The weather had gotten colder during the past few days, but they still hadn’t had any snow, and the roads in the city were clear of ice.
“Have a safe one,” Carl said, mounting the bike next to Steve and leaning back to fasten the strap on his helmet.
“You too,” Steve said, leaning forward and kicking his bike into gear. He pulled out of the parking lot, waving goodbye to Carl as he turned onto the street.
Once he made it to the financial district, Steve parked his bike in a private lot behind the Chamber of Commerce building. He spent the morning patrolling the neighborhood on foot, and by the time lunch was nearing, he’d helped two lost tourists with directions and prevented an argument in front of a hotdog stand from devolving into a fistfight.
As he patrolled, Steve kept on the lookout for familiar faces that his dad could have sent to spy on him. He’d decided firmly not to confront anyone he saw, but he still wanted to know when he was being watched.
Steve was so focused on finding familiar human faces, that when his younger brother suddenly appeared on the sidewalk in front of him, it took his brain a second to process the fact that seeing his brother was unusual. He froze, staring at William and cataloging everything from the hopeful expression on his face to the careful stance of his body, and then ran at his little brother with a burst of energy as he scooped him up and hugged him tight.
If he’d had a tail, it would have been wagging like crazy. Steve felt like he was going to burst; he was so happy.
“Hey, Steve,” William said, hugging him back. He then tried to exit the hug, but Steve only squeezed him harder.
Since William was lithe where Steve was bulky, he didn’t stand a chance of getting free until Steve released him, and Steve did not want to release him. He wanted to squeeze and hug him and breathe in the scent of home and pack until his arms were too tired to hold him up any longer, and then he wanted to sink to the ground in a puppy pile of two and go to sleep with his brother still in his arms.
He’d missed him so much.
“What are you doing here?” Steve asked, reluctantly lowering William to his feet when his brother tapped him to be let go.
“I came to see you,” William said, patting his arm. “You’re looking terrible, by the way. Have you stopped going to the gym?”
Steve punched his arm. He’d been overdoing it at the gym, exercise being his only real hobby since he’d moved away from home, and it showed.
“What do you mean, you came to see me? How did you swing that?”
William shrugged. “I’ve been nagging Dad since you left. He finally agreed to let me go visit you.”
Steve was impressed. Their dad was indulgent in some ways, but when it came to pack matters, he was a real hard-ass. William must have really pushed against his instincts if he’d kept badgering his dad when he was in alpha mode and had already said no.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Steve said. He glanced around, taking in their location. “How did you find me?”
William grinned. “I called your station and they told me you were patrolling the financial district. I’ve been walking around all morning, looking for you.”
Steve grinned, pulling William in for another hug. “Let’s go back to my place. I can call in sick for the day and we can hang out.”
“You’re a werewolf, you don’t get sick,” William said.
“They don’t know that.” Steve released William, lifting his arm over his shoulder and pulling him into his side instead. “I just need to drop by the station to drop off my work bike and uniform. Did you rent a car?”
“No.” William scratched the back of his neck. “I took a taxi from the airport.”
“All right, my apartment is just a forty-minute walk from here. You can take a cab and meet me there, or you can walk. It’s up to you.”
“What’s the address?” William asked, taking out his phone. Steve told him, and William entered it into his maps app. “I’ll take a cab. It’s so weird to be outside our territory.”
William glanced around, looking uncomfortable. Steve understood exactly how he felt. There was a feeling of vulnerability that came with being outside of your territory. Steve had gotten used to it, but it had been awful when he first arrived and didn’t even have his own apartment to call home.
“I know. You can catch a cab pretty much anywhere here. I’ll go get my bike and meet you in about half an hour. Okay?”
William nodded. “Okay.”
Steve grabbed him and hugged him again, squeezing him breathless, and then released him. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”
He stepped back, waiting until William had nodded before turning around and jogging back to where he’d parked his bike. He glanced over his shoulder before he turned the corner, seeing William lifting his hand and hailing a cab. William caught him looking and shot him a grin and a wave as he climbed into the backseat of a taxi.
Steve sped up, boots loud on the concrete sidewalk as he ran to get his bike. The sooner he dropped it off at the station, the sooner he could see his little brother again.
