Page 47 of Tiger Betrayal

The boys followed them inside, and as beers were passed around, and canned margaritas for her and Ren and Misty, and food was prepared, the conversation stayed light and happy. All but for Stellan. He was very quiet. Laramie wanted to be right by him. He was going to miss Mars, and she had this feeling it was a new thing for him to cope with.

Whatever complicated dynamics they’d had growing up, and being Turned, and navigating the tension between their animals…something had changed for Stellan over the past few days.

They all drifted outside as Stellan put the steaks on his grill on the small back porch of his duplex. He’d sat six camp chairs out here, and a little bin of trash, just like they’d sat around the other day in Dame’s barn.

He cooked in silence as they all sat around chatting.

There was a tension growing though, and she couldn’t stop looking over at him.

When he snapped, it didn’t shock her. It didn’t surprise her. She’d expected it.

“This is stupid,” Stellan told Mars, his eyes flashing gold.

The light conversation faded to nothing as Stellan held Mars’s gaze.

“What is stupid?” Mars asked low. His blue eyes were lightening now.

“It was stupid when you left us after the Turn. It was stupid staying away for so long. It was stupid committing to this fuckin’ once-a-year bullshit.” A snarl rattled his throat, and he forced himself to turn back to the grill to flip the steaks. “I just think everything you do is stupid.”

Ren reached across the arms of their camp chairs and squeezed her mate’s hand. “It’s enough,” she said. “Tell him.”

Stellan offered his profile and froze. “Tell me what?”

“We weren’t just here for the reunion,” Mars said.

Stellan turned and exposed the confusion etched into his face.

“Yeah, I’m curious as hell now too,” Dame said, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. “What’s going on?”

Mars cleared his throat. “We’ve been looking at apartments here.”

“Oh my God,” Dame yelled, and stood. He paced off the porch and back, hands linked behind his head. “Are you serious right now? This better not be a joke, Mars, or I swear to everything I will gut you.”

“He’s not messing with you,” Ren assured them. “We’ve been talking about it for a while. I’ve been looking at spaces to open up a record store here, and Mars wants to open up his detailing company here. Near the Ambush. My real dad lives just an hour away. We met up on the way here, and it’s his turn to be a part of my life. And I want to get to know him. And we want to be close to you. To this place. Your mom is gone, boys. Your stepdad? Dead. The bad is gone. I know we can fill this place with so much good. We can take it back. Home is here now.”

Laramie couldn’t stop looking at Stellan’s face. Handsome man. Handsome mate. His heart was in his eyes right now.

“Look,” Ren continued softly. “We wanted to get through my Turn and see if everything you guys found out about Half-Cats was true. And so far, everything has been true. So, the next thing is…” She looked over at Mars.

“We want to try for a baby,” Mars murmured. “And if we get lucky, we want to raise him—”

“Or her,” Ren said.

“Or her,” Mars corrected. “We want to raise babies near you guys. In the Ambush. In the family.”

“Plus, we freaking missed you guys this past year. That sucked,” Ren said through a laugh. “Zero stars, do not recommend. I want girls’ nights. I want random family dinners. I want to know that if something goes down, we are with our people.”

“Hell yeah!” Dame whooped, pacing away again.

Misty was full-on crying as she watched her mate’s happiness. She pulled Ren from her chair and crushed her to her in a hug.

Slowly, Mars stood and made his way over to his frozen brother. Stellan hadn’t moved a muscle. “I’m staying near you, brother. No more running. I’m coming back home.”

Stellan tipped his head onto Mars’s shoulder, and Mars cupped the back of his head with his left hand. He looked up at the sky and wiped his eye with the sleeve of his hoodie.

Dame crashed into them and started jumping up and down roughly, jostling both Mars and Stellan until they shoved him off them.

And oh, Stellan’s smile.