Page 63 of Unknowingly Being his Brat

“Follow me.”

I trailed behind him, careful to make as little noise as possible. Soon I could smell the rabbit, too, the predator in me pleased to have located its prey. Not that we would hurt the rabbit, it was more the fun of finding it.

“Good job,” I said, wishing I could smile in my wolf form.

“Let’s get you back to your mate. I promised not to keep you for long.”

I could tell Dad wanted to run some more, so I shook my head. “I’m up for catching a deer next, if you are?”

His eyes gleamed with happiness. “I would love that.”

This time I led us as we both scented the forest air. I ran with Dad every weekend and spent my weekdays either helping Jeremy or playing with the pups. I found my true joy in the pack was whenever I spent time with the little ones. Either as wolves or in our human form. They had this endless bundle of happiness and wonder inside of them and I cherished whenever they shared that with me. And the parents loved the break I offered them.

Darius was the pack’s substitute in a way, he kept jumping from task to task, helping out where he was needed most and he loved it. No day was the same and even though I truly couldn’trelate to the chaos that was never knowing what the day would bring, he reveled in the spontaneity of it.

To think I ever thought about leaving.

Deer.

The scent was faint, but there.

“To our right,” I said, slowly moving closer in that direction, eager to spot the creature. It was always the bigger the better when it came to these games.

“It’s huge!”Dad exclaimed, his eagerness puppy-like as he tried to contain his excitement.

“Look at the height of that thing.”It was a magnificent stag. I couldn’t wait to tell Darius about it. He would be so jealous.

“Let’s move before we startle it,” Dad said, moving away on silent feet.

When we were far enough away, we ran home, he had his girlfriend to get back to, something that had happened recently and was still technically a secret he tried to keep from us. But we knew. I had my fated waiting at home, hopefully with some hot cocoa and whipped cream.

Darius

Milo was napping with Dexter on the stained rug, both of them looking too adorable. I had never used my phone more than I did lately. I took all the pics. All the time. Dexter and Milo sleeping. Dexter being a good dog. Milo looking cute. Milo looking hot. Dexter in his Christmas butterfly collar. The list went on and on.

I snapped another picture, this one my new favorite. The fireplace was lit, creating a glowing light on them, the outside dark with snow covering the trees, Dex’s head resting on Milo’s stomach, Milo’s hand in Dex’s fur. Perfection.

I knew I had to make dinner as promised, but I just couldn’t help but take a few more minutes to admire them. I had my own family now. Milo was the perfect mate and dog daddy. Howblessed could one be?

My phone buzzed with a message from Cass.

Cass:We’ll be there in an hour! Traffic was horrible, but we managed.

Me:Drive safe! See you soon.

I’d tasked them with picking up the dessert for tonight, and thankfully they would make it back here on time for our new year’s dinner party. It wasn’t as much a party and more like a fun get together. We were highly against fireworks, but good food and company was always welcomed.

Our friends would soon fill our home with their laughter and I couldn’t wait.

“Are you staring at us?” Milo asked, his eyes glaring at me from the floor.

Grinning, I admitted, “You just look so cute together.”

That made him smile. “Thank you for finding him.”

“You can thank Greg for that. All I did was show up and grab him.”

“I already thanked Greg, but still. He’s so perfect for us.”

“He is.”

Milo smiled again before he closed his eyes, enjoying his time with Dex before the others got here.

“I love you, baby,” I whispered.

“I love you, too.”

The End