Chapter 18 #2
After my father died when I was in elementary school, part of me saw how messed up the community in Kolcruz was.
The way they preyed on the weak. On my grieving mother.
But I was too young to understand what was happening, just that it made me feel unsettled.
So I spent my weekday evenings in the kitchen cooking with Mama, helping her escape what was happening.
Soft hands wrap around my waist, squeezing me tight as I overwork my dough. Shit, I was too lost in thought.
“You okay?” Skye asks, her cheeks pressed against my spine. I can feel her prodding at our bond, having sensed the dark turn my thoughts had taken. Cooking should be a happy memory for me, but separating the bad from the good isn’t always easy.
“I’m good, precious. Just making dinner to celebrate Mama moving into the empty apartment.”
Skye pats my stomach and steps to the side. She leans against the counter, batting her lashes when she catches me staring at her. I steal a quick kiss, unable to resist her.
Chuckling, she wipes flour from my forehead. “I’m glad she’s here. Life wouldn’t be the same with her so far away.”
“I love you.”
And Fates, do I ever.
Skye cares for my mother as much as I do, always putting in the time to visit or call her. Their relationship means the world to me. The whole pack, really. They all take care of my mama.
Movement across the room draws my attention to Caleb, who is returning from a run. His cut-off tee is soaked in sweat, making the fabric cling to his body. Skye watches him with heated eyes, her thighs pressing together as the sweet scent of her arousal trickles into the air.
When these two finally get over the gap between them, it’s going to be explosive. And I know I’m not the only one who hopes that Caleb might be open to more with the rest of us.
Draping towels across the bowl of dough, I set it at the back of the counter to rise. I have a few hours before I have to check on anything, so I wash my hands and swoop Skye into my arms. Cuddling with my mate is a great way to spend that time.
She sighs happily as I carry her to my bedroom and deposit her on the large hanging swing. The view out the windows is dreary with the gray clouds and brown-leaved trees, but her eyes still light with wonder.
“Do you want a book to read?” I ask her as I grab my notebook and a pen.
“I’m still a little tired, so I’ll just steal your warmth and take a nap.”
Careful not to rock the swing, I climb on behind her and pull her against my side. A buttery-soft throw drapes across us as she lets out the sweetest sound of contentment. I hold her close as I let my thoughts drift to our band.
Ever since the afternoon we spent in the music room practicing with Caleb, I started reworking some of our old songs to include him. Not all of them will mesh with his style, so we’ll need new music.
My eyes drift to Skye, thinking of the pain she’s suffered from their separation. Pain they both felt, but didn’t understand. The words trickle through my mind. Slow at first, before coming in a steady stream.
By the time my alarm goes off, reminding me to check on dinner, I have the lyrics to two songs complete. I check on my dough, shaping it into balls and letting it sit to rise another time, and peek at the roast in the oven.
Skye wanders out, her stomach rumbling and delight brightening her jade-green eyes. “That smells amazing.”
“It’ll still be a few hours,” I tell her as I close the oven. “Want me to make you a snack?”
Her head shakes as she gives me a hug, opening the fridge and grabbing a bowl of pre-cut apple slices and a small bag of carrots. “Going to check on Mochi?” She beams at me and presses onto her tiptoes.
I meet her halfway, devouring her in a deep kiss. My cock jerks when she leans back, tongue swiping over her bottom lip. “Sleep with us tonight?”
“I’d love to.”
When she leaves, a skip in her step as she goes upstairs to check on her new pet, I grab my guitar from the music room and head back to swing. Time to put music to these lyrics.
Skye flies down the stairs when Mama knocks on the door, flinging it open before any of us can reach her. Onyx swallows a growl beside me, eyes narrowed on our mate.
Despite the tall walls lining our property and the gate, he still worries that someone intending to harm her may appear at the door.
“Mama Aisha.” Skye throws her around my mother, earning a soft pat on the back. When she steps back, she takes Mama’s hand in hers and drags her into the house.
“Darling,” Quentin chides as he descends the staircase. “Don’t pull her around.”
Pink tints my Omega’s cheeks as she mutters an apology to my mother.
“No worries, dear, I have missed you, too.”
“We’re getting dinner on the table if you’d like a quick tour,” I offer, giving Skye something to focus her energy on. She’s slept most of the day and now she’s bursting with the need to move and play.
Thankfully, Mama agrees and lets my mate lead her through the house, chattering excitedly about all the things she loves about the estate. Which is everything.
As reluctant as I was to leave LA behind, I can’t garner any feeling of regret when I see how happy my Omega is. She genuinely loves it here.
“Need a hand?” Onyx grunts, tracking Skye before she disappears into the den.
Maroon eyes track back to me, drawing me in with the intensity of emotion swirling in his eyes. I feel it in his bond. The happiness. He loves having Mama here as much as I do.
He spent a lot of time at my house, escaping the abuse he suffered at home as often as possible. First as my best friend, and eventually as my lover. Though we kept our relationship a secret until after we left.
Not that we shocked my mother when we told her. I swear that woman can sniff out a secret from five miles away.
“If you want to carry the roast over, I’ll grab everything else.”
I’m grabbing a mug of Skye’s favorite ginger tea when Caleb joins us. He joins me in the kitchen, grabbing beers and water for everyone else. “Need me to grab anything else?”
“Nope. We’re just waiting for-” Skye’s laughter drifts through the foyer “-them.”
Onyx pokes his head into the den to let the others know it’s time to eat while I meet my mama and Skye at the table. I take my mother’s hand in mine and turn her to where Caleb stands, shuffling awkwardly from foot to foot.
“Mama, this is Caleb Michaels. Skye’s new Alpha.”
“Not so new,” Mama teases, slipping her hand from mine and offering it to Caleb. He takes it gently, shock crossing his features when she reaches up and pats his cheek. “I’m glad you finally came to your senses, young man. Your pack has been waiting for you.”
Sensing his need for a moment to digest their encounter, I guide my mother to her seat and help her get settled.
Everyone else takes theirs, and soft conversation fills the room. This is my favorite part of cooking. Watching as my friends and loved ones enjoy the food I made, as their scents swell with happiness. It always settles me to know I am helping to take care of them.
“Walk me home?” Mama asks after dinner. I offer her my arm. We pause in the foyer for her to grab her shoes and coat. The mid-November chill this late in the evening has a bite to it, so I slip on a jacket.
Only our footsteps and the wind rustling through the surrounding trees make any noise.
“I’m proud of you, Sterling.” The gentlest smile graces her lips; the truth shimmering in her light brown eyes.
“You’ve built a wonderful life for yourself.
I know you still harbor guilt over what that man did in Kolcruz, and I’ll remind you again, baby, that it wasn’t your fault.
Seeing you grow and find love after living through that horror… you’re stronger than I ever was.”
“Not true,” I reply immediately, shaking my head. “You’re the strongest person I know, Mama.”
She chuckles, the sound light despite the heavy thoughts I know must be running through her mind. I may have witnessed atrocious things in Kolcruz, but she lived them. And she never let them break her.
“Alright, get back home to your mates. I can settle in for the night without you hovering.”
I hug her tight, pressing a kiss to her fine hair, not walking back to the house until she’s inside the apartment and the lock on her door clicks.
Her words linger as I step back into the house and hear my family playing in the other room.
Our life might not be perfect, but it is wonderful.