At the front door, I nearly knocked until I remembered I lived here.
Mr. Boots, Kansas's cat turned guard dog, meowed fiercely. Another thing disappointed I hadn't been around. I gave him a scratch between the ears, but Mr. Boots could hold a grudge, and he jumped out of reach, sprinting for the forest like he was being chased.
I turned the knob and pushed open the door. "Hey everyone, I'm ho—"
Hollister's scent hit me strongly enough to leave me with no doubt. He was here.
I couldn't wonder how or why. My alpha nature demanded only that I find him and make sure he was safe.
What could have pushed him from the cabin? A fire? Intruders?
No one was in the living room, but I heard laughter toward the kitchen and took off down the hallway.
Had he been trying to leave me? I'd stayed awake for nights wondering how I would handle that moment when it came, but for all my planning, the only thing I could do now was growl.
"Hollister." I found him in the kitchen, gorgeous eyes rounded with surprise as he sat at the small circular table with Riley, Phin, and Kansas. The children must have been sleeping. Though the sight before me had been the exact one I'd fantasized over, I couldn't enjoy the moment because I had no fucking clue how it had come to pass.
"Are you hurt? What happened? Why did you leave?" I hurried forward, aware that Branson and Nash were coming in from the patio, but I didn't care about a single other person in the world at that moment, only Hollister.
"Hey, Aver, I was wondering when you'd crawl back home." Branson smiled.
I didn't take my eyes off Hollister. I couldn't. Inside, my mind roared, snapping and snarling at any idea that wasn't gathering Hollister in my arms and taking him back to the safety of my cabin. "We need to go."
I hurried around the table, lifting Hollister from his seat.
Hollister frowned. "Aver? These people know you?"
I couldn't imagine how confusing this must all have been for him. I didn't understand a single thing myself except the fact that I wanted him out of here, fast. I wasn't ashamed of Hollister, not in the slightest. But the man I was when I was with him didn't match the man I was here.
And with Hollister, I never wanted to be anyone but who I truly was.
"What is wrong—" Riley pushed back from the table.
"We're leaving." I carried him to the hallway while Nash and Branson looped around the other side, meeting me head on before I could reach the door. "Move," I growled, not seeing my cousins, but two alpha shifters challenging my claim.
Branson took a step back, but it seemed more out of shock than anything else. "Not until you tell me why you're carting Riley's new friend out of this house."
Riley's new friend? Clearly a lot had happened while I'd been gone, and I was eager to hear what, but alone with Hollister, as we were meant to be. I tightened my hold around Hollister. "Get out of my way, Branson."
"Or what, you'll kick my ass? Nash's ass? Is that what you want to do? Because that's what it looks like. You've been gone for days, hardly call, leave me high and dry at work, and this is how you come home?"
He couldn't know how much I had to restrain myself. Right then, I did want to kick his ass. Nash's as well. My muscles swelled large with untapped strength, and as far as my alpha nature was concerned, these two shifters were keeping me from protecting Hollister. And that was unforgivable.
A sound of warning rumbled from deep in my chest.
Hollister wiggled. He wasn't trying to move out of my arms, but he rotated so he could see into my face. He cupped my cheek and waited for my eyes to find his before speaking.
"Don't," he whispered sadly, shaking his head. "I have no idea what is going on here, but don't do whatever you are thinking. I ran into them at the coffee shop, and we got to talking. They offered lunch. I figured since you were still out…" He frowned. "These people are nice."
I knew that. These people were my family. But right now, these people were crowded around both ends of the hallway, staring at me like I was a stranger.
Chapter Six
Hollister
Waking up without Aver had been jarring, even with the video he'd sent me. It wasn't long before the warmth I usually felt in his presence began to fade. I'd tried distracting myself, but the longer we remained apart, the worse the feelings grew. My skin had felt too tight, ready to break apart and slide off my body. When I touched Aver, the world was brighter and my dick harder, and the world in general felt like an okay place to be. But I'd begun to suspect the opposite reaction was also true. When we were apart, the world was dark and dreary. My dick still ached, but with no release in sight.
I'd thought I'd been lucky to find some nice people to hang out with while I waited for Aver to return, but clearly, I'd stepped into tumultuous and unfamiliar waters. I wanted to understand what was going on. Before I did that, I needed to try to calm Aver down enough so he stopped sounding like a cornered wild animal, preparing for the attack.
"Is there someplace we could talk privately?" I asked, directing my question at no person in particular.
"That sounds like a great idea," Riley said. "Aver, why don't you take him to your room? There's soundproofing there."
Soundproofing? I was on a quest for answers, but so far, I just had more questions. Like why hadn't Aver told me about this home he obviously lived in? Or any of these people…
"You're his cousins," I blurted out. When I'd seen the others' husbands, I'd thought they looked similar to Aver, but I'd just figured they cut their men from sturdier stock in these parts.
"I'm not sure what we are." Branson wasn't talking to me but Aver.
Aver inhaled, exhaling a slow, shuddering breath. "My room is down here." He didn't let me down but carried me past Riley and the others down another hallway. He carried me through a doorway, shutting the door immediately after.
He didn't let me down. Instead, he carried me to a wide bed, neatly made with a blue comforter turned down to show the flannel sheets. On the wall in front of us, there was a shelf of trophies. Some looked to be from his youth, trophies awarded for exceptional performance in baseball, football, and golf. But many of the awards looked newer and higher quality. He'd won awards for his dedication to maintaining a planet-conscious business, giving to the community, and one that looked like it had the mayor of Seattle's name on it.
"Aver…" I brought my hands up against his chest and pressed.
His arms squeezed. "Let me explain—"
"…who are you?"
A double life sort of situation had occurred to me. Aver was so perfect; it would be my luck that he actually had a wife and kid at home. But, the time we'd spent together in the cabin had convinced me I'd been suspicious for no reason. When Aver was with me, he wasn't distracted scrolling his phone or doing something only he enjoyed. He was with me, watching me, engaging with me, and just generally there. Present.
"I'm the man you know," he said roughly. He released the hold he had on me and stood, leaving me sitting on the mattress as he paced back and forth. "How are you here right now? Did something happen?"