CHAPTER6
The first thing Michael noticed as he rounded the corner was the complete and utter silence. The second thing was that all eyes were trained on him.
He stopped and raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Logan and Cole remained curled around each other in wolf form while Aaron, Smith, and Nick seemed reluctant to say what they were clearly all thinking.
Sam, of course, had no such reservations. “Are you two fucking again?”
Michael rolled his eyes. “Subtle. Thanks, Sam.”
“Yeah, right,” he scoffed. “Because that’s exactly what the two of you have been.”
Fine, he had a point, but discussing this in front of everyone made him uncomfortable.
It’s none of your fucking business, he wanted to yell, but then he looked up at the four men and two wolves watching him.
He wasn’t their leader anymore. He might be the founder of the CEG, but now that they were all banished from their packs, they were in this together.
Equals.
And now was not the time for anyone to be having secrets.
“Not anymore.” He scrubbed a hand over his face before meeting Sam’s gaze. “We’re taking it slow,” he added at Sam’s look of disbelief.
Logan huffed out a breath. Even in wolf form, Michael heard the mocking tone.
“Didn’t sound like you were taking things slowly.”
Michael laughed, couldn’t help it. The things he wanted to do with Isaac.ToIsaac. “Believe me, thatwasslow.”
Sam rose to his feet and nodded towards the mouth of the cave. “Walk with me for a bit?”
“We should get some sleep. Tomorrow could bring anything.”
“Just a few minutes.” Sam sighed and walked close enough to grip Michael’s shoulder. “It’s been five years, Michael. I just want to talk to my brother for a while longer.”
Bringing out the big guns.
Michael’s eyes narrowed, and Sam shrugged.
They did need to sleep. All of them. For all they knew, the entire HRU could be on the doorstep come morning and they needed to be ready.
But Sam was also right.
It had been five fucking years.
Leaving the rest of them to get ready for bed, in whatever form they chose, Michael led Sam out of the cave and down to the water’s edge.
They walked along the thin strip of beach in silence until they met the rock face separating this beach from the main one near the house.
By silent agreement, they both faced the sea and sat on the dry sand, knees up and arms resting on top of them.
Sam nudged Michael’s knee with his. “I’m glad you’ve found each other again. I never understood how you could let him go so easily.”
Michael didn’t know if he’d meant them to, but Sam’s words hurt, cutting into a part of him already too tender. “What gave you the impression that leaving Isaac was easy?” He blew out a breath and looked up at the stars. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.”
“But you still did it.”
