He opened the door and led us inside, and I heard the faint sounds of people in the other room. "Since it was just me, I gave most of the house up to other shifters who needed a place to stay, but we can move people around to get a room for you two."
“A room?” I asked, glancing back at Kaden. Is it that obvious?
“Your scents are intermingled, and…” Wesley’s eyes caught on where my shirt had slid away from my neck, and he gestured awkwardly. "I just assumed you would be sharing."
I blushed hard. So he had seen the place where Kaden had marked me. I mean, that was the point of the mark, but I'd never thought my brother, of all people, would see it.
Kaden cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Yes, she’s under my protection, and I’ll be by her side.”
Wesley nodded. "Why don't you head out onto the back porch? I'll get your room sorted, and meet you there so we can talk."
"If it's a problem, we can camp outside," I said.
"No, it'll be fine." Wesley grinned. "Besides, the Ophiuchus alpha is our guest of honor. I can't let him sleep in a tent."
Kaden shrugged, and I knew he'd be fine with it, but as the new alpha, Wesley probably felt he had to provide suitable accommodations. I was just grateful my brother was treating Kaden with the respect he deserved as an alpha, instead of the hostility other packs had shown at the Convergence.
Kaden and I passed through the living room, and I saw some other Cancer shifters sitting on the couches playing video games or reading a book. They were all young, somewhere between ten and eighteen, and I realized their family members must have died at the Convergence. Orphans, like me. Like Wesley.
As we passed by, one of the females looked up from her book, her eyes wide. Then the other four stared at us too, as if they didn’t know what to say. I couldn't tell if they were shocked to see me alive, or wondering who Kaden was, or if they were just being typical teenagers.
I led Kaden out onto the back porch, which was set right on the beach, with the waves only a few feet away. I stopped and breathed it in, then we took our seats on the old wooden furniture that had somehow survived years of weathering. With the waves lapping at the shore and the moon overhead, it was peaceful, and for the first time in hours, I let my body relax.
Wesley came out and brought us some crackers, salami, and cheese, along with a couple of beers. "Your old room should be ready in a few minutes, and then you can go rest. I'm sure it was a long journey getting here. But first, let's catch up a bit."
I leaned forward, with one burning question I needed the answer to before we discussed anything else. "I saw the Scorpios take you down. How did you survive?”
Wesley popped open a beer and stared at the waves. “I barely did. The Scorpios attacked me with their poison claws, and I used my crab armor to block what I could, but eventually I passed out. I probably should have died, but I woke up and managed to crawl out from the pile of dead shifters around me. A woman from the Virgo pack found me and healed me. There were almost no survivors, but somehow I made it.”
“You were too stubborn to die," I said with a wry grin.
Wesley took a swig of his beer. “I could say the same thing about you. What happened?”
I took a deep breath and cast my mind back to that night, as I recounted it for him. How I ran from Jordan and found the Pisces pack, only to be left for dead again. How Kaden had taken me in, trained me, and made me one of them.
“Look,” I said, pushing the sleeve of my shirt up so Wesley could see the pack mark.
Wesley's eyebrows darted up. "Wow. I always expected you to join another pack, but I have to admit, I never thought it'd be that one." To my surprise, he leaned forward and offered his hand to Kaden. "Thank you for helping my sister when I couldn't. I owe you a debt."
Kaden shook my brother's hand and bowed his head slightly. "She's made a fine Ophiuchus."
"I don't doubt that." Wesley's eyes flicked to me. "I am sad you won't be in our pack anymore, but I guess it's better than having you be a Leo."
"If not for Kaden, I would be one now," I said with a slight shudder. "Jordan decided he wanted me back and he held me captive for a while, but the Ophiuchus got me out. Then we decided to come here to see if any of the Cancer pack was still alive. Thank you for the photo, by the way."
"I left it there in the hopes you might still be alive and would find your way to us. But if you didn't know I was alive, why come back at all?"