《The Claim ✔️ *Editing*》22. Finally Home
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I sat at the kitchen table staring into my untouched tea, my mind going a thousand miles a minute. My mom brought her hand over mine before she gave it a reassuring squeeze and smiled.
The moment we arrived my parents pulled me into their warm embrace. They had no idea of what happened between Titus and me, they just knew that I had run away. After our reunion, my father got Titus on the phone and let him know I was with them. I could only imagine how that conversation went, as my father returned seething.
My parents were kind enough to let Seth stay in one of the guest rooms on the second floor. He thanked them profusely. My dad's intimidating gaze made poor Seth a nervous wreck. He was fumbling all over his words and sweating.
Seth turned in for the evening so my parents and I could have some privacy. We were now sitting in our kitchen in complete silence. They were watching me intently, waiting for an explanation. While I stared at my now cold tea, not ready to talk.
The truth is, I didn't know what to say, I wanted Titus and I's relationship to work out. But now it was just a complicated mess. I was embarrassed, hurt, and betrayed.
"Brinn..." My mom started. My eyes met her's for a brief second then fell back to my tea. "I don't know momma. I love him, I really do but this is just a mess." I played with the ends of my hair, to distract myself from the searing pain in my chest.
"What did he do?" My dad demanded.
I fill them in on everything that's happened in the last twenty-four hours. Making sure to leave out the incident that had me fainting into oblivion, due to his beast needing to claim me. My parents could only handle so much, and that would definitely infuriate my dad.
"I mean that's wrong...right?" I asked after I finished my explanation, still having doubts about my decision to leave. I needed someone to confirm that I wasn't overreacting.
My dad's growls filled the air. "It's very wrong!" My dad snapped. My mom placed a hand on his shoulder, calming his anger. I always admired how my mom could calm my father down with just the simplest touch. "Your father is right, and I'm sorry you have to go through this honey, but everything happens for a reason. Please remember that. " My dad and I both stared at my mother in shock. I wanted to tell her that she was wrong, and ask her why the moon goddess would make me go through this heartache, but I held my tongue.
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I ran my hand over my face. "A lot has happened tonight. I don't want to think about it anymore. Can we just call in a night?" They both nodded understandingly.
"More like morning. It's four in the morning my pup." My mom stated.
Wow, what a day.
I stood and hugged my parent's goodnight then retreated into my old bedroom. It was exactly how I left it a month ago.
I didn't bother changing out of my clothes as I pushed the sheets back and slip into the bed. No matter how hard I tried, my thoughts constantly drifted back to Titus. I wondered if he was thinking about me as well? If he was feeling the amount of pain I was? Part of me wanted him to feel the pain and the other part was remorseful.
I was so deep in thought that I didn't even notice the bed dip. I turned on my side and was met with my brother bright green eyes. He got his eyes and hair from my father, almost an exact replica.
I smiled and scooted over, making room for him. He was wearing a loose t-shirt with blue pajama bottoms. He slid in and brought the covers over us. We stared at the ceiling with our shoulder touching, neither of us saying a thing. Something we used to do whenever we couldn't get any sleep.
Whenever I would wake up in the middle of the night, Owen would be right behind me, and vice versa. I don't know if it was a genetic thing, but it was weird. We quickly made it our thing to stay with each other until we fell asleep.
"I heard what happened." He finally stated. Owen was very intelligent and could sense distress from a mile away.
I ran my hand through his unruly curls. "I'm okay." He exhaled. "I'm sorry this happened to you. You don't deserve it." He said sadly.
He sighed and placed his head on my shoulder. "I missed you." I smiled at his small confession. "I missed you too bud." That was the last thing that was said before we both let sleep overtake us.
***
I woke up to the strong smell of coffee and bacon. I blinked my eyes a couple of times, to let them adjust to the light seeping in through the navy-blue curtains. I sat up then looked around the room, Owen was gone. He probably left the first second he smelled food, another thing we had in common.
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I threw my legs over the bed then walked to the full-length mirror. My once lively blonde hair was now dull and matted. My eyes were droopy and no longer had that light grey spark to them. This couldn't be healthy, I looked like a walking zombie.
I sighed then walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower then walked back into my room to grab clothes while the shower heated up. I picked out a blue Nike sweatshirt and black leggings.
I stripped out of my clothes and hopped into the shower. I was rinsing my hair, when I felt a sudden surge of pain in my chest. I knew instantly, I was feeling Titus's pain. It wasn't a physical pain, but it felt so real. I held on to the wall for support as the tears came down full force.
When I adjusted to the pain, I stood and continued my shower. I knew it wouldn't stop anytime soon, but I needed to move on with my day. He wanted me to feel his pain like I made him feel mine. A devilish move on his part.
I turned the shower off and wrapped the big fluffy towel around me. I walked over to the sink to wash my face and brush my teeth. I put on a little makeup, to bring life to my face.
I slid into the clothes I chose earlier, grabbed my brush and ran it through my damp hair. I needed a haircut, or at least a trim. My mom usually cut my hair. Since I've been gone, I just let it grow out. I would have to ask her if she could give me one later.
I slipped on my white Vans then left my room. I followed the food smell into our family kitchen. My mom was flipping pancakes, while my dad sat in his usual seat drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.
"Morning daddy." I said as I kissed my dad on the cheek. He smiled then gestured for me to sit down. My mom placed a plate of pancakes, bacon, and eggs in front of me as I sat down. "Thanks momma." She smiled then placed a mug filled with coffee next to my food. My mom went back to the sink and started on the dishes as I dug into my breakfast. "Where's Seth?"
"He and Owen decided to go out to the training grounds to train." I rolled my eyes. Typical males, always trying to be the best at everything.
I was halfway through my breakfast, when my dad started making grumbling noises. My mom and I both stopped and gave my dad confused looks. We both knew, the only time he made grumbling noises was when he was irritated about something, but was trying hard to hold his tongue.
My mom scoffed. "Well, spit it out Richard."
My dad placed his newspaper down and looked at both of us, realizing he got both of our attention. He cleared his throat. "Titus has been blowing up my phone all morning...making threats." My eyes went wide.
"W-what has he been s-saying?" I asked.
My dad hesitated to respond, he looked from my mom then back to me. "He's just making threats that he won't be able to fulfill." My dad chuckled. "The pup's got balls, I'll give him that. But he'd be dumb to start a war with one of his allies." He brought his mug to his lips.
I stared down at my half-eaten food. This was bad, really bad.
My dad placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, He's just hurt. He's not thinking rationally. Everything will work out in the end." I nodded then stood. "I'm going to go get some fresh air." They both shot me a sympathetic smile before I left.
I got many smiles and greeting when I walked through the pack house. I'm sure a lot of them were confused as to why I was back so suddenly but chose to stay silent about the matter. Which I was grateful for.
I let out a deep breath when I walked out of the pack house. A couple of pups raced towards me while playing a game of chase. I smiled.
My decent mood would soon be ruined because I knew I needed to talk to Titus. And that was a call I was dreading.
***
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