“I don’t like it,” he grumps, and my lips pull into a smile at the familiar tone. “But I don’t have much of a choice, I know.”
Cupping his cheek, I smile. “I’ll come and see you.”
“You’d better,” he warns, taking a step back and letting my mother in. She pulls me into her arms, her grip fierce as she hugs me.
“I cannot imagine what you have been through, sweetheart,” she says, letting me go and wiping her eyes. “But I can see that it’s changed you. And not just on the outside.”
My mother is possibly the only person who could truly understand, and my eyes grow damp again.
“It was so hard,” I tell her, keeping my voice to a whisper so my dad doesn’t hear. “And it hurt so much, mama.”
Her hand traces my cheek. “We’ll talk about it,” she promises. “Do you need the Healer’s Center?”
“I don’t think so. Not now.”
I should probably go and get myself checked out, but I do feel much better. I give my family another hug, breathing them in, before I move over to my pack. They’re waiting patiently, Tristan’s eyes soft as I stop next to him.
“Do you want to go back with them?” he asks. “We can take you, or wait for you, if you want more time.”
“No.” My mind is made up. “I’d like to go back to the house.”
I need space to think, to get my head straight and to work through everything that’s happened. And as much as I love them, I can’t do that with my family around. Turning, I look for Jess, but she’s already making her way over to me, Emmett following behind her.
“Everything okay?” I ask her, and she grins.
“Yeah. We’re going to head back now, but we’ll check in tomorrow, see how things are going.”
Jess turns around to face my pack, giving them a very clear warning look. “Just because I’m not there, doesn’t mean I’m not watching youveryclosely, Cohumps. You’ve managed to scrape back about half an inch of kudos, but you have a long, looooong way to go.”
“Noted.” Tristan grins at her. “You need anything from us, you know where we are.”
Jess humphs, but I catch the small smile on her face as she hugs me. “Call me anytime,” she mumbles into my neck. “I don’t know how the hell this is gonna work, but I guess we’ll find out.”
I wave at Emmett, and he nods at me. “You sure you’re okay?” he asks, tilting his head. “Because you can come with us.”
Smiling, I shake my head. “We have things to sort out,” I say, glancing at Tristan when he comes to stand next to me. “But I’ll see you both soon. And, Emmett… thank you.”
He nods, but his eyes are already focused on Jess, who’s whispering something to Jax that’s making him go very,verypale. “Pretty sure I’m the one who might need to thank you, Sienna.”
My pack all look to me as Jess and Emmett make their way back to Monty. “You ready, sweetheart?” Gray asks.
Looking around, I take a deep breath. “I am.”
Let’s do this.
It’s a good forty-minute ride to the house, and we’re all quiet, lost in our own thoughts, but it’s not an uncomfortable silence. Not with Tristan’s hand reassuringly heavy on my leg, Gray’s fingers tangled with mine. Jax’s hands play with my hair as he whistles, twisting and tugging the strands.
I’m not alone.
When we pull through the gates, Tristan frowns. “We need a security system sorted as soon as possible. Today, preferably.”
“I’ll make some calls,” Gray offers. “I don’t want any more unexpected visitors.”
Definitely not. There’s sounds of agreement from everyone as Tristan turns off the engine. As I get out, I take in the pale, majestic stonework, the wide-set windows. It's still a beautiful house. Everything that made excitement curl inside me the first time I saw it, even after the initial hell of the Mating Ceremony.
I was sohopeful.
I’m still studying it when my feet leave the ground in a sudden rush, and I squeal. Jax grins down at me as he holds me tightly.
