Chasen noticed the dull look in his mate's green eyes, the worry pooling there. She was biting her bottom lip, twisting her toe into the floor. He was hurting over Brody, but seeing Jin like that sent another stab of pain through him. He didn't want her to feel unwanted. Hedidwant her—he just didn't think he deserved her right now. That was, until he saw her face. Hunter was right.Chasen had only been thinking about depriving himself, not about how Jin might be hurting without him. At that moment, he felt like a bad mate.
His eyes softened. He held her gaze and motioned her over to him.
Jin dropped her bag onto the floor and rushed into Chasen’s lap, curling into him quietly and resting her head on his chest. His arm came around her, and his other hand found hers. She sighed into him. She would sit there quietly with him as long as he needed her to. He didn’t have to talk to her. She just wanted to be near him. She wanted to go through this with him and was glad that he was letting her. All this time, she was afraid he would ask her to leave. She squeezed his fingers, trying to show him she was here for him.
Hunter smiled as he looked at his brother and Jin. He could see how his brother’s shoulders instantly relaxed when she curled up into him. Her presence, her scent, and her touch would be very healing. And that was okay. It was okay to heal eventually. Brody wouldn’t have wanted them to lock themselves away from the world. He wasn’t that type of person.
“Freja and I are going to fix something to eat.” Hunter looked at Freja and nodded toward the kitchen. He and Chasen hadn’t eaten all day, and neither of them were in the mood to eat. But the girls needed to eat something, so he would help prepare them dinner. Maybe he could pick at it a little, just so the girls would eat something.
Freja wasn’t super handy in the kitchen, but she was learning. She worked alongside Hunter, quietly stirring a bowl, watching him closely. He was putting on a brave face, maybe for her benefit or for Chasen’s. But she could see the strain in his eyes. More than once, he dropped something while they were cooking. His mind was obviously not in a good place. He’d always had to be strong for the pack as their alpha, and had to bestrong as the Alpha King. He was used to putting up a front, so he probably didn’t even realize he was doing it.
Freja peered down at the sad-looking omelet she was making, wincing a bit at her pathetic cooking skills. She pulled a piece of it up to her mouth and shrugged, satisfied. At least it tasted good. She cut it up and placed it onto a few plates. She turned to see Hunter had also finished cooking the bacon. Yes, they were having breakfast foods for dinner, but it was something easy to make. She looked back at her deformed omelets … well, they were supposed to be easy to make. She and Hunter set the plates down on the table, and she got drinks while he brought Chasen and Jin in.
Hunter walked into the living room and motioned toward the kitchen when Chasen looked at him. He watched his brother frown a bit, showing he wasn’t interested. But the moment Hunter looked at Jin and back at him, his eyes widened in acknowledgement. He nodded and stood up, slowly dropping Jin to her feet.
“Let’s get something to eat,” Chasen said softly.
His mind kept playing over all of his childhood, how the four of them all played together. He even had a few memories from when it was just him and Brody in Elysia. His thoughts were entirely focused on his brother. While he wasn’t hungry, he understood Hunter’s intentions. It was to make sure that the girls ate. He took a seat at the table and Jin took one next to him while Hunter and Freja sat across from them.
Freja watched how the guys were just poking at their food, never once actually putting any into their mouths. She knew what she was about to do was a dirty tactic, but they needed to eat.
“I understand if you don’t want to eat it. I’m not used to cooking. It looks horrible, doesn’t it? Probably tastes bad, too.” Freja frowned as she poked her fork at her omelet.
“It’s fine, Freja. It’s great,” Hunter said, giving her a smile.
She tilted her head to the side. “It’s okay. You don’t have to eat it. I know you’re just being considerate.” Her eyes flickered as she watched both men fork some into their mouths.
“See, it’s good,” Hunter said, giving her a crooked smile.
She looked at him and then at Chasen. “You don’t have to force down more than one bite. I’ll work on getting better at cooking.” She was making herself cringe, but it was working. Both men quickly shoveled the food into their mouths.
Jin looked at Freja and took a small sip of her drink, glancing over at Chasen’s empty plate. She knew Freja well enough to know she wasn’t bothered about the food and was proud of herself for catching on to what Freja was doing. And hey, it worked.
She quietly watched everything play out, feeling helpless, wanting to help but not knowing how. So, she did the only thing she could, and that was just to stay by Chasen’s side. If he wanted to talk to her, she would be there, and if not, she would still be there.
Two days had passed since they felt Brody’s light diminish. Chasen had remained fairly quiet, but he’d been keeping Jin close. Hunter had allowed himself to break down the first night when he was alone with Freja, finally letting his grief run freely. Since then, though, he’d also been quiet, often deep in thought and looking out a window. Sometimes it felt like he was waiting for something, but he wasn’t sure what. Today, he had a weird urge to return to the field, though … the one where the fairies were usually found the most. The same field where his mother got her memories back.
He stood up at the same time Chasen did, the two men finding each other’s gaze.
“I’m going to the field,” Hunter said quietly. Freja walked up to his side and linked arms with him.
“Strange. That’s where I felt like going, too.” Chasen didn’t understand the sudden urge but just felt like he needed to go there. Jin was already at his side, so the four of them slowly set off toward the field.
The two men didn’t understand the strange urge they were feeling. Maybe it was their way of finally accepting Brody’s death. It was the place they could feel closer to him, so they could say goodbye.
CHAPTER FIFTY
Hunter walked to the edge of the field, rubbed Freja’s hand, and then let it go. He gave her a small smile, then walked out to the middle of the field with Chasen as Jin stepped up beside her. The two men were going to say goodbye to their brother. This was the best they could do until a proper memorial was done.
The wind swayed the golden weeds as they stood in the center of the field. The blue sky was crystal clear and seemed to pool over them. Chasen and Hunter stood there, not saying anything. Saying goodbye was going to be extremely difficult.
“Chase …” Hunter looked at his brother as a hum hit his head. He could see that Chasen was hearing it, too. He closed his eyes and listened. Someone was calling to him, with a voice and a song he knew by heart.
Chasen closed his eyes and opened his heart as his sister's voice rose, their mother's joining in to call the energies within each of them. He could feel his own power swirling madly, as if answering the song. Beside him, Hunter linked with them as well, a deep-rooted connection binding all four together. Reiya was asking their mother for something—a power she had gifted long ago. Chasen listened quietly, humming along to the songof remembrance, one hand resting over his chest where that ancient energy stirred in answer to the princess. The sun shone bright and warm on the two men as the melody rang clear and true.
The sunlight twirls and dances bright
Hidden in leaves before they take flight
