Marked

Chapter 55: Home

I glanced back between the seats of the airplane when I heard Nessa laugh out loud for the hundredth time. She was covering her face and sunk back in her chair, trying to conceal the giggles while Kaden seemed much too pleased with himself as both Nessa and Zach laughed. I was starting to wish I could steal Kaden for a while because he was so damn good at cheering everyone up and Goddess knew this pack needed it. Not to mention the fact they'd actually gotten attached to him. Hunter, Connor and Ben spent forever saying goodbye to Kaden, exchanging numbers and talking about Goddess knows what else. Even Dean and Mia had their moment to say goodbye too and I swear I felt sadness at his departure. The same way everyone loved Kaden, Blood Moon loved him too.

I hadn't heard Nessa laugh at all until we were on that plane and she was seated between Kaden and Zach, with Kaden continuously telling jokes that got her laughing so hard she was embarrassed by the curious glances they got. It was nice to see them laugh, to feel that heaviness in our bond lift at least a little bit. Sighing, I briefly, only half-seriously, wondered if Cassie could clone Kaden for me.

I faced forward and noticed Kane staring back at them with a smile. "He'll be missed."

I raised an eyebrow, wondering if he made the statement so vague because he didn't want to admit he also liked having Kaden around. "You'll miss him?"

He gave me a look and faced forward as well, setting his hand on my thigh and staring straight ahead. Maybe, he linked. I'll miss the way he makes everyone feel light.

Me too, I linked. I would miss him, and everyone so badly that if I thought about it too hard, I might cry.

Zach and Nessa were the only ones we brought with us this time. The pack needed all the ranked wolves it could get, we didn't even have Ben with us. My heart hurt a little as I thought about Dean saying goodbye and how sad he looked to not come with us. I tried one last time to ask him why it was so important to him in the hopes I could convince Kane to let him come, but Dean wouldn't tell me. I couldn't blame him. I hadn't known them that long. Even if we were connected, I couldn't expect him to open up so fast. Still, I couldn't help the sadness that was quickly assured when Dean initiated a hug. It was short, and awkward, and he pulled away immediately, but the shocked look on everyone's face when he did it told me he didn't usually give hugs, so awkward or not, that hug meant everything to me.

We landed in Seattle and opted to rent a car so no one would have to drive us back and forth into the city. Where Thaddeus was and when he planned to show up, I didn't know. All he said to me the last time I saw him was 'see you at dinner'. We hadn't heard from him since.

Driving to Blackstone pack had my nerves on edge. While the phone call with Xander went well, I was still anxious about how people would react, what they would say. Kane wasn't exactly on everyone's good side and I didn't want awkward goodbyes. I wanted to say goodbye to the family I grew up with without them giving him the stink eye.

My anxiety must've been obvious through the bond because Kane wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him. He pressed a kiss to the side of my head and took my hand with his, lacing our fingers together. The more time I spent with him, the more I learned affection was his love language. He didn't always know what to say, but he always felt when I was bothered and reached out to me in some way, whether it was a kiss, a hand on my back, or his hand squeezing mine, it was welcome comfort.

Kaden drove with Nessa in the front seat with him, still gaining a lot more laughs and smiles than I was capable of. Fucker. I needed to ask him how the hell he did it.

Kane and I didn't mean to fall asleep, but we'd barely slept the night before and so the drive that should've taken over an hour felt more like a few minutes by the time Kaden parked the car and Kane and I were shaken awake. I stretched and rubbed my eyes, looking out the window at the familiar territory.