and filled up a glass of water before marching back to the stairs.
Dante chuckled as he handed Ryder his drink, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend’s chest and pulling him back until Ryder’s back was pressed to his front.
Seconds later we heard Dax bellow, followed by Katy shouting and a door slamming.
Katy hurried down the stairs a second later, ignoring the looks we were all throwing her way as she put the now empty glass in the sink.
“Was that really the best way to handle it?” I ask dryly, shaking my head.
She flashed me a smile I knew not to touch. “It was that or the coffee.”
“Not the coffee,” Ryder moaned, protectively encircling his mug in his tattooed hands.
“He’s right, Kit-Kat,” Rhodes said, finally lifting his head from Larkin’s shoulder with a frown. “Coffee is sacred.”
“Agreed,” she chirped. “Hence why I went with water.” Her eyes narrowed at Sam. “Are you showering on your own, or should I refill the glass?”
Sighing, Sam got off the stool and headed for the stairs with his coffee.
“I need the sausage,” Larkin told Rhodes, glancing over her shoulder at him.
Grinning, he whispered something in her ear I couldn’t hear. Judging by the way Larkin suddenly turned bright red, I had an idea.
Rhodes went to grab what she needed from the refrigerator with a smirk.
Glancing around the room, it struck me how normal this had become. Katy handling the twins, Ryder and Dante cuddled together at the end of the island, Rhodes and Larkin making breakfast. This group was almost complete.
Katy met my eyes, the sadness seeping through the mask she put on.
Skye and Tate were on their way back, but we still had no idea where Maren was.
“You guys talk to Tate yet?” I asked Dante and Ryder.
Dante nodded, leaning his hip on the counter next to Ryder. “She said they’re coming home soon.”
“Thank Christ,” Ryder muttered.
Dante’s lips pinched together. “I guess we can plan Luke’s funeral when she’s back.”
I nodded mutely. There wasn’t much I could say at that.
Rhodes coughed. “Rem said that Skye is bringing company with her.”
Katy nodded, jumping on his subject change. “Yeah. Larkin and I will go over the housing situation to see where we can squeeze people in.”
“We should have two more houses done tomorrow,” Ryder added. “They’re not contracted, so we can throw sleeping bags and air mattresses in there for the time being if we need to.”
“If we need more room, Dax and Sam can double up. I can sleep on the couch in the living room,” Katy offered. “That frees up two beds here.”
“No,” I said firmly, shaking my head. “There’s going to be people coming in and out of this house nonstop for meetings. The last thing we need to add is more people sleeping here. We’re on top of each other all the time as it is.”
“Rhodes and I can go back to my parents house,” Larkin suggested, her eyes darted to his, but I could see neither liked the idea of leaving.
Again, I shut that idea down. “If you guys want to, that’s one thing, but I need you both close. Rhodes is working on the packs, and Larkin is the only thing keeping us from all being high school dropouts.” I smiled at her. “Besides, Skye will want you here.”
“What about Addie?” Katy asked. “Don’t you think she’ll want to be with Skye, too?”
My back stiffened, my hands fisting on the counter. “Skye isn’t going anywhere. She’s staying here.”
“Easy, caveman,” Rhodes said softly, his tone teasing and serious at the same time. “No one is trying to take her away from you.”
I sighed, forcing my muscles to relax. I was too tense. “Sorry.”
“But we are expecting a lot of people to be coming by in the next week. There’s at least six representatives for those planning to come and join our pack. One is an Alpha,” Dante pointed out. “We’ll need to put them somewhere. You and I both know that putting them all together in the same place could be tense.”
He was right. Usually when an Alpha came to visit from another pack, they were given their own space. It was why we had the cabin and extra rooms here. Even though Stone Valley was the only pack with a formal Alpha left, the representatives from the other packs needed to be shown the same respect or we could risk them pulling out.
These men were coming to denounce their packs and give me complete control. The last thing I needed