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Destiny remains curled up on the bed. Her eyes are open, but it’s not like she can see what our dad looks like at the moment, which is good. She doesn’t speak, but her entire body trembles.
Dad strips down to his boxers while Rowdy heats water on the stove. Our father slumps onto the kitchen chair. I stare at him, surprised by the way his body trembles. His scars are all pink and puckered, but ultimately healed from where they stabbed him months ago, so the shaking must be from adrenaline, not exertion. Once Rowdy has the water warmed up and locates soap and a washcloth, he sets it down in front of Dad on the table. Dad quickly scrubs away all the blood while Rowdy digs around in his drawers for a change of clothes.
“Ryder,” Dad says after he’s pulled on the clean clothes. “Tomorrow morning, we need to talk. First light by the firepit.”
I swallow hard and nod. I’d rather talk than be shunned by my family. I’m desperate to know how Ronan and Raegan are doing too.
“Does Mom hate me?” I ask in a raspy voice.
Dad scowls at me. “Your mother loves you all with the fire of a thousand suns. She’s allowed to get angry and hate the choices you kids make, but she could never hate you. You can get that goddamn notion out of your head right now.”
My heart aches at his words. “And you, Dad?”
He leans forward, elbows resting on his knees and fierce gaze boring into me. “Everything I have ever done for as long as I can remember has always been for my children. Always.”
I stand on wobbly legs and make my way over to Dad. He rises to his feet, capturing me in a strong, comforting hug. I cling to my father, letting go of all the emotions that have been tearing me apart. As I lose it against his shoulder, he pats me and murmurs over and over, “You’re a good boy, Ryder. I love you.”
“Best get going,” Rowdy says, shoving a plate onto my chest.
I crack open my eyes and sniff the air. Scrambled eggs. Not going to turn down breakfast in bed, that’s for damn sure. I sit up and start wolfing down my meal. Destiny is sitting in bed, slowly eating her eggs. I’m still dying to ask what’s up with her, but I have enough shit to deal with right now.
Before Dad left last night, he said we were having a family discussion at the firepit. Me, Ronan, and Raegan were all expected to be there.
“I’m on kid duty with Destiny.” Rowdy sucks down his coffee and then nods at our sister. “Dez, I’ll be gentle when I carry you, but we need to go to Ronan’s cabin now, okay?”
She doesn’t respond but sets her plate aside. Mage, the idiot wolf dog, hops onto the bed to start licking the remaining eggs off her plate. Spirit makes a huffing warning sound that has Mage grumbling and pulling away.
I throw on my boots and then carry my plate over to his sink. Making myself a mug of coffee that’s no longer hot, I chug it down, eager to wash away the morning breath since my toothbrush is in my cabin.
Fifteen minutes later, we’re trudging up the cliffside stairs. Rowdy carries Destiny, all bundled in a quilt, mindfully stepping as to avoid the slick, icy spots along the way. Mage does slip and nearly busts his ass, which has me and Rowdy both snorting with amusement.
Despite the overall apprehension of this family discussion, I’m not panicking. Mom loves me. Dad does too. No one is going to die.
We reach the top and walk around the fence line. When we turn the corner, we see a trail of blood that leads out to where Logan must be. The wolves rush ahead to investigate. Me and Rowdy exchange a look but don’t say anything so as not to upset Destiny. Once we make it through the gate, Rowdy heads left toward the cabins and I start for the firepit. No one is there yet, so I start building us a fire for our chat.
By the time I have a hot, crackling fire going, the rest of my family starts lumbering my way. Ronan and Raegan walk ahead of my parents. Raegan holds on to Ronan’s arm, her head leaned against him. My chest tightens at seeing them. Fuck, I missed them.
Raegan ruffles my hair as she walks past. She and Ronan sit, with Ronan between us. Mom and Dad sit on the other side of the fire. He pulls her to him, his arm wrapping around her. The fire makes popping sounds, but none of us speak. The silence is brutal.
Raegan, the mouth of our family, can’t take it any longer and she’s the one to speak first.
“I’m keeping the baby. I will not abort it.” Her voice cracks and she sniffles. “If something is wrong with it, I’ll love it anyway.”
Mom’s lips press into a thin line, but surprisingly, she gives her a clipped nod. Dad leans in and kisses Mom’s head.
“I’m going to help her,” Ronan rasps out. “It’s my child too. Whatever happens, we face it together.”
Everything falls silent again. This time, I feel like it’s my turn.
“I, uh, I’m not leaving.” I look at Mom and then Dad, remembering that they don’t hate me. I’m their son and a part of this family. “I’m going to stay here with Ronan and Raegan. For both of them and the baby. I love them and need to protect them.”
Mom’s eyes shine with tears and her bottom lip wobbles, but she doesn’t say anything.
“If we need to go somewhere else,” Raegan says, her voice shaking, “we will. We’ll build our own home where the three of us can live together. It’s what we want.”
Dad sighs heavily and nods. “This thing between you three…” He trails off and bounces his gaze off of each of us before landing on the fire. “It may work out here, but if you ever decide to leave, it’s going to be messy. In the real world. Civilization.”
“I don’t…” Mom’s voice quavers. “I don’t want the little children to see. It’ll only confuse them.”
