Page 16 of His Place in the World (Legendary Shifters #9)

“I’m not going to take you away,” Ryland continued.

“You bought me,” Tyler said.

Even his voice had changed. It was deep and guttural, making Angus shiver.

“I did,” Ryland confirmed. “And I’d do it again if it was necessary. I didn’t buy you to hurt or use you, though. You reminded me of my brother, and I couldn’t leave you there. I’m glad I bought you and brought you here, and I wish you’d believe me when I say I only want what’s best for you.”

“I don’t want to go with you.”

It was clear from Tyler’s tone that he expected Ryland to protest, maybe because Ryland had bought him. In Tyler’s world, it meant Ryland was his master and made every single decision for him.

“Then you don’t have to,” Ryland said. “I’ll be more than happy to help the pack financially support you until you get your feet under you. You’re free now, Tyler. The fact that I bought you doesn’t mean anything. It’s not even legal.”

“That’s never stopped anyone,” Tyler muttered.

“I realize that, and I hate that you had to live through that. You won’t ever have to again if I have anything to say about it.” He looked at Cam. “Can your pack keep him here? Will it be a problem?”

“Of course not.” Cam smiled at Tyler. “Tyler, you’re welcome to stay for as long as you want or need. You can even become a Rosewood pack member if it’s what you wish.”

Tyler frowned. “Is Matt a Rosewood pack member?”

“I am,” Matt confirmed. “I haven’t been for long, but my son found his mate here, and the entire family moved. It’s our home now, and I’m not leaving. You don’t have to, either.”

That was enough to get Tyler to shift back. His wings vanished, his ears got smaller, and his skin turned pink again.

Then he started crying.

Matt was still by his side and folded him into his arms immediately.

Tyler would probably have pushed anyone else away, but not Matt.

Instead, he clung to him as if Matt were a lifeline that he needed to survive.

Angus suspected that was true, although he didn’t fully understand how it had happened or why.

Matt rubbed Tyler’s back. “You can even move in with my family and me,” he said.

Del squeaked, and Matt looked at him. He raised a brow in question, and Del shook his head, then nodded.

Angus had never had that.

Del and his father could communicate without a word, and it made Angus jealous. He liked that his mate had a loving father, though. Everyone should have one.

“Del’s okay with it,” Matt continued. “And I can’t imagine Cora will have anything to say against it.”

Tyler leaned back. His cheeks were wet with tears, and his eyes red. “Who’s Cora? Is she your wife?”

“No. She’s my daughter. I don’t have a wife or anyone else in my life that way. You’d only be living with me, my son, and my daughter.”

Tyler stared at him for a moment before nodding. “I’d like that. I’d like to be part of your family.”

“Then, as long as the alpha is okay with it, you will be.”

They both looked at Cam, who nodded. He’d been staring at them, but everyone in the room had been. He seemed as curious as Angus to find out what was going on between Matt and Tyler, but he didn’t ask.

“I don’t see why anyone should have a problem with that,” he said.

“And, of course, the pack will take care of everything Tyler might need. Matt, you’ll take him shopping and buy him whatever he needs to settle in this new life.

” Cam looked at Tyler. “You don’t have to stay in Rosewood if it’s not what you want, but if you decide to, I hope the pack will become your home.

It’s safe for rare shifters and will be safe for you. ”

“Thank you.” Tyler’s voice wobbled, and he started crying again.

Matt was there, pulling him close again and murmuring to him.

Cam looked away, possibly to give them privacy, and his gaze stopped on Angus. “What about you?” he asked.

“What about me?”

“Have you decided whether or not you’ll stay with us? I don’t have a problem with you only visiting, but I’d like to know where you stand. Angela isn’t going to be happy if she finds out you’re planning on moving here permanently.”

Angus didn’t know how to answer Cam’s question. “Del and I haven’t talked about it yet.”

“And I’m more than okay giving you more time. What do you want to do, though?”

Angus had been thinking about it since he’d met Del, and his answer had never changed. “As long as Del is okay with it, I’d like to become a Rosewood pack member.”

Cam’s smile could have lit an entire town. “I’m happy to hear that, and I’m sure Del will be, too.”

Angus looked at him. Del was hovering by his father, clearly torn between helping Tyler and not wanting to scare him.

He was a good person. He was the best mate Angus could have hoped for, and he was convinced of that even though they barely knew each other. He couldn’t wait to see what would happen next between them, but of one thing, he was sure.

Rosewood felt more like his home than Wakefield ever had, and he wasn’t giving it up.

* * * *

“Are you sure this won’t be a problem for you?” Matt asked over Tyler’s head.

Del saw Tyler stiffen. He no doubt expected to be rejected, and for Matt to choose Del. It would make sense since Del was Matt’s son while he and Tyler had just met.

Del might not understand why Tyler had latched onto his father the way he had, but he couldn’t deny what was in front of his eyes. Besides, he thought that Tyler and Matt could be good for each other, not just Matt for Tyler.

Doyle had left home, and while Del still lived with his father and his sister, he was twenty and spending more and more time outside the house.

He didn’t need his father to take care of him the way he had when he was a child, and he’d seen how lost Matt was over that.

He still had Cora, who was only six years old, but a huge part of Matt’s life had changed after they’d moved, and he wouldn’t get it back.

He’d always been someone who enjoyed taking care of others, and maybe, taking care of Tyler would help him.

It would certainly help Tyler, who needed someone to take care of him and show him that not everyone was a bad person. Not every human wanted to enslave shifters and use them.

“Why should it be a problem?” Del asked.

“It’s always been the four of us. Doyle is gone, but he’s not far, and I wasn’t sure living with an unknown person would be okay with you.”

“It is. Besides, I don’t know how long I’ll continue living with you and Cora. The home is yours more than it’s mine, and I don’t think that’s going to change.”

Matt nodded. “I don’t like thinking about you leaving, but I understand it might be time. Have you and Angus talked?”

“Not yet.” But they would, and soon. Angus couldn’t stay forever without talking to Cam and his alpha. If Angus wanted to stay permanently, then he’d have to move. If he decided he was better off in Wakefield, he’d need to go back.

Del knew which option he hoped his mate would choose, but he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure until they talked.

“That man is crazy about you,” Matt said.

He was still holding Tyler, who’d finally relaxed. He wasn’t crying anymore, but he seemed a bit dazed. It was a good thing that Matt had him.

“I don’t know anything about crazy, but I sure hope he likes me.”

“You’re his mate. There’s no way he doesn’t like you.”

Del snorted. “Way to make me feel like being his mate is the only reason he likes me.”

Del’s father laughed. “I wouldn’t worry too much if I were you.

I realize this isn’t what you thought would happen when we moved here, but it doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.

Between your brother dating a pack member and Angus moving here, I feel our family has truly become part of the Rosewood pack. ”

He wasn’t wrong. Del still felt awkward a lot of the time, but Doyle was home here, as was Cora. It didn’t matter that it was taking Del a bit longer to wrap his mind around all the changes in his life and feel like Rosewood was home for him, too. He wasn’t going anywhere.

He watched as his father gently steered Tyler toward the door.

They were softly talking, and while Del was dying to know what they were telling each other, he kept his distance.

Tyler had reacted badly when Ryland had tried taking him away from Matt, and there was no way to know if he’d react the same way if Del stepped in.

It would take time for Tyler to stop reacting so strongly and to accept he was safe, but Del couldn’t wait to see it happen.

He felt like it would be good for everyone.

“Del?”

Del turned to see that Angus was standing behind him. He smiled, then frowned when he saw Angus looked worried. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, or at least, I don’t think so. I just need to ask you something.”

“You can ask me anything.” Del hoped his mate knew that.

Angus nodded. “I was just talking to Cam about Tyler becoming a pack member, and he asked me if I was planning on doing the same.”

Del swallowed. He’d just been thinking they needed to talk about this, but he hadn’t expected it to happen now. “Are you?”

Angus’s smile was hesitant. “I told him I’d be delighted to become a Rosewood pack member but that I needed to talk to you first. I want to move here, if you’re okay with it.

If you decide we shouldn’t be together, it might be too awkward for both of us to be pack members, especially when I don’t need to become one.

If you reject me, I’ll be safe with the Wakefield pack. ”

Del frowned. “Why are you talking as if you expect me to reject you?”

“Because I have no idea what to think. I wish we had more time to focus on our relationship and our future, but between the mission and my work, I don’t know if we’ll have it.

That’s why I wanted to talk to you today.

I’d like to know what’s happening between us so I don’t have to worry about that, too. ”

Del grabbed Angus’s wrist and dragged him into his arms. He wrapped them around him and kissed the top of his head, inhaling the scent of Angus’s shampoo.

Del smelled the same today because he’d showered in Angus’s bathroom. He wanted more of that. He wanted more of everything, especially Angus, and the only way to make that happen was for Angus to move. “What will Angela have to say about it?”

“I honestly don’t care. This is my life and my future.

I’m grateful for everything Angela and the Wakefield pack did, but it’s not going to force me to stay with them.

I want to be with you. I want to become a Rosewood pack member.

This place has felt more like a home than the Wakefield pack ever has, and I don’t want to lose that. ”

“That’s good, because I don’t want you to lose it, either.”

Angus looked up at Del. “Is this you telling me that you want me to move in with the Rosewood pack?”

“It is. I can’t wait for you to be a permanent part of the pack.” They both would be, and they could take it from there. “Have you talked about specifics with Cam? How you’re going to handle Angela and things like that?”

“Cam said that once I decide to move here permanently, he’ll make sure I have my own home. There are plenty of empty ones since the pack used to be much bigger, but it’ll take a bit of work to turn it into the home I wish for.”

“It’s good that you’re not alone to work on it, then.”

Del hoped that eventually, whatever house Angus was given would become their home.

It was too soon for him to leave his father behind, especially when he and Angus had only recently met, but knowing that Angus wasn’t going anywhere was a relief.

Once they were both ready, Del would move in and they’d start their future together.

A lot had changed in Del’s life recently, but it was all going in the right direction. He wasn’t going to bed hungry anymore, and he didn’t need to be terrified of what would happen to his sister if his father couldn’t find another job.

The Rosewood pack had saved him and his family, and he’d always be grateful for that. He’d always be even more grateful that they’d given them a home and a place where they felt like they belonged, even though they weren’t shifters.

And, above all else, he’d forever be grateful that the Rosewood pack had given him the opportunity to meet Angus.