Mateless and Home Bound

Chapter 64: Love

"Max, I'm okay," Charlie laughed. "I don't need you to do everything for me."

The man had been keen on babying him for the past week. It was nice at first. He enjoyed the cuddling and being able to sleep with all the kids around. They had been so scared after what had happened. Most of them had started having nightmares because of it. And Sasha hadn't even wanted to leave his side. Not even for her grandparents. He was glad that they had been able to watch them for so long while all of this had gone on.

"You aren't lifting a finger," Max kissed him to end the conversation. "Those were the doctor's orders."

Charlie rolled his eyes. Dr. Button had told them that Charlie was going to need at least two months to recover from what had happened. He was already starting to gain more weight at least, but there was a lot more to go with what he had to catch up on. The sad thing was that he couldn't even pick up Sasha. He wasn't allowed to carry hardly anything.

He was going to be bored to tears these next two months.

At least Max was having a blast with it. Him and Nick, along with the entire pack basically, were making sure he didn't have to do anything. Reggie and Eric were taking turns on doing the paperwork and handling anything that he would normally do. He was glad he taught them both how to do it, but it still bothered him that he wasn't even allowed to do paperwork.

"You need to be relaxing as much as possible," Dr. Button had told him. "The best way to heal is through rest, even with your mind."

He should be angry that this even happened in the first place. And Reggie and Eric both finally had their mates and were as happy as could be. They should be spending as much time as possible with them. They might have taken the lead in protecting the forest and the pack, but they were both kids to him. He would forever see them as the little boys who chased each other down the hallways.

They were so adorable back then. He really wished he could go back to when Eric was chasing Reggie as a child. Reggie would always outsmart him by finding a place to hide, since he wasn't the fastest out of the two. He was so tiny, there was never any telling where he would be when he hid. His parents had to ban him from playing hide and seek with the other kids because he was too good. They all once spent an entire day just looking for him. It wasn't until they found him scrunched up behind one of the fridges that they all got so angry. The kids were looking at him in awe, while all the adults went from crying out of joy from finding him to angry that he didn't come out when they called.

There were so many fun memories that he had. He swore he could never be sad for too long. No matter what happened, he always had those bright memories to keep him happy. Kira and Buddy were always balls of sunshine whenever they were running around. Kira liked to climb on top of things, while Buddy would always run around, scaring them into thinking that he was going to knock something over.

When it was snowing, they would both be outside most of the time. They absolutely loved playing in snow. Whether it be snow forts, or a snowman contest, they always had something to do out there. Max had fun in his wolf form with them in the snow. They would build the biggest wall they could, pretending to block this beast out of their land, just to have Max knock it over. As soon as he did, they would be screaming and giggling as they tried to run away from him. When Max was too busy with work, they would always ask Alistair to be the substitute. It was absolutely adorable to watch them.

But now it seemed as if everyone wanted to stay indoors. They had their fill of the cold winter that had just started. As much as Charlie enjoyed having his children around him all the time, he wished that they would go and be themselves some more.

"What are you worrying about now, Apple?" Max's arms went around him immediately. At any sign of discomfort, Max was always there. It was nice to be able to have some time with him. There wasn't much to do now that the house was fixed up and the warriors had all scheduled times that they could take off. Charlie was glad that they could finally rest. It had been two months that they had risen the guard and pushed the warriors to their max. They deserved a break.