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I shoo the chicken, and she scurries off back where she belongs. We finally make it to my house and I open the door and step inside like I’ve done a thousands times before.
With the three of us in here, it feels too small. It’s always felt just right. Now, even if I were here alone, it just wouldn’t feel the same.
“What can we help you with?” Pierce asks, carefully putting his hand on my lower back. It’s large, and makes my skin tingle, even through my sweater.
I smile up at him, opening my mouth to say something, when there is a knock at the door. I left it open because it smells a little stale in here.
“Is it really you?” Rose asks from the doorway.
“It’s me,” I say with a smile. “I came to see everyone and to get some things.”
She eyes the detectives warily.
“They’re okay,” I say. “They’ve been helping me.”
“Oh,” she says. “Okay then. Good.” She steps in. “I saw Willow and she said you were here. I had to come say hello.” We hug.
“I can’t stay long.”
“The men are out by the river. They’ll be sad they missed you.”
“Tell everyone I said hello, and I’ll come back to visit again soon. I promise.”
She nods, holding my gaze. “Do you, uh…”
The look in her eye tells me it’s something serious.
“What is it, Rose?” I ask, taking a step closer to her.
She glances at the detectives then back at me. “Is there any news?”
“Not yet,” Pierce says. “We’re still working on it.”
“Do you have any idea who did this to us?” she asks, her voice trembling.
Rose is a beautiful girl with long blond hair and dark blue eyes.
“I’m sorry, we don’t. But I can assure you that we are working on it thoroughly.”
“They are,” I say. “They’re doing their jobs, and they will find who killed Tiger and hurt this community.”
Rose hugs me again, says good bye, and then she leaves. I ask the guys to pack my clothes, all of them, so I can go through the rest of my things and decide what I want to take and what stays.
It’s not much. Mostly the products I’ve made, like my soaps and lotions. I enjoy them, and they don’t make my skin feel weird the way the stuff they buy at the store does. I grab my favorite soup pot because it was passed down from my grandmother, along with the ladle that was hand-carved by my grandfather.
When everything is all packed up, we head out. There is no point in lingering. It will only make me sad. Next time, I will have to make plans with them so we can have a real visit. I hate that I missed so many because they were doing work, but that’s how it is here. There is always something to do. My days were filled with tasks.
Rose, Serena, and Willow are at Willow’s house when we reach it, so I stop and say goodbye, reminding them to tell everyone else I said hello, that I’m okay, and I’ll visit again when I can. I ask them to check on my home to make sure it’s okay. They say they have and they will continue to. They also assure me that the animals are being cared for and they’re happy to take over my chores.
“I appreciate you all so much,” I say. “I’ll see you soon.”
We say our last goodbye, and me and the guys make our way back to the car.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Raewyn
It’s been two weeks since I went to the village, got all my things, and visited with my family. Trina and I share a phone call every night around seven. I think about all of them often, but I can’t say that I regret choosing to stay here. Forge and Pierce are amazing. We’ve grown close and have fallen into a routine. I stay home during the day, cook, clean, and tend to the garden that is still a work in progress. I love being able to do these things for them—and for myself, too. I’ve spent my whole life doing things like this for myself and helping the villagers, but there is more meaning behind it now that I am doing it for them. My alphas.
