"My babies home!" My mother threw herself at me on the verge of tears, squeezing me like I'm a zit.
"Okay mum." I pat her on the back gently to try to ease her off. Honestly if she didn't stop soon, I'd be the one crying like a baby.
"Hi Reine." My dad calls out to me and gives me a quick side hug before going straight for the bags and boxes, helping Jude unload.
Aunty Mandy comes parading out the house jogging with excitement. "Is that Reine. Last time I saw you you were just a girl, you're a woman now." She wraps me in a tight embrace, pressing against my back unusually aggressively.
"Hey Kiddo," my uncle Marty says and he gives me a firm handshake and slips me a twenty pound note for some reason like he always does.
My Aunt Sabine is next and Nanny Judith, Grandpa Earl and Grandpa Kurt and more family members pouring out the house like clowns from a tiny car, all greeting me before heading back into the house along with my mum and dad.
I nudge [correction] elbow Jude in the side, "Are they all here for me?"
"Nah they're here for me."
"I hate you."
"You love me."
"Die." I stick my tongue out at him and he returns a wink. I roll my eyes.
Jude heads inside along with the parade and I take a moment to breathe. Four years without this makes this feel so suddenly overwhelming, my wolf itching to break free and run away. Another bad habit, along with the alcoholism, was needing personal space and every one of my 100 family members just intruded on it in a couple seconds. I take a breath, shake it off and head inside.
I met Jude in the kitchen, snacking on some of the veg my mum was chopping as my Aunt Sabine routinely smacked his hand away.
"Where's your mate, I wanna meet her?"
"She's at home tryna get her Gran to sleep before she comes over." His face had concerns.
"You should go help her."
"Really, I didn't wanna leave you alone right now. In this house. With all these people."
"I'll be fine go, just be quick." I said the last part through gritted teeth.
"Thank you." Jude says, grabbing a handful of veg for the road and running out of the house while my Aunt yells his name while holding a wooden spoon in a threatening manner.
I head over to the sofa and sit next to my Uncle Marty while he watches some random news channel and comments of human politics under his breath. He notices me and turns his head.
"So...how was uni kid?" He asks awkwardly while his wife watches from the kitchen.
"You don't have to ask me questions."
"You were always my favourite niece."
So there we were, sitting in silence watching the news while my family exploded into familiar chaos around me. That's why I always like Marty, he was peaceful, no wonder we aren't blood related. It's a mystery how my aunt and him are mates, they're polar opposites.
We sat like that for a while until a pair of arms draped over my shoulders and a familiar squeal burst my ear. Stella Bella had woken up from her nap for me. I grabbed her arms and (safely) lifted her over the edge of the sofa so she lay across my lap and I tickled her so she squirmed kicking my poor Uncle Marty. I yanked her up to sit on my lap.
"You gotta get better at sneaking up on people if you wanna be a super spy."
"No i don't wanna be a super spy any more Jude told me that super spy isn't a real job." He's terrible with children. "I wanna be a dolphin trainer."
YOU ARE READING
Peaches
Werewolf*MATURE CONTENT* Reine finally returns to her pack after four years of being away. Four years of learning, maturing and growing into the woman she became. However, upon her return, she's faced with two men. The two men she's been running from those...
