Chapter Four

Kye

I woke up before the others. I opened my eyes to a heavy weight pressing down my right foot and felt confused until I glanced down and saw a very large dark gray wolf asleep at the end of the couch. For some reason, that made me smile, then chuckle, which I tried to do quietly and without moving.

Carys was curled up next to me, her back to me as she faced the couch cushions. I had no idea what today would bring. I wasn’t looking forward to the call we needed to make, especially because there were some hard discussions to be had before that.

Last night had been surprisingly calm, emotions-wise. The negative ones, at least. Those would surface, I had no doubt about it. The hug from Brodie had helped a lot, it had settled the roiling emotions that had tried to bubble into the surface as soon as she’d insinuated what Rusty had done to her. For months.

The large, furry head of the wolf lifted off my foot and he stared at me. It was interesting how I could tell the exact moment when Brodie took control. It was as if for a few seconds, I was looking into the eyes of a wild animal, and then something changed. It felt as if, as he woke up, Brodie’s wolf came online first and the side that was man second.

“Morning,” I whispered, and he let out a little huffy sound.

He got to his feet very carefully, then jumped off the couch before stretching on the floor. I barely managed to prevent myself from saying “good stretch” like I would’ve to a dog. He glanced at me, as if he knew where my mind had gone. Then he padded out of view to shift, I assumed.

It turned out getting out of our little couch nest was pretty damn tricky. I maneuvered myself onto my knees and then knee-walked carefully to the end of the couch. By the time I managed to get my feet on the floor, Brodie peered in.

“Coffee?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah, thanks.”

As he turned around, he murmured, “Go use the bathroom first.”

I grabbed my toiletry kit where I’d left it last night and went upstairs. Despite the disrepair, I could see the potential. I could see how it would’ve been a great place to grow up, although I guessed it hadn’t been that for Brodie and his sister. Or the cousins, likely. What were their names again?

By the time I came back downstairs, trying to avoid the creakiest steps, I could smell the coffee.

We didn’t talk. Instead, we got our coffees and went to sit at the table.

Brodie had a solid, calming aura. If you believed in auras, of course. I wasn’t sure if I did, but somehow, something about him made me calmer. Almost… happier?

“What’s on the agenda for the day?” I asked quietly after a while.

“The cleaning crew will come over in about an hour. I didn’t go to the barn myself, but when the sheriff’s guys checked it, they said a lot of the chemicals are gone. The betas likely took everything they could. It’s less of a hazard, but they’re still going to have to clear it out. I’m pretty sure we’ll be tearing the whole thing down before the winter anyway.” Brodie spoke evenly, matter of factly, as he stared out of the window at the barn across the little yard. “I worry about the house more.” Then he looked at me and grimaced. “I mean, of course the barn is a hazard, but the house’s condition isn’t ideal for the coming winter.”

I glanced around the kitchen. It was outdated but clean. The thought that it was because my sister had been held captive against her will for more than half a year made the coffee taste like crap.

“She’s done a great job with what she’d had,” Brodie murmured, as if reading my thoughts.

“I don’t know how to have the discussions she and I need to have today.” The confession fell out of my mouth and I wanted to gather it somehow and stuff the words back where they belonged.

I needed to be strong for her, and I wasn’t sure I could be.

“If she lets me and you want me there, I can be there for you. I don’t know if it’d help, but….”

As we made eye contact, I could see something in his eyes that I couldn’t read. But I also felt the peace.

“Yeah. That’d… that’d be helpful. Something about you calms me.”

The flash of something akin to guilt was there and gone from his expression so fast I thought maybe I imagined it, but I didn’t imagine the way the corner of his mouth lifted minutely.

“Okay. We’ll ask her.”

His phone rang then, and he picked it off the coffee table and answered. He told whomever it was to give him a moment, and then went out of the house.

C arys woke up about an hour after me, and by then I was frying the eggs and bacon I’d found in the fridge.

She shuffled into the kitchen and gave me a little smile, then came to hug me from behind like she’d done so many times when we were kids and I stood while doing something.

“Morning,” she mumbled.

“Morning. This is going to be done soon, so why don’t you go brush your teeth?”

“Uh-huh.” She didn’t move, just clung to me for a few more moments.

The sound of a vehicle startled us, and we turned to the windows. We could see Brodie gesture at someone, and then a van backed to the barn doors that were now open.

“Is it really bad in there?” she asked, as if I’d know.

“Brodie said something about chemicals because of the meth. He thinks he’ll need to tear down the barn.”

“At least they didn’t cook in the house.” Her tone was more alert, firmer somehow. “Despite everything, I really like this house.”

“Me too.”

“Okay, I’ll go do my thing and be right back.” She left me to finish the breakfast.

Since the cleaning crew had arrived, I was pretty sure that Brodie wouldn’t be able to come inside for breakfast. Thinking quick, I grabbed some toast and fried it in the bacon juices on the pan. Then I fried a couple of eggs, added bacon, and made him a sandwich.

His mug was still on the table, so I filled it with the fresh coffee I’d just made, and took it and the sandwich outside.

“Brodie!” I called out as I got to the porch.

He peered out of the barn. “Yeah?”

“Can I borrow you for five minutes?”

He peered back inside, then briskly strode across the yard. He was fucking gorgeous and I kind of hated that a little. I wasn’t sure what my sister wanted to do, but leaving this place and Brodie behind made me feel itchy already.

“What is it?” His eyes widened a bit as he took in my offerings. “Oh. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Got to keep the Alpha strong,” I quipped, then wanted to facepalm.

Another car, this time a cruiser from the Sheriff’s Department, rolled into the yard.

“Should I move my car?” I asked as I realized how little space there was left.

“That’s a good idea. Could you?” Brodie bit into the sandwich and made a happy sound.

“Of course. Give me a second.”

I grabbed my keys from my jacket pocket and pulled on my shoes, then jogged to the sedan.

A handsome older guy who I thought was likely either the actual Sheriff or the deputy they called the Sheriff—not confusing at all—got out of the cruiser as I got into my car.

That didn’t start.

I tried again. Still nothing. I opened the door and groaned.

“Doesn’t start?” The Sheriff asked.

“Nope. I think it finally kicked the bucket or something.”

“Were you trying to move it?”

“Yeah, out of everyone’s way. I thought I’d back it to the side of the house.”

He smiled at me, looking a bit like a movie star. “Put it on neutral and stay in the car to steer. Brodie and I will push it.”

“Okay, sure.”

Brodie walked down the steps, having heard us with his wolfy hearing. “Ready?” he asked me.

“Yup!” Even with the door closed, he could hear me and smiled slightly.

Each of them grabbed a front corner and pushed the sedan as if it didn’t weigh a thing. “Holy shit!” I gaped at them, barely remembering to steer. Once the car was where we wanted it and they straightened their backs, glancing at each other in wolfy solidarity or something, I grumbled, “Werewolf strength. Ugh.” I’d already felt inadequate enough while moving the couches with Brodie.

“What was that?” Brodie asked when I got out of the car.

“What?” I blinked at him innocently.

Sheriff Drumm chuckled. “I’m gonna head in to see where they’re at,” he told Brodie.

“Did you already wolf down your sandwich?”

Brodie squinted at me. “Yeah, why?”

“That was fast. We need to make sure you’re fed.” Then I realized my phrasing and snickered. “Wolfed down.”

Brodie rolled his eyes so hard I was surprised they didn’t get stuck backwards, but I could see a hint of a smile when he turned around to follow the sheriff.

“Yeah, yeah….” He took a few more steps, then called over his shoulder, “Thank you for the breakfast, Kye.”

I wasn’t sure I completely liked the way those simple words made me feel—warm and fuzzy in a way I wasn’t used to—but I still wanted to hear them again. So maybe I was a praise slut. Brodie didn’t need to know that.

A n hour or so later, Brodie popped inside the house.

“Hey, could you two come up with a shopping list for food and whatever we need right now and text it to me?”

“Of course,” Carys said easily. “I’ll check and Kye can take notes.”

“Thanks. Holden just left, so I’ll go now, but it’s a bit of a drive into town so you have some time.” Then his dark eyebrows scrunched. “The cleaning crew said they wouldn’t come into the house without me, but you never know, so tell them no if they come asking, okay?”

For a moment, we both squinted at him in confusion, then I got it. “Oh… Okay. We won’t let anyone inside while you’re gone. We can even lock the door if you want?”

The protective as fuck Alpha nodded, looking almost sheepish. “Yeah, that would be good.”

“Okay!” Carys jumped up and followed him to the door.

I heard her turn the ancient key and the click of the lock. Then she came back, eyes wide.

“I guess it’s wild to be a new Alpha?” Her tone suggested the question was rhetorical, so I shrugged.

We made the shopping list after a few minutes of rapid meal planning for a handful of days. Then we sent the list to Brodie, who sent back a message asking about treats.

“I feel weird using his money,” I murmured as my sister frowned.

“Same. But he asked. So let’s ask for ice cream. I’m sure he can get it here before it melts since he said he’d get frozen veggies, too.”

“Okay.”

We got an affirmative from Brodie, he said he’d be back in a couple of hours and to hold the fort.

He’d come in earlier to get coffee for himself and Holden, who’d seemed relaxed when they sat on the porch, chatting about wolfy things, I supposed. I knew wolves were more intuitive, they had keener senses and if Brodie said someone felt like a good fit for the pack, I would take his word for it if I didn’t get a bad vibe from the person.

Holden seemed… lonely. Like he needed us as much as we needed a big, strong, capable beta. He felt right for us from the get go, but I knew not to take that for granted.

Carys took in a deep breath, gave me a sad look, and grabbed the kitchen roll. “Let’s go talk. Then call Dad.”

I chuckled with little humor and followed her to our couch nest. I would’ve preferred having Brodie there, but maybe this was better? I wasn’t sure she would be completely at ease around him, and I could deal. Probably.

For the next hour, she told me everything that had happened to her, but she started from a spot I wasn’t expecting. She glossed over running away and concentrated on the boyfriend none of us had known about, who had dumped her pretty quickly because he got cold feet and didn’t want to run away after all.

There’d been an older guy, and another one, and another one and… the details didn’t matter. She snorted softly when she said “I’m the poster child for every runaway worst case scenario. I didn’t even know what human trafficking really was until I heard Rusty use those words one time. It took me literally nearly two years to understand I’d been trafficked.”

“Why did you run away?” I asked the question that had burned on my mind ever since she vanished.

Carys blew her nose and mopped some tears off her face like I’d just done and gave me a tremulous smile.

“Theresa,” she answered my question.

If I was honest, I had thought that might be the reason, but I still wanted details. I waited until Carys seemed ready to elaborate.

“We know how she treated us, right?” At my nod, she continued, “Well she started to get nasty when I rebelled. The more I came home smelling of cigarettes or booze or God forbid, weed, the worse she got.” Clearing her throat, she shifted in her seat and straightened her legs after having hugged her knees to her chest for the better part of an hour. “A few days before I left, Dad was at work and she was yelling at me for something, I can’t even remember what exactly. And she said she couldn’t wait for me to get old enough that she could kick me out of the house, because I was clearly going down the path our whore of a mother had, and that I was no good and she didn’t want me anywhere near Eira because I was already such a bad influence.”

I gritted my teeth and held out my hand to her. She slipped her hand in mine and we sat there, silently fuming for a while.

Eira had been five years old at that point. She’d been a cheerful, clever little girl and still was for all I knew. I hadn’t really been in touch with the family much in the last couple of years. Not after Theresa told our dad and I that we shouldn’t be bothering the police after the first couple of weeks after Carys’s disappearance, because there were more important things they should reserve their resources for.

“I tried,” I whispered. “Even when the cops stopped, I kept trying to find you.”

She smiled sadly and squeezed my fingers. “I believe you.”

“I did everything I could. Joined every group on social media, called the police departments, homeless shelters, I….” The tears were back, great. “I dropped out of school because my grades tanked, and I couldn’t be bothered to finish. Not when….” I shook my head, the tears rolling down every which way.

Carys moved closer, right against my side, and then pulled me into her arms. Again, we cried together, this time she was the one holding me. I had a feeling this wasn’t the first or last time this would happen, either. One of us would always be there for the other, for both of us, when needed.

“I know you,” she said after long minutes of us weeping. “You wouldn’t have given up. If it was the other way around, I wouldn’t have, either.”

“Yeah.” I did know that. She was my rock, as much as I was hers.

“I don’t know what I want to do next.” She picked on the frayed knee of my jeans. “I mean, eventually. Right now I just want to… be, you know? Be safe.”

“I get that. I don’t have any plans. Everything I own is in my piece of shit car. Wherever you want to go, I’ll go with you.”

Her breath hitched, as if she was about to say something but changed her mind. I waited her out again.

“What if it was here?” she asked finally.

I lifted my head and leaned back. “Here?”

“I don’t want to go anywhere near Dad and Theresa. I don’t have anywhere to go, Kye. If Brodie… if he’s building a pack here?” She looked at with such fierceness in her gaze, that it startled me a little. She wasn’t the girl she’d been two years ago. This was my sister, the adult woman who knew what she wanted, no matter that she was only nineteen. “If he’ll let me stay, I want to do that. I feel safe around him. I love this house. What if I could be good for his pack? I enjoyed some aspects of it all. I liked to cook and clean a lot.”

I hummed, my emotions rolling about inside me. “Let’s ask him. I don’t have anywhere to be, like I said. If he’ll let us stay, then I’m all for that. I’m not sure what I’d do for money, but I’m sure I can figure out something.”

I didn’t tell her about how I hadn't been able to find a job in ages. How useless I felt in the face of the world as it was with my partial degree and very few real skills.

“Okay.”

“Okay.” I smiled.

She chuckled tiredly. “Can we nap until he comes back. Maybe call Dad once Brodie is here? I… I don’t know how I’ll feel talking to Dad especially if Theresa is there.”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah. He offered to be here for our conversation, too. For emotional support.”

She frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve waited.”

“Nah, it was okay. Well, not okay, but you know what I mean.” I felt tired all of a sudden, too. “We’ll wait for our emotional support wolf.”

Carys laughed. “Maybe let’s not call him that to his face?”

“Deal.”

We curled up in our nest and fell asleep.

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