Page 93 of Alpha Brock
They also had to get back because Gray, Reid, and Theo had the onerous task of returning the bodies of our fallen squad fighters and breaking the news to their families. We lost three in the battle with the shadow pack- Keaton, Tyler, and Bex. Keaton was from Summervale, and he’d been on the squad for three years. Tyler and Bex were from Goldenleaf and Stillwater, respectively, and were new recruits from this past summer. Every loss is tough to swallow, the cost of war high.Too high.
At least the civilians remained safe. Denver has already started bringing their refugees back home from the six-pack and has offered the same courtesy to our citizens when the time comes for the battle here. I’m not sure how that’ll all go- the guys and I will have to talk about it when we start strategizing for this war with the shadow pack. I’m sure they’ll want to jump right in when I get back- I already heard that Gray wants to call a council meeting upon my return.
That alone was reason enough for me to linger in Denver for a little longer- council meetings blow. Plus, once the others left and the dust settled, it was actually really nice to spend time with Astrid on her home turf. She gave me a proper tour of the place and I got a glimpse at what her everyday life was like before we met, which gave me a chance to get to know Sam and Cole a little better, too. I don’t think we’ll all be best friends anytime soon, but we tolerate each other pretty well now, so that’s a start.
“We’ve gotta get your stuff moved upstairs,” I say as I pull into the driveway of the Riverton packhouse, shifting the Escalade into park and cutting the engine.
“About that,” Astrid says, turning to me with a mischievous glint in her eye. “Think we can do some redecorating? If it’s going to beourroom, I think it needs a woman’s touch.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. Hopefully she doesn’t want to paint the walls pink to match her room in the Denver packhouse, but if it makes her happy, I’ll let her. Anything to ease the transition and make her feel at home. “Whatever you want, babe. Go nuts. It’s your place now, too.”
I hop out of the drivers’ seat and make my way around to the passenger side, leaving our bags in the trunk for the time being. If I thought Astrid packed a lot the first time around, there was no way I could’ve prepared myself for the amount of stuff she brought along now that she knows she’s moving in for good. I’ll definitely have to rope the guys into helping me haul it all upstairs.
Astrid’s climbing down from the Escalade when I reach her side, but before her feet hit the ground I’m grabbing her by the backs of her thighs, lifting her into my arms. She giggles, wrapping her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck like a little koala bear.
“Welcome home, Luna Astrid,” I murmur against her lips before crushing mine into them, licking along the seam until they part to let me in. She presses herself into me, squeezing her tits against my chest as she kisses me hard, our tongues twining. One of my hands slips back to squeeze her ass, the other travels up to grip the nape of her neck as I deepen the kiss.
“Are you guys coming in, or are you just gonna make out on the driveway all day?” I hear Brent call out.
I reluctantly break the kiss, dragging Astrid’s lower lip between my teeth.
“Did I say I missed him?” I groan, leaning my forehead against hers. “I take it back.”
Astrid giggles, tilting her head sideways and waving to my brother over my shoulder. “Hi, Brent!”
I turn around, kicking the door of the Escalade closed and shooting my brother an annoyed glare. Astrid wriggles in my arms and I set her down, taking her hand and starting up the front walk of the packhouse.
“So I see you two are still a thing,” Brent teases, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the doorframe. “I take it the whole battle thing was a success? The pack was freaking out a little when you weren’t at the run.”
“And we assured them everything was fine,” Jared interjects, appearing in the doorway behind Brent and delivering a playful jab to his bicep. “You tryin’ to stress him out as soon as he gets home?”
“Just gotta give him a little shit for being gone so long.” Brent tosses me a wink, moving aside as Astrid and I approach.
We pass by him, stepping inside the packhouse as he follows us in and closes the door. Jared greets us both warmly as soon as we’re inside, welcoming us back.
“So how come you came back here instead of staying in Denver?” Brent asks Astrid as we all head toward the kitchen. He holds up a hand. “Wait, let me guess… it’s because you missed me, right?” He waggles his eyebrows.
“Of course I missed you,” Astrid giggles. She looks over at Jared. “Both of you.”
“How long are you staying?” Jared asks casually, striding over to the fridge and pulling it open.
“Well,” Astrid breathes, looking up at me with a little smirk on her lips. “How about forever?”
I grin, sliding an arm around her and pulling her into my side.
“What?” Brent stutters, and I glance up to see him staring at us, blinking. “Did I miss something?”
Astrid smiles coyly, reaching to pull the collar of her sweatshirt aside, flashing them a peek of my mark on her skin.
“Holy shit!” Brent chokes, his eyes practically bugging out of his skull.
Jared doesn’t miss a beat. “Hey, congratulations!” he beams, a huge smile stretching his face. He abandons the open fridge door, rushing over to give us each big hugs. Once the initial shock wears off, Brent is also sporting a big, goofy grin, and giving us congratulatory hugs.
“So is that the real reason why you didn’t come back here for the full moon run?” Brent laughs, elbowing me teasingly. “You dog.”
“Actually, there was a whole bunch of shit we were dealing with up there,” I sigh, sinking onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island and pulling Astrid onto my lap. “Got a lot to fill you boys in on.”
“Yeah?” Jared asks, returning to the fridge and grabbing out a couple of beers. He slides them over to me across the island and I crack them open, taking one for myself and handing the other to Astrid. It may be a little early for beers, but if we’re going to get into everything that happened in Denver, it’ll go down easier with alcohol.