Filed to story: Reclaimed Book by Roxie Ray
My twin brother.
I looked down at the small, unassuming headstone.
Sean Cole.
Son and Brother.
That’s all it said. What else was there to say?
I’d considered not burying him in the family cemetery. After what he’d done, Hawk and Harley would’ve supported me if I’d chosen to just dump his body in the middle of the lake.
But after everything, he was still my brother. I didn’t want to pretend he had never been a part of my life. I didn’t want to pretend I hadn’t loved him.
“I’m surprised you’re here,” Hawk said as he stepped through the rickety little gate. He was bundled up in a parka against the brisk chill, and his boots crunched on the frost still lingering on the grass.
“How’d you know where to find me?” I asked.
“Tammy said she saw you walking towards this trail,” he said with a smile. “You know she’s one of the only ones who comes up to this cemetery other than us.”
“She misses our folks as much as we do,” I said. “That makes sense.”
“You haven’t come up here before now, though, have you?” Hawk asked.
I shook my head. Hawk had been up here plenty of times since Sean’s death. Though I’d told him plenty of times, I felt like I could never truly show my gratitude for how he’d stepped up while I was in the hospital. He’d acted like an alpha himself, gathering the clan members to help dig the grave and bury the body.
Now, he stood at my side, one hand on my shoulder as we both looked down at the grave. “I wish we could’ve saved him,” I said.
“Me too,” Hawk said. “I wish that every day. But… I don’t have any regrets, either.” He spoke in a whisper, like he couldn’t believe what he was saying.
“Nor do I,” I said. “We did everything we could.”
“What brought you up here today?” Hawk asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Just a feeling. Remember when we were really young? Sean always loved this kind of weather. This kind of cold, right when spring was about to kick in.”
Hawk chuckled. “Yeah. He always wanted to start throwing the football around?-“
“-And we’d be out there freezing our asses off.”
We gazed down at the grave, smiling faintly. I was briefly lost in the memory. It seemed like another life. How could that kid who had shouted out football plays in that bright, childish voice be the same dragon that was now buried under my feet?
“I’m sorry, Sean,” I said.
Hawk squeezed my shoulder.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t save you,” I said. “I’m sorry you got so lost. So trapped. Life shouldn’t have turned out like this for you. Or for any of us.” I closed my eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. “I hope you’re at peace, Sean.”
“I think he is,” Hawk said. “And I think we can be, too.”
Maybe Hawk was right. Maybe it was time for me to let go.
I didn’t have to carry this guilt anymore. I’d done everything I could to try to save Sean. He’d made his own choices, and he’d chosen to let his anger and revenge rot his heart and drag him into madness. I’d done what an alpha should do-I’d defended my mate, my son, and my clan.
If Sean had wanted to change his ways, he would’ve been welcomed with open arms. But his choices had led him here.
At least he’d rest here, with our family. If I couldn’t bring him home in life, at least I could do so in death.
“Come on, brother,” Hawk said. “Let’s get back before it gets dark.”
I nodded. “When it warms up, I’ll come up here and fix up the fence. Maybe get Dylan to help me.”
“I’ll bring Bella, too,” Hawk said. “We’ll make a day of it.”
As we walked back down the path toward the clubhouse, my heart felt lighter.
I’d thought that killing Sean would break me. That it would change something irreparably in me and make me a different man. A worse man. I’d been afraid that the weight of the task would break me, and I wouldn’t be the man-the alpha-that Harley needed.
But she was my rock. It was her love, her heart, that gave me the strength to go through with it. I came out the other side changed, but not worse. I was stronger. More sure of myself. More sure of my clan. I felt like my love ran deeper than it ever had, and I was more grateful for my family than I’d ever been.
My family that would soon be growing by one. Harley was so pregnant now, to the point where none of her shoes fit and she couldn’t sleep without a pillow propping up her belly. I hated seeing her in pain, but I loved doting on her, feeding her all the foods she craved, massaging her sore shoulders and hips, and braiding her long, shining hair. She’d never been more beautiful.
“What are you thinking about?” Hawk asked as we emerged from the woods and into the clubhouse backyard. “You’ve got that dopey smile on your face.”
“Eh, you’d be sick of hearing it,” I said.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I fished it out and answered. “Dylan? What’s up, bud?”
“Dad!” Dylan shouted. There was a frantic edge to his voice that immediately put my dragon on high alert. “Something happened with Mom. She’s making all these weird sounds, and it looks like she peed herself.”
“Sounds like her water broke,” Hawk said. “You’re about to be a dad again!”
“Mom’s gonna be okay,” I said to Dylan. My heart started thumping hard, and anticipation, excitement, and anxiety swirled within me. My emotions would have to wait, though.
Right now, the one thing that mattered was getting Harley to the hospital. “Just stay with her, okay? I’ll be there soon.”
Hawk and I rushed back to my house, with Hawk on his motorcycle and me in the truck. As soon as I pulled up, the front door opened. Harley waddled out of the house, Cassidy and Striker supporting her on both sides. Dylan was behind them, his face pinched with anxiety.
I leaped out of the car and rushed to take over Cassidy’s side. “Hey, gorgeous,” I said as I looped my arm around Harley’s waist. “How do you feel?”
“Fucking bad,”
Harley said through gritted teeth. “Forgot how much this hurts.”
“You’re doing great,” I said. “We’ll get through this.”
She met my eyes. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and she was a little pale from the pain, but there was a steely determination in her eyes. She gave me a shaky nod.
As Striker helped her into the backseat, I rushed to Dylan and scooped him up into my arms. I squeezed him hard enough to make him complain a little, wriggling against my hold.
I set him down, then knelt so we were eye to eye. “You did a great job today taking care of your Mom,” I said. “We’re going to go to the hospital. Auntie Cass will bring you a little later to meet the baby. Okay?”
Dylan nodded. He still looked anxious, but he had that same look of determination in his eyes. That Founty blood in him… He was unflappable. “Don’t take too long, okay?”
“That’s up to the baby,” I said with a grin. “Say bye to Mom.”
