The glower spreads across Charle’s face, but Theo has already turned away. Charles offers his anger to me instead as Theo picks up the duffels at Oscar’s feet and strides out.
“You’re ruining his life.” Charle’s mutter has both Oscar and I pausing. “He could be brilliant, if he tried.”
“He’s already brilliant,” Oscar says shortly. “He always has been.”
It’s the closest tone to rude that I’ve ever heard him use with Charles, but the older alpha only rolls his eyes in response.
As we step back into the hall, I pause at the sight of Nia on the stairs. Her arms are wrapped around her knees as Theo kneels in front of her, his tone quiet and apologetic.
She glances up with a tear-stained face as we approach, eyes moving between me and Oscar. “Don’t forget about me.”
The small words have my throat closing. I drop down to one knee beside Theo, nudging her chin. “You’ll come for breakfast tomorrow like always. Pancakes with kiwi. Your favorite.”
“Disgusting combination,” Oscar mutters behind me. But Nia almost smiles, and he steps forward to murmur something in her ear before we leave.
“I don’t like leaving her there.” Theo’s face is stark as he looks back over his shoulder. “Nor my mother, but at least she chose him as a mate.”
“Nia’s still a juvenile,” Oscar reminds him. He pushes his glasses up his shoulder, onyx eyes gleaming in the light from the streetlamp opposite us. “Once she’s of age, she can leave, but not before.”
The words sound almost sharp, but he hesitates before getting into the back of the truck. Theo slides into the front seat, his jaw clenched. “Where’s Max?”
I grimace. “I let him sleep. He’s been working himself to the bone.”
And he’ll be furious when he wakes up, but he needs the rest.
All of us are pushing ourselves in ways we never used to. I set my hands on the wheel, but I still wait for Theo. He stares up at the house, before pulling his gaze forward. “Go.”
Oscar leans forward between us as I pull off. “Why did Charles mention Kennedy?”
My eyes flick to Theo, enough to see the fury cross his face. “I don’t care. He was spoiling for a fight.”
And so was Theo, but neither of us call him on it. Instead, I put the window down, letting crisp night air spill into the truck. “Well, the house is all set up.”
We should have done this months ago. Max moved in as soon as he turned eighteen and his parents took off to travel.
Theo runs a hand over his face. “Sorry. I know I’ve been all over the place—,”
“Not a problem.” Fuck knows he deserves some understanding. All of us are struggling, but he’s breaking apart and thinks we can’t see it. “I had the pack paperwork through earlier, by the way.”
The forms that declare us an official, government-registered pack. Four of us, instead of five, but Pack Rivers nevertheless. All that’s left to confirm is our pack leader, but with Brett dead, it’s something we’ve left alone for too long.
It hurts, almost as much as the thought of us all together sings to something in my soul. It’s not natural for an alpha to be alone. I’ve never understood Charle’s decision never to seek a pack, to remain on his own. To not give May the security of a pack life.
Pack is family. Pack iseverything.
And god knows that we all need something to hold onto right now.
My thoughts threaten to drift elsewhere, but I slam that door closed. “You know – if you did change your mind – either of you – we can still make it work. If you did want to go to college, instead of putting it off for a year. Max and I will watch over Nia and May. That was the plan anyway.”
Charles didn’t even mention that Oscar delayed his scholarship. We don’t even know if they’ll accept a delay yet, or if he’ll lose it altogether.
“No,” he says immediately from the back. “We need to be here.”
Theo doesn’t say anything. He stares out of the window as I drive through town, none of us mentioning the statue as we pass by.
“Then that’s where we’ll be.” I pull up in front of my –our– house. Our official pack house, thanks to my mom. That’ll take some getting used to. “Should we wake Max?”
Theo snorts. “No need.”
