Chapter 391
Dinner was nice. It was good to have everyone together as a family. Charlotte didn’t throw her dinners as often as she used to, so it was good to have everyone under the one roof. I loved the chatter that filled the room. The laughter and the love of everyone here. Everyone was floating around chatting and drinking coffee.
Another tradition that came with the dinner. Coffee was necessary.
“Bear”. Carter nodded. “Ready for your first patrol p>
“You didn’t come for coffee”. I frowned. “I invited you over and you didn’t come. You didn’t even respond to my text p>
“You texted me?”. He pulled out his phone. “Oh, yeah so you did. Sorry Leah I’ve been busy trying to get back into the swing of things”. “How is it being back home p>
He shrugged. “It is what it is. How are you doing p>
“I’m good”. I smiled. “Doing my first patrol, looking into going to college and I’m going to be taking more responsibility within the pack p>
“That’s not what I meant”. His voice lowered.
I knew exactly what he meant but like I told everyone else I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. I was doing okay with keeping it locked away. I would talk about it when I was ready to. “I’m fine Carter I promise p>
“We’ve only got each other out here Leah. You’re the only family I have left so we have to look out for each other p>
“I’m guessing your parents didn’t take the news well that you were coming back here p>
“Something like that p>
“What happened Carter p>
“Everything is good, nothing for you to worry about. I’m here, I’m not going anywhere everything’s fine”. He kissed the top of my head. “Kick a*s tonight p>
Everything was not fine, but I wasn’t going to pry because it was none of my business. He knew I was here when he wanted to talk or vent.
I placed my cup of coffee on the side table and went in search of Jake. He had disappeared after dinner and had yet to show face again.
I was always in awe when I came here. Their house was mesmerizing, and I always found myself distracted with the decor. It didn’t take me long to find him. He was in the office with his dad shouting about something. Of course, as soon as I stuck my head inside, he fell silent.
“Ready to go?”. He asked.
Oh yeah, I had interrupted something.
“First patrol tonight, Leah. How are you feeling about it?”. Jacob asked.
“Good, excited p>
“And Alanna is going with you p>
I nodded. “She’s showing me the ropes p>
A laugh fell from his lips. “I’m sure you’ll do simply fine. Am I right in saying Rocco will be out there also p>
“He will?”. I frowned turning my head towards Jake.
“Rocco is always night patrol. He’ll be doing the outskirts while you and Alanna do the inside p>
“By himself? Is that safe p>
“He prefers it that way”. He smiled. “Now are you ready to go home and get ready for tonight?”. “Yes”. I grinned.
I napped for an hour and when I woke Jake had already packed a bag for me. Extra clothes, snacks the lot.
“I’ll make you some coffee now and then I’ll stick a flash in your backpack. If you need to pull out at any time you tell Rocco p>
“I appreciate it, but I’ll be fine”. I was excited about this. It was an exciting time for me and for Jake to be on board with it made it even better. He had faith in me not only as a mate but also as a wolf.
“I never said you wouldn’t be fine I just said if you need to pull out then you tell Rocco p>
I rolled my eyes. I guess I knew where he was coming from. This was my first time being out there and I guess it was kind of a big deal for him to let me do it. But he also had to trust that I was capable just like everyone else and I was good at taking care of myself. I could do this.
“What time is it?”. I asked.
“Almost 9. Are you hungry p>
I nodded. It was like he could read my mind.
“Go chill out for a bit in front of the tv and I’ll make you something p>
“Okay”. I smiled.
I don’t know what had come over him recently, but I liked it. I liked this newfound freedom. Not that he kept me locked up in the house, but it was nice to be able to do things without him being angry or disappointed all the time.