Hunter:LMAO!!!
I put the phone down and glared at Rhys but only got a smile for my trouble.
“How about you go to your office and leave me in peace?” I looked pointedly at the door.
Rhys slouched further into his seat. “Nope, my day is clear... Oh my gosh, he’s here.” Rhys jumped up. “Kee just pulled up.”
I sighed and said a prayer to whoever was listening that this didn’t end in disaster.
“Come on, he probably has a ton of stuff. Let’s go help him.” My brother was out of the office before I could blink.
I huffed and considered calling for someone else to help with the bags. We’d converted the original ranch house to the offices and meeting places for den members, amongst other things. So there was always someone around. But I figured I might as well go see what Rhys had gotten us into.
I watched at the door as Rhys enveloped a smaller man into his arms. My brother was five nine, which was short in comparison to the rest of us, but this man was much shorter.
When Rhys leaned him away from his body and he smiled, my belly did a weird flip. I took a step forward, trying to get a better look at his profile. The next thing I knew, he turned and looked my way, and our eyes met and held. My heart began to race.
When the breeze picked up and the most tantalizing scent hit my nostrils, my bear roared. It couldn’t be... Could it? It wasn’t possible. It just wasn’t.
Everything in my body screamed to go towards this man and wrap him up in my arms and never let go.
Mate! Mate! Mate!
Instead, I spun around and went back into the house.
Holy fuck. I was so screwed.
Even with that thought, a small smile spread across my face. I had a mate. And he was here.
He was here, a human omega, and Rhys’s best friend.
Shit.
3
Kian
I lookedaround Rhys’s home and smiled. It was very welcoming. Not that it surprised me. Our dorm room had never felt like one, thanks to Rhys’s efforts. Rhys had done his home in all earth tones and warm colors. From the two large sofas that looked like they’d be wonderful for an afternoon nap or curled with your feet under you while you read a book to the matching occasional chairs. Then, of course, there were blankets across the arms of each chair, along with chunky pillows, and not the ones you wanted to toss on the floor because they were annoying.
The largest couch faced a wall with a large television, but on both sides of it were shelves littered with books and what looked like a million photo frames of smiling people. That pang of sadness washed over me. I’d always wondered what it would be like to have siblings. I knew my parents had tried, but they always said they’d gotten it right on the first try. Almost as if Rhys could sense my mood, he reappeared from where he’d disappeared with my bags after telling me to make myself at home.
“You okay?” Rhys asked as he came into the living room. He furrowed his brows as he studied me.
I chuckled because this was the Rhys I knew. When we were in school, it was like he could always read my feelings. If I came back from class upset, he would know. And suddenly, he’d have something fun for us to do.
“I’m good,” I reassured him. “You just have a beautiful family.” I nodded at the pictures.
Rhys chuckled, looked over at the shelf, and grinned. “Loud too, but trust me. They’re your family now too.”
He pulled me in for a side hug, and I tried not to sniff, even as emotions overwhelmed me. I’d been almost certain I made the right call coming here; now, I was sure.
Rhys was the brother I’d always wanted.
However, the man from earlier flashed into my mind, and there was something about the intense way he had stared at me. From where I’d stood, he’d looked huge. Like, fill out the doorway, broad and tall.
I licked my lips, thinking about all those muscles, then shook it off. Nope, the last thing I needed to do was jump into a relationship right after everything that had happened.
I was definitely certain that was a no-no after losing your papa and ending an almost two-year relationship.
