Chapter 29

I couldn't be moreproud of Talia. She met my family a few people at a time. My aunt and uncle came over for lunch, then a few more came over after they left. They filtered in and out, never more than two or three at a time, and Talia stayed steady and didn"t panic the whole way through. By the time dinner was over, I could tell she was beat, and Leo wasn't far behind her. Mama set up a cot in the guest room for Leo and I let them both get settled for the night while I helped Mama clean up the kitchen.

"I saw your stuff in the back of your truck. I'm guessin' you aren't movin' home again. Right?"

I'd been avoiding that conversation. Mama liked having me close by, but I wasn't going to tear Talia away from where she felt safe. Her whole support system was in those mountains. She'd already gone above and beyond, coming all the way out here for me. I couldn't ask for more. I didn't even want to. I liked the forest way better than the desert.

"It snows there, you know. You said you always wanted a white Christmas."

She looked sad, but also resigned. She knew why I had to go. I had a family to take care of. And they thrived in Aiden's mountains.

Sidling up to her, I put an arm around her shoulders. "I'll still call and visit as much as I can. And you can come see us too. The place where Talia lives is huge. The doors are big enough that I don't even have to duck. There's probably a guest room in there somewhere."

She snorted, some of the sadness fading as she looked up at me. "There better be. You're not handing me a grand baby and expecting me to stay away." She sighed, leaning into me. "I'm not gonna say I'm happy that you're going. I love you and I liked you being so close to me. But I am happy you found your family. I know you're only doing right by them. Just promise me you'll keep calling. I want to hear all about how you're all doing. Okay?"

"I promise, Mama. And if you ever get tired of the desert–"

"Don't you start. A vacation for a white Christmas is one thing. No way would I survive a long winter in the ice and snow. I was made for the south. I'm not goin' nowhere."

I chuckled, hugging her tightly for a minute. "Couldn't hurt to suggest it. Talia was raised in the desert, too. She likes it just fine in the mountains."

Mama rolled her eyes, nudging me out of her kitchen. "Go on, now. You gotta get up early if you wanna make good time tomorrow. Go get some rest. And Titus–"

I paused, looking over my shoulder at her. She only called me Titus when it was real important.

"I'm proud of you. You're a good man. They'll be in good hands with you."

Smiling brightly, I nodded. "I'll take care of ‘em. Love you, Mama."

"Love you too, baby bear. Sleep well."

They were both waiting for me when I got back in the room. I changed in the attached bathroom, got ready for bed, and took a minute to tuck Leo in tight with some heavy blankets before climbing into bed with Talia. She cuddled into my chest and let out a relieved sigh. I smiled to myself, hugging her close as I reached over and shut off the light. It sucked leaving Mama behind, but I always knew I wouldn't stay forever. Mama's got her clan to keep her company. I needed to find mine. And I found it in the mountains of Montana. That was where I needed to be.

Leavingthe house took longer than I wanted, with Mama overstuffing my truck with food and presents for Leo. My uncle took Leo to his place while we packed up so he could pick out some books. He came back with a whole armful and a big smile on his face. Dozens of hugs, kisses, and promises to call later, we finally got on the road and headed home.

Home.

Nowhere ever felt like home since I was a kid. The last time I felt like I had a real home was when I lived near Malcolm. Then Pa moved us and nowhere felt quite right after that. Not until I met Talia and Leo. They felt like home to me.

I smiled during the whole trip. We couldn't drive all the way through like I did the first time, Talia and Leo needed a good rest, but we stopped in Denver for rest before hitting the road again the following morning. Leo was entertained by his books and the audiobook playing in the background. I taught Talia some car games I used to play with Mama as a kid, and she was relaxed and happy, pretty much the whole way home. She got a little stressed when we had to stop for gas and food, she was still uncomfortable around strangers, but she did well and I made sure to praise her plenty along the way.

It was dinner time when we pulled into the compound. I was torn between eating and going for a shift. A few days in the car made me antsy to let my bear out, but my stomach was also growling so loud, Talia and Leo could hear it.

"Food first. Then I'm going for a shift. You two wanna come?"

"I do!" Leo called out, climbing to sit on the center console between us. When Talia nodded in agreement, I beamed at her and hurried around my truck to help her and Leo out. The lights were on, brightening the lot in front of the compound, and the door opened while we were still grabbing our bags.

"You're back!" Jack called. He and his mate, Christian, lived in the compound. Christian was Aiden and Andrew's assistant and Jack worked in town with Derek's mate, Liv. Jack was a nice guy, and he played music at the bar Corey worked at some weekends. I hadn't gone to hear it yet, but I was looking forward to it.

"We're back," I called out in return. "And hungry."

He laughed, jogging over to help us with our bags. "We're heading to Blackridge for dinner. There'll be plenty of food."

I grimaced at the idea of getting back in my truck. Leo did too, and he looked up at me with a thoughtful expression.

"Maybe we can shift first? That way, we can walk there."

I nodded once. "Smart cub. Good idea. Jack, can we send clothes with you?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Andrew's got his work cut out for him. Christian and I were going to shift to head there, too. He already agreed to take our stuff."

"You're heading to Blackridge? Good, I could use the company," Runa said, stepping out of the forest into the light. She smiled softly at Talia, dipping her chin once. "You did good. You should be proud of yourself."

Talia smiled nervously and laced her fingers with mine. "Thank you. For helping me."

Runa shook her head. "I didn"t do anything. You did all the work. Now let's not waste time. I need to check on the newest arrival."

When I shot a questioning look at Talia, she smiled brightly at me. "Carmen had her baby. I was there when he was born. He's beautiful."

"She did?" Excitement made me jittery, and I raced for the compound, poking my head in long enough to call out, "Let's go! We're walking to Blackridge! Hurry up!"

Andrew looked like he was trying not to laugh when he came outside, but I was too excited. Malcolm got a new kid, and I wanted to meet him. I raced back over to Talia, tugging her towards the forest. Runa had to stop me with her hand raised, giving me a significant look.

"Last I checked, you can't shift with clothes on and you aren't meeting a one week old infant without them."

Crap. I forgot about that. I stripped faster than lightning and gave my bear my skin, sighing happily now that I finally got to stretch out my muscles. Three days of traveling wasn't fun, but shifting with the crew was. We might not have sworn fealty to anyone, but we were all a part of the compound and if I had anything to say about it, we'd be coming up with our own group name, too. Maybe Aiden would want to be an alpha. Crews had alphas, right?

Leo's little lion darted under my legs and I ducked my head, lifting a paw to see where he went. He was full of energy after a few days in the car and in a good mood, playfully darting underneath me a few times while everyone else got undressed and shifted. Christian and Jack sat on the branches above us, an owl and a golden eagle snuggled close in the trees. Talia was more timid, her lioness uncomfortable until she was pressed against my side. When I looked over at Andrew, he waved me off.

"I'll drive. I need to bring all the clothes anyway. I'll see you there."

That sounded like a good plan, so I waited for Christian and Jack to take off before following them. I kept my pace steady so Talia could stay beside me. Leo hurried ahead now and then but always came back, yowling encouragement for Talia when she was scared. Runa walked on her other side, her hand resting lightly on Talia's back. I think it helped. Talia didn"t slink so low and as long as she was between me and Runa, her head stayed up. She nudged Leo's butt to get him moving if he strayed too long, and she was purring the whole way there.

My mate. My cub. I let out a happy growl, leaning into her, but I misjudged my weight a little and she stumbled into Runa.

"Watch it, Teddy bear. You're heavy," Runa warned.

I shot her a dirty look. I wasn't a teddy bear. I was a strong bear who took care of my mate and cub. Talia nuzzled her head against my fur, soothing my grumps, and I settled again, walking steadily towards Blackridge Haven.

When we come out of the trees, they're all there waiting for us. I got to meet Malcolm's new baby, and Javi bounces around my heels, telling me how to hold him right and reminding everyone that it was his little brother and when he got older, they were gonna share a room so he could protect him. He was real cute. When he calmed down, him and Leo went to play together until food was ready, while I tucked Talia close and talked to the crew. I was happy here. And I was glad I got to stay. I never thought one message to an old friend would change my life this much, but it turned out to be the best decision I ever made.