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ONE
NOAH
Coming back home had been harder than Noah thought it would be.
Maybe you should have considered this before just blindly coming back.He shoved the errant thought to the back of his mind and adjusted the strap of his backpack. He stood on the outskirts of his old hometown. Roiling uncertainty bubbled inside him, and Noah ran a hand through his hair.
But then, he took a step across the border … and another … and another.
The bear inside Noah lifted its head as they walked into town. The creature had been lonely for the past decade. Noah had made a point of staying away from other shifters, especially of the bear variety.
He knew now that had been a mistake. Remaining isolated had hurt him and his bear in more ways than one.
But now he was home. And the bear paced almost frantically inside him.
There was only one thing that Noah wanted to do now that he was back. And that was to see Becca.
An image of her rose into his mind. An image that was an amalgamated mess of every memory he had of her. He inhaled sharply as he continued walking more briskly.
The thought of Becca made the bear tremble, made Noah tremble, with emotions he couldn’t quite identify. The underlying emotion, the one he knew too much about, Noah thought, was grief.
He had been grieving for a long time. Grieving for what he had lost, for what he had let go. Grieving for Becca.
His phone buzzed then.
See you soon, brother. The entire family is waiting to welcome you back.
The text was from his brother, Mitch, and a smile spread across Noah’s face as he read the message.
Despite the grief he felt, the grief he hadn’t expected and didn’t know what to do with … Noah was happy to be back. The bear needed its clan again, and he needed to see his family.
Noah didn’t have anywhere to stay and had checked into a less-than-savory-looking motel where his truck was parked. He would probably move back onto clan property, but he needed a little space first.
Becca. Becca. Becca.
The bear didn’t care about a family reunion then. It didn’t care about kin or clan.
It wanted Becca.
“Don’t worry. You will see her soon enough.” Noah quieted the bear, and the creature gave a loud, rumbling sigh before turning several times and then plopping down to sleep.
Noah felt the heaviness of the grief fall away the further he walked into town. It still remained, but it was easier to carry. He would see Becca soon. And, hopefully, she would forgive him for leaving so abruptly.
It may mean that Noah would have to beg. But he was okay with that.
The clan’s property was on the outskirts of town. By the time Noah had arrived, the back of his shirt was damp with sweat, and the muscles in his legs felt strained.You should have driven here.
The sun was low in the sky, and when Noah looked down at his watch, he realized how late he actually was.
He had driven two days to get back home and had thought he would arrive closer to mid-afternoon. It was, however, closer to dusk, and the air was becoming thick as the nighttime bled into it.
A bunch of cars were parked around the entrance to the clan’s property. His heart rate picked up speed as he walked onto the land. He hitched his backpack up onto his shoulder again, and after taking several deep breaths, he rounded the corner.
Noah was heading to the backdoor … no one who really belonged to the family ever used the front door … and he heard raised, laughing voices as he approached that part of the house.
“NOAH!”
The screech came from Kiera, who was the first to spot him. She came flying around the corner and took him into her arms. “Oh, my God, you’re finally back!”
