Tracey leaned against the doorway and shook her head. Her pink sandaled feet were crossed at the ankle and her capris were almost rolled up to her knees. Being on the Pack Lands was nice during winter because it meant that we didn’t have to pretend for the sake of humans.
I smiled smugly. “I’m not giving up that beautiful bed.”
The gold rings on Tracey’s fingers twinkled in the light as she waved her hand at me. “I would never ask that of you. I wouldn’t give it up either.”
Rafe’s voice echoed down the hallway. “Do you mind if I steal my mate for a little bit?”
Tracey waved her arm for me to go through the door. “Sure, I have plenty of unpacking to do. I’m going to see if Mav will help me move my dresser over here. It matches the one we ordered for in here…” She paused and bit her bottom lip. “Somewhat.”
A snort escaped me. “Make yourself comfortable. I don’t care if it’s neon pink. I want you to be as at home as possible.”
Lucas appeared behind his sister. “Good luck with that. You can’t get that feeling without Dad yelling at the TV and my mom baking in the kitchen.”
I couldn’t picture Axel yelling at the TV but I had the pleasure of tasting Vivian’s pies. They were incredible. I wondered why she hadn’t opened a bakery for herself. As the Beta’s wife, she had more than enough funds to do so and the pack would back it. Mentally I went over the Pack Lands map in my head. One of the borders butted up against the Antique district. The land there wasn’t owned by anyone but Rafe.
I had almost forgotten about him and then he was there beside Lucas, staring at me over Tracey’s head. “Do we have to stay here and supervise?”
I managed to shoulder my way through my best friends and grinned. His hair was still a bit long but he didn’t wear it down when I saw him. There was only one time I had seen it down recently and it was when he had been training with the Guardians. We walked side by side each other outside of my home. There was still a chill in the air but the snow was completely melted now. Only some parts of the property were still holding water from the melt. We both didn’t say anything for a while but the tension wasn’t awkward. It was a nice, comfortable silence. When we passed trees I was no longer familiar with, I finally turned to Rafe and stopped.
“Where are we headed?”
A small smile pulled at the corners of his lips. “I want to show you something but I need you to trust me.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think we have come a long way since then. Don’t you?”
The smile that had been pulling on his mouth finally transformed into something beautiful. His canines elongated past his lips and something pulled in the center of my core. The grin changed the entire look of his face. The usual wrinkle in the center of his eyebrows smoothed out completely and the anger left the depths of his eyes. He looked younger.
Who was he before he had so many responsibilities on his shoulders? Who was he before he had to put his father down?
“There has been so much going on, we haven’t had much time to really be alone, but that isn’t what this is about.” He wove his fingers between mine and tugged me forward.
I smiled in return and let him pull me further into the woods. My heart felt lighter than it had in a while. It didn’t matter how we had started. It didn’t matter that he still had my panties in his drawer back at the house. It didn’t matter that I still felt nervous around him. It didn’t matter what anyone thought as people passed us. It didn’t matter that war was knocking on the front door. All that mattered was the gentle smile on his face and his warm hand in mine.
