“I missed you, little brother,” she mumbles into his chest. Her voice quivers.
“Hey,” Max runs a hand over her hair. “Enough of that. We all know I’m the oldest.”
Leah breaks away from him with a watery laugh, wiping her hand across her eyes. “You did it, Max,” she says. We all pull out chairs, Nash refusing a chair and staying on Max’s lap.
“Wedid it,” he says. There are lines on his face that weren’t there when he left. This trip has taken a lot out of him, and I see the concern Leah tries to hide.
Nikolai and Bastien walk through the door and there’s another round of greetings before we all settle down for dinner.
Max eats like a horse.
“Hospital food,” he grumbles when Leah questions him on his eating. “Instant noodles just aren’t the same as your cooking, Lee-Lee.” He laughs as she scolds him and heaps more pasta onto his plate.
Bastien leans back in his seat when he’s finished. “How’s she doing?”
All our eyes flick to Max, including Nash’s.
“Can I meet the omega yet?” he asks hopefully, and Max taps his nose. Nikolai grabs him and pulls him onto his lap, ignoring Nash’s protests.
“Not yet. She needs a few days to get used to being here, and then we’ll see.” Nash pouts like a champion, but he doesn’t argue.
“How was she when you left her?” I ask quietly.
I didn’t want to leave her earlier. But her face when she saw us so close to the bed… I never want to see a woman look at me like that, ever again. She’s so damned small, I feel every inch of my height around her. Having alphas around puts her on edge.
I try not to think about exactly how much I wish that wasn’t true as I focus on Max.
His face is grim. “She wanted some space. I showed her the cord and left.”
Bastien nods in satisfaction. The cord was his idea, so if anything happens she can get hold of us easily. They’re coded to send an alert out to me, Bas, Nik and Max so whoever’s closest can get there quickly.
“She didn’t want me to check her over.” Max prods at his almost-empty plate, his expression conflicted. “She doesn’t want to do anything that might remind her… ofthat.”
His pointed glance reminds me that there are little ears avidly listening to the discussion, and we change the subject, talking about some of the places Max visited while he was gone.
But his words play on my mind. How would it feel to look down at yourself and see something so alien? Something that was put there without your consent?
How is she still functioning?
A snapping sound draws all eyes to me, and I glance down at the crack I’ve left in the table.
“Sorry,” I mutter. But the thought doesn’t leave me.
Making my excuses, I leave the kitchen. Bastien locks eyes with me, a silent question, and I pointedly ignore him.
I linger outside her doorway. There’s a soft light coming from the crack under the door, so I don’t think she’s asleep. I listen hard, but there’s no noise.
Footsteps echo behind me, and my brother emerges with a scowl on his lips.
“What are you doing?” he hisses quietly. “She wants to be left alone!”
“I know,” I hiss back. “But I’m worried about her. She doesn’t know any of us.”
His face softens. “We’ll all help her, Luc. This isn’t all on your shoulders.”
I glare at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He grins, a crooked half-smile that makes him look like a kid again. “You’re a good pack leader, but you’re also the biggest mama alpha I know.”
