Page 2 of Back to You (Legendary Shifters #14)

––––––––

RONAN WASN’T ENTIRELY sure why Reece, of all people, had been asked to show him around pack territory. He wasn’t sure why anyone needed to show him around pack territory. He’d been here a few weeks already, and he knew where most things were.

Of course, things were different now. He was officially a pack member. He was going to start working for pack security in a few days. He wasn’t just a guy the pack had rescued anymore. He was one of them, so maybe that was why Cam wanted him to know where everything was.

Either that or he’d talked to his brother.

Ronan hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his conversation with Bryson. It was even harder with Reece standing next to him, gesturing at the buildings they were walking past.

Ronan didn’t care what people did in their bedrooms or how many people they did it with. It wasn’t the fact that Reece was dating two men that had caught his attention. It was the fact that Reece was dating two men after losing his mate.

Ronan swallowed. If he started thinking about his mate, he might start crying, too, which wasn’t something he wanted to happen right now.

This was supposed to be a happy occasion.

He’d finally found a place to call home.

He was safe, and he would never have to worry about getting kidnapped and tortured again.

If something happened to him, the pack would step in to protect him.

He’d never had that before, and it was a relief, but at the same time, it hurt.

“You know, we don’t have to do this now if you don’t feel up for it,” Reece said.

Ronan blinked. He really hadn’t been paying attention, had he? “I don’t want to be a bother. “

“You’re not a bother. You’re a pack member.”

“It doesn’t mean that I’m not bothering you. I’m sure you had better things to do today than show me around, especially when it wasn’t necessary. “

Reece gave Ronan a crooked smile. “You tried telling Cam that, didn’t you?”

“He waved me off and told me that since I was officially a pack member, I deserved an official tour.”

“That’s Cam, all right.” Reece’s expression softened. “I know it might be hard to believe, but he cares about you. He cares about all of his pack members, but he has an especially soft spot for rare shifters.”

Ronan nodded. “Because of his mate.”

“I mean, he cared about our pack members before meeting Toby, too, but yeah. Meeting his mate and understanding how hard life is for rare shifters is what pushed him into making our pack a safe place for all of you. He wants you to feel at home here. He wants to help, even though he’s not always sure how to do so. I’m glad you went along with it.”

Ronan hadn’t felt like he had a choice, but he didn’t say that out loud. He was still too new to the pack to fully understand how the relationships in it worked. It was clear that everyone respected Cam, but some of the people here talked to him as if he wasn’t the alpha, but rather a friend.

Ronan knew that he was. From everything he’d seen, Cam was close to a lot of pack members, and they did consider him a friend before they considered him their alpha. It was slightly confusing, but Ronan had never lived with a pack, so maybe it was normal.

“So, when Cam asked me to do this tour with you, he also asked me to ask you a few questions.”

Ronan grimaced. “He could’ve asked them himself. I’ll answer what I can, though. “

“It’s nothing bad. He just wants to get to know you a little better and for you to feel comfortable here.”

“I’m listening.”

Ronan wasn’t sure how long it would take him to feel comfortable here.

He liked that he was safe, but he was still missing a massive part of his life.

His mate was gone, which had caused him more pain than being stuck in a cage and auctioned off several times.

Nothing could hurt as much as losing his mate.

He didn’t think he’d ever get over that, even if he tried.

He hadn’t. Ronan’s heart was gone. It was a miracle that Ronan was still standing.

“So, Cam wanted to know if there was anyone you might want us to welcome into our pack, too.”

Ronan knew where this was going. He’d only told one person that he’d lost his mate, and that person was the alpha’s brother.

He wasn’t sure Bryson was the type of person to gossip, but Ronan hadn’t told him to keep the fact that his mate was gone secret.

Bryson might have mentioned it because he thought that Cam knew, or maybe he’d been worried.

It was odd to have people care about him.

Even before Ronan had been dragged into his cage, he hadn’t really had anyone.

The most important person in his life had been his mate, but before meeting him, Ronan had been alone.

He didn’t have a birth pack. Most rare shifters didn’t, but he’d been especially lonely.

His parents had been killed when he was little more than a teenager, and he’d survived on his own since then. He’d been afraid to let anyone in.

He still was.

This was his pack now, though. If he wanted to truly become one of them, he’d have to trust them with parts of himself. His mate deserved to be remembered. He didn’t deserve to become a secret that hurt Ronan every time he thought about him.

Ronan cleared his throat. “There’s no one. I lost my mate a few years ago, unfortunately.”

Reece’s expression told Ronan that he understood all too well what that meant. “I’m sorry for your loss,” Reece murmured. “I know how hard it is.”

Ronan nodded. “I’ve been told that you lost your mate, too.”

“I did. She died in childbirth. Our baby didn’t make it, either.”

That was even worse than what had happened to Ronan. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you. It’s been years, but sometimes, I still miss her.”

“There isn’t a day that I don’t think about my mate.”

“I get it. I just want you to know that losing your mate doesn’t mean you can’t be happy. I’m sure this is the reason I was asked to do this with you, actually. Cam knows about your mate?”

“I told Bryson.”

Reece nodded as if that explained everything. “It took me a long time, and I’ll always love my mate, but I’m currently in a relationship with two men. Losing your mate doesn’t mean you can’t be happy.”

“I’m not sure I could do that,” Ronan confessed.

“Being in a relationship with two men?” Reece teased.

“I don’t care how many people you’re in a relationship with, and I wouldn’t be opposed to having more than one person in my life. No, I’m not sure I can have a relationship with anyone. Even though my mate has been gone for a few years, the wound is still fresh. I’ll never forget him.”

“You don’t have to forget him. You just have to keep an open mind.

The love you can find after losing your mate won’t be the same as the one you had with him, but it doesn’t mean it’s not love.

Even though Sage and Carey are mates, they never make me feel like the odd one out.

I never feel any less loved by either of them, even though they share a bond I don’t have with either of them.

I know that some people think it’s weird, and I did initially, too, but I’m happy I gave them a chance. ”

Ronan slowly nodded. He understood what Reece was saying, and part of him wanted to find someone to settle down with and be happy. He was young, and he didn’t want to be alone for the rest of his life.

But another part of him felt like this was it.

He’d had a chance at love, and he’d lost it.

There was nothing he could do to get it back.

His mate was gone, but Ronan wasn’t. He had a chance at a fresh start with the pack.

Here, he’d have a home and a place where he could feel safe.

He could put down roots. He wished his mate was here to see all of that, but there was no way to bring him back.

Ronan had to continue living without him, and he knew that his mate wouldn’t have wanted him to be alone for the rest of his life.

That didn’t mean he was ready for a relationship, but maybe, like Reece had said, he could keep an open mind.

* * * *

VINCENT DIDN’T USUALLY answer phone calls from numbers he didn’t know.

This particular number had been calling him for days, though, and he was reaching the end of his patience.

He didn’t know anyone who would want to contact him so badly except for one person, and he did not want to talk to his father.

He stared at his phone, hoping it would stop ringing. When it finally did, he sighed and leaned back in his chair.

Only for the phone to start ringing again.

“I think that whoever it is really wants to talk to you,” Emma said from her desk.

“Couldn’t they have emailed me?”

“I know you’re scared of talking to people, but you need to find out what’s happening before this drives all of us nuts.”

Vincent glared. “I’m not afraid to talk to people.”

“Then answer the damn phone.”

“I don’t know why I like you.”

“You don’t. You’re forced to see me every day because we work together.”

She wasn’t wrong. That was the reason they saw each other every day. They were friends, but they’d never gone out together outside of work, and that was fine with Vincent. Most days, he didn’t have enough energy to be social by the time work was over.

The phone was still rattling on his desk. He snatched it up, swiped the screen, and raised it to his ear. “I hope this is important because you’ve been calling me for days, and you clearly can’t take a hint.”

There was a silent pause. Then a man cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Fulton.”

Sometimes, Vincent really wished his mother hadn’t given him his father’s surname. Hell, he would’ve been happy if his father’s name hadn’t been anywhere near him and his birth certificate. “Who are you, and what do you want?”

“My name is Mr. Ross. I was your father’s lawyer.”

Vincent blinked. “Was?”

“I suppose I still am, even though your father has passed.”