Rodney
I walk through thedoor, hiking my bags further up my shoulders. Kei is the first one to see me, his eyes going comically wide.
“Jesus Christ,” he murmurs, taking me in. “You look like you were mauled by a fucking bear.”
“What? Who was mauled?” Rin asks, coming into the room, Maki following behind him. They both stare at me, my face going bright red.
“It wasn’t a bear,” I say, setting my bags down. “It was a sparrow, thank you very much.”
Maki tilts his head to the side. “I’m not sure that’s possible. A sparrow doesn’t have a mouth capable of leaving those types of bite marks.”
Rin giggles, nudging Maki. “He means Gayle.”
“Ah,” Maki says, nodding his head. “That makes more sense.
“Let me see,” Kei says, stepping into my space and turning me around. He pulls the bandage away from my skin, making me wince. “He took good care of it, that’s good,” he murmurs. “You smell different but I’ll get used to it.”
He pushes the bandage back into place. Then he surprises me by giving me a hug.
“Congratulations,” Kei says before pushing me away and going back into the living room, flopping down onto the couch.
“Umm. Right. Thanks,” I say back awkwardly.
“Should we talk about the elephant in the room?” Rin asks, grabbing my wrist and pulling me into the living room properly, pushing me onto the couch.
“What elephant?”
“You’re mated now,” he says in way of explanation. “Remember when the three of us had the whole ‘leaving’ talk? I guess it’s time we had that conversation with you.”
“Oh,” I breathe out, my heart surging inside my chest. “Shit.”
Kei snorts beside me. “Let me guess, you guys haven’t even talked about that yet?”
“Not even a little bit,” I confess softly. “Gayle has a kid. It’s too soon for me to move in with them.”
“So you’ll be staying here, at least for a while?”
“I think so. Maybe by the time Calloway thinks about college, we’ll be able to find a place closer by. At the very least, I’d like to keep this as a streaming house when we all start finding our own houses?”
Rin nods his head. “That’s what Maki and I have talked about as well.”
“Fine,” Kei says, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Why do you look like we just stole the last cheese stick? What’s actually on your mind, Kei?”
“It’s nothing.”
Rin shakes Kei’s knee. “Anything that has you upset isn’t nothing. Talk to us.”
Kei bites his bottom lip, looking away. “I just have a lot of feelings right now,” he says softly. “I never really wanted a pack but then you guys came into my life and it felt so easy to accept you as mine, you know?” I nod along, understanding the instincts that Kei feels even if I don’t feel them as intensely as he does. “But now the pack just keeps getting bigger and I keep wondering if I’m responsible for everyone? My shoulders just keep feeling heavier and heavier, like it’s my duty to make sure you’re all okay and cared for.”
“Kei,” I say softly but he raises his hand, stopping me.
“I know it’s bullshit. You’re all your own people. Plus, you have your mates to take care of you, but my instincts still scream at me to take care of you guys. Your families are my families. I’m just, in my head about the whole thing. On top of that, now I’m anxious about you leaving me.”
“We’re not leaving,” Rin says.
“Notnow, but you can’t live here forever. You guys have your mates, your new family units. Eventually, it’ll just be me here.”
