♦ ♦ ♦

When Milo returns home, Everett gives me some time with him because he knows that his brother has been dying to have time with me alone and I need to hear everything with his mate. I've missed so much and I hope that things have gotten better between them.

I pray he's given Milo a second chance. He deserves so much love and life. I want to see him truly happy and I know he'd be a great mate. He treats me like family, I could only imagine what he'd be like to Nate if he got the chance.

Everett leaves with Fran to check the territory. I guess that they didn't really have a close relationship whilst I was gone so I prayed that this would bring them together without anyone else being involved.

Milo walks through the front door and I greet him with a hug, he returns it and part of him smells vaguely of his mate. I rest my head into his shoulder and he rests his chin on top of mine, gripping onto my back.

"How you doing?" He mumbles.

"Happy to be home," I admit.

He pulls away slowly and analyses me to make sure I'm truthful. "Things with you and Everett okay?"

I nod. "Yes, very."

Milo tilts his head and drops his hands to his side. "He was a fucking ass to you, Reign," his voice is stern. "I hope you gave him a hard time."

"I think a month away from him without knowing where I was is torture enough," I say and Mio twists his mouth to the side. "Don't you think?"

"I guess so, you should see his office."

My facial expression drops. "What do you mean?"

He winces at my reaction and then draws his hands behind his back. "Maybe you should see for yourself."

I glance over my shoulder at his office door that is firmly shut, my lip finds its way between my teeth and I try not to rip the skin off in anticipation. Milo is close behind me as I approach, pressing my hand to the door slowly.

Once it cracks and I throw the door open, I immediately gasp at the damage. Everything is destroyed. His desk, his pictures, the sofa. Absolutely obliterated.

"Holy fuck," I press a shaky hand to my mouth.

I don't even know where to look. All of it is ruined. Shredded.

"He was in a bad way," Milo comments from behind me. Painful tears brim my eyes and my heart is shattered into pieces. "I had to calm him down. He was in despair. It was fucking horrific seeing him like that. Without you he just broke down."

My throat closes up as if I've swallowed shards of glass. "I never meant–"

"Hey," Milo cups a hand over my shoulder. "It's not your fault. I mean, maybe you should have stuck around to listen to what he had to say but I get why you left, Reign. The things he said, he should have never voiced out loud. Even if he didn't mean them. I know they still haunt him to this day. But sometimes we can't control our outbursts with our mental health, but learning to might help in the future."

I turn to look at Milo and he studies my face. "I know I'm irrational," I say quietly. "When it's fight or flight, I always just run away. It seems easier than sticking around for the pain that might come with it."

Milo leans over to grab the door handle and shuts it so I no longer have to see the damage Everett caused because I left without saying a word. He had no idea where I was, if I was safe, if I was even alive.

I swallow down the lump in my throat as Milo grips my hand and guides me to the kitchen. "Let's talk about something else," he says as we perch on the stools. "I know it upsets you."

"What's been going on with you?" I ask as I press my hands flat to the counter.

Milo huffs out a sigh and runs a hand through his hair. "Things with Nate have been slow. Very slow. At first he'd barely talk to me, stay well away from me. We were only going for walks which were always on his terms. But today he invited me to his pack house."

My eyes widen with shock. "And how did that go?"

"Better than the last."

I can feel the corners of my lips beginning to tug. "I could smell another wolf on you," I admit with a cheeky glare. Milo coughs under his breath and pulls away from the counter to pour us a drink of water.

"Yeah..." he trails off. "This is going to sound like some stupid high school shit but, we hugged."

"How was that?"

Milo whips around to me so quickly that I almost fall off my stool at the surprise, he slams his hands down onto the counter and beams so brightly. "God, Reign. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever experienced. I know our clothes were on and we didn't really get to touch skin but I could hear his heartbeat! Do you know how fucking amazing that felt?"

I laugh softly at his enthusiasm. "Yeah, Milo. I really do."

Remembering when I forced myself away from Everett for weeks and then I hurt my ankle in the woods, he placed my foot on his thigh and in that moment I never knew something could feel so euphoric yet purely innocent.

"Fuck," he extends his head up to the ceiling. "I could really feel the bond and I know he did too. The hug didn't last long but it's something, we're working towards something."

"Milo, I'm so pleased for you," I tell him sincerely. "You deserve this so much."

His shoulders relax a little. "I'm praying to the Goddess I do. But I've still got a long way to go with him, I need to address my own problems and I don't know how he's going to react to it."

I frown at his words. "What do you mean?"

Milo perches on the stool opposite me and sucks in a breath. "I've been struggling for a while with who I am and only now have I realised that I've been putting all my problems into sex, with anyone I can. But it's not healthy, it's never been healthy. It's an addiction and it's something I need to work through myself."

"Oh, Milo," I lean across the counter and grip his hand. "I had no idea you were struggling like that."

He nods slowly, his eyes fixating on a spot on the marble counter. "I'm scared to tell him. After everything that happened. I don't want him thinking I'm worthless trash when I want to get better and I want to put us into a future. He's my priority now."

"He won't think that," I shake my head. "He should be there to support you."

"But I shouldn't tell him now, should I? I might scare him off for good and I'll have absolutely nothing left."

I carefully take in his heartbreaking expression, watching him even think about that possibility has me crying out for him. "Are you getting help for it?"

Milo nods. "I've been seeing a therapist. It's only been a week but I want to prove I want to get better. That I can get better."

"How are you feeling now?" I ask genuinely.

He stares back at me like no one has even bothered to ask him this question, or give him the time of day and it crushes me to bits. I wish I could have been there for him. I wish I didn't leave because maybe I really did find a family here.

"Honestly? I'm not sure," his shoulders sink. "When I get really sad, anxious about what might happen between us, I get urges to get over it through sex. But I won't get with anyone else that isn't him. I've vowed that to myself but I just get this itch to make myself feel better and that's been one of my only coping mechanisms."

"I feel the same with stealing," I admit and he blinks back at me. "That it'll somehow fix the situation but if anything, it'll make it worse. Break my true foundations of friendships and relationships. It's a temporary fix that only keeps on destroying you. It's never worth it and I realise that now. Not when I've found a home where I feel wanted and cared for."

This time he gives my hand a squeeze and I watch them as they lay interlinked. "Maybe we need to be each other's support system," he offers me a smile and I nod in agreement. "Even though we're not going through the same thing, I guess we can relate in some way. Have you ever thought of therapy?"

My teeth tug at my bottom lip. "I've always been too scared to go to therapy in case they tell me that I'll be broken forever and I cannot be fixed. That would shatter me."

"Reign," he pulls my hand softly. "For one you're not even broken and being fixed isn't the answer. It's learning to deal with our problems so that we can live the best life we can. Maybe you should give it a chance, it's really not as bad as I thought it would be."

I stare back into Milo's blue eyes, he's so caring, so truthful. I suck in a breath and look down at the sleeves on my arms. Therapy. Shit, that makes my stomach churn. I don't want to admit that I'm mentally ill but maybe it's time to address it.

If Milo can be strong enough to go to therapy to make things better for himself and for a future with his mate, I know that I could be strong enough too. For myself. For my health.

"Okay," I whisper. "Maybe I could give it a go at some point."

"It's the sort of thing that you can do once, if you don't like it, you don't have to go back or you can change therapists. There are so many different routes you can take, different types of therapy." Milo drags a hand through his mousey brown hair. "Things can be adapted if it doesn't work out straight away."

I inhale slowly. "A bit scary but I get it."

Milo's lips twitch into a smile. "At least we'll be doing it together."

"So what's your next step with Nate?" I ask.

"Well..." he leans back and folds his arms across his chest. "Get to know him better. I want to go for a run and allow our wolves to be together. He's still extremely cautious and I want to push past that. I want to prove to him that he can trust me."

"And he will," I say as Milo drags his eyes back to mine. "Your time will come, Milo. I promise."

When he smiles back at me I pray that the Moon Goddess will allow this to work out for them. That this isn't doomed.

He clears his throat and stands from the stool. "Want to go for a walk? I could do with getting out again."

"Sure," I agree and follow him into the garden where we fall into a slow paced walk.

♦ ♦ ♦

When we get home later, Everett is in the kitchen cooking up a storm. He catches my eye as I walk by, Milo waves him over and then heads upstairs. "Good day?" He asks as he watches Milo leave the kitchen.

I hum in agreement. "Really good day. Yours?"

"Yeah," Everett grins as he turns off the stove and my stomach growls. Must have been just on time for dinner. "Fran drove me crazy for the first hour but after that we broke down some walls and spoke about our issues with each other."

My eyebrow quirks at his words. Everett waves it over for the moment. "Come on," he says as he begins to plate up. "Let's talk over dinner."

"What did I do to deserve this dinner?"

"I told you. I'm going to look after you."

My cheeks begin to burn a deep pink and I help him carry items to the dining room. We rarely eat in here but today it's quiet and peaceful and maybe that's what Everett needs right now. I thank him when he places the fresh food in front of me, steak and homemade chips with tenderstem.

"What happened then?" I ask as I sit beside him.

He clears his throat and reaches for his fork. "I think our relationship hasn't been the same since she left really. Which was ages ago. We all lost our mum, we were never there to support her, to get her away from that witch who possessed her. She's only just recently been okay because of Jesse and sometimes I think if he wasn't here, she probably would have blown up this house with her emotions."

I blink at my plate and then watch Everett speak. "She's been in a bad place, she misses mum. Dad's rarely around anymore and I think as she's been adjusting to change, she has good and bad days which can rock our relationship."

"All three of you lost a parent," I say quietly. "You all need to support each other no matter what. You guys have each other, you are blood and as much as she might piss you off and how much Milo doesn't do his beta duties," this makes Everett laugh. "They are still your family and if they're all you've got left, then you need to treasure them. Even through the tough times."

Everett lowers his fork and stares at me with adoration in his eyes. "You're right, angel. We do."

I flash him a smile as we dig into the food. Everett takes a bite of his steak and I study his lips as he chews, the curve of his throat as he swallows. I'm stuck in a silly little trace but I can't pull away because I've not seen him all day.

"What?" He chuckles.

My fingers grip my braid that is hanging over my shoulder and I push it over. Those blue eyes keep mine hostage until I speak, so I suck in a breath. "When are you going to mark me?"

Everett's eyebrow raises so subtly I almost miss it. "I'm not going to mark you when you're tied up and I'm being rough with you. I'm going to mark you when I'm making love to you, Reign."

The determination in his eyes, the thickness of his voice. I have to squeeze my legs together under the table to relieve that tiny bit of pressure that is consuming me currently. I am swooning pathetically at his words.

"Okay," I whisper before digging into my food with Everett's eyes firmly on my actions.

♦ ♦ ♦

Read the rest of the book, bonus chapters and the first 40 chapters of Milo's book over on Patreon!

www.patreon.com/dreammcatcher
Link is also in bio!

Author's Note

I love Reign and Milo's relationship. Ugh, talking about therapy together? YES🥰🥰🥰

Also who is excited for Milo's story? I'll be posting it here after this book is finished. It's full of drama and angst. It's going to be amazing!

Also Reign asking Everett when he'll mark her??? I love his response too😮‍💨

What did you guys think?👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼

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