This is 2nd part to a double update, make sure u read first one before this.

Song for the entire chapter - Week No.4 - Fabrizio Paterlini

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Damon's P.O.V

It was the same. All of it.

The feel of the fallen streams of sunlight that broke through the leaves scattered high above.

The sound of the pack's unified hum, all hearts beating together as one, linked together by the bond that pulled so viscously on me now.

The smell of the thick, oak trees that lined the path to the house I'd spent most of my years in.

The way the rocks crunched beneath each step I took closer to the doors I'd fled from.

The rush of the wind against my skin as it traveled through the pack, touching every member as it moved in a swift, linking motion before repeating itself.

It was all the same.... yet I didn't feel the same being here.

I didn't feel the same catching my first glimpse of the white walls that stood tall, bordered by pillars I'd watched be installed.

I didn't feel the same smelling the comforting scent of pine and lemon that always meant home.

I didn't feel the same as I approached my family home, hands locked tightly with my mate's.

I try not to dwell on that part too much, try not to focus on how different I felt coming back now than I had for the months leading up to the pinnacle of my downfall.

The rage was almost completely dormant, a silent sound that contrasted the loud voice that seemed to be nothing further than a memory now.

It was almost as if it didn't exist. A faith I could have never predicted, not when it was so suffocating.

Yet I breathed easy now, taking in the scent of my mate to ground me when things threatened to topple over.

I was fine now, fine with him.

My feet stop themselves the moment the entire house comes into view as well as the six figures waiting in front of it.

They hadn't spotted us yet, but I saw them. All of them, waiting... for me...

My eyes found dad first. 

Found his overgrown, blonde hair which draped over his shoulders and caught snatched glimpses of those electric blue eyes that were wide now as he paced in front of the others. His index finger caught between his teeth as he gnawed at it.

There were heavy bags under his eyes, deep ones that sunk into his slightly hollowed cheeks. Theo whines with discomfort at the sight that caused my insides to twist into a knot that made it hard to breathe. 

The knot only tightening, that ache in my chest deepening when my eyes drifted down to his leg, witnessing within that torturous moment the almost unnoticeable limp in his step that made a million questions arise along with the rage.

He was hurt and it tore at everything within me that I couldn't have stopped it.

I let my eyes scan his body, searching for any other wounds but luckily coming up empty. But as my eyes refocused on his face, I finally read his expression for what it was meant to be... nerves.

He looked nervous.

My eyes slipped to Hagen next. 

He was perched upon the highest step, his knees tucked into his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around them.

He was sat completely still, an image my mind found hard to register when I knew him to be incapable of staying still for a single moment. Hagen was always moving, from the moment I first saw him, he was kicking and hands clasping for something to hold out to.

But now, he was still.

His light brown eyes peeking our over his arms to reveal solemn ones that contrasted the lovely, joyful gaze he always held. Replaced now by something emptier, sadder in a way I never knew could be so painful to see on him. 

Josey takes my attention when her hand lands gently on Hagen's shoulder. Rubbing it supportively as she sits beside him, tucking in close before pulling him against her for a hug. She held a harder, angered stance than his, one filled with tension as her jaws remained tightly clenched together. Her state a familiar one at least, one which I knew I'd feel the wrath of the moment she saw me.

Then my eyes dart across to... Levi?

Levi was here. 

He wasn't supposed to be, I hadn't expected him to be at least and didn't prepare myself to have to see him too.

He had a pack to look after, a mate to be with... he wasn't supposed to be here too, waiting and looking so lost.

But he was, standing in wait, guilt swirling around him like a plague as he tapped his fingers nervously against his crossed arms. A stance I knew he took whenever he was scared as if by holding himself together he could stop himself from completely falling apart.

Jayson wasn't with him.

The fact caused immediate worry to brew where happiness once would've. Fear of something going wrong trampling any and all hatred that still resided within me for the rogue.

I hadn't considered what personal things I could've missed by being away, things they would've needed me for.

Then there was pops... but that... t-that wasn't my dad...

My dad was strong. My dad was the greatest warrior I'd ever known and the alpha of all alphas.

My dad was always smiling. My dad was always spreading smiles to all who were around him and he never let anyone see him broken down.

My dad was bright with life. My dad was the living illustration of life and enjoying every moment of it that one could.

My dad was not...

He was not pale. He had color to his skin that spoke of life not the story of agony.

My dad was not slim. He was muscular, he was powerful... not outlined by his own bones.

My dad was not...
... h-he wasn't this

"Damon." A soft voice I could pick out from millions called, drawing my eyes from the painful figure of my father.

Peter.

Peter's eyes all the close to mine locked on me and immediately filled as he scrambled his way off the bottom step he was curled. Almost falling in his rush as he came barrelling his way to me with everything he had. Using his thin, long legs to carry him as fast as they could, he broke away from the family and headed straight to me.

He was running so fast his golden locks were trailing behind him, almost slowing him down but he kept going. Kept pushing while his ready tears slid down his cheeks, painting them with a shimmering image of tears while his large, blue eyes shone with happiness.

He was stumbling and sobbing, but by Goddess, he was giving it everything he had... just to get to me.

I found myself rushing to him, desperate to meet him halfway as he sobbed my name with each step.

When he was one step away I open my arms and let him crash into me with the most, torturous sobs breaking from him as he squeezed me with more strength than I ever imagined he possessed.

I close my eyes and breathe him in, taking in the scent of lavender as his tiny, familiar body trembled against mine. I hold onto him, my mind almost not believing it was really him after so many months apart.

Peter was just the same. Small in an almost bite-size manner and crying in the most painful way.

I pull back to look at him, finding my lips wobbling slightly as I let myself take in my little brother who looked happier than I'd ever seen him. Even despite the bawling that bordered on screaming, the neverending stream of tears that he was trying and failing to wipe away.

"I-I-I." He stutters through his sobs, while small heart-shattering whimpers escaped him. "D-D-D-Damon."

"I missed you too Peter," I reply with a sad smile, pushing his hair from his face as I look down at him. "I missed you so fucking much."

The crying amplified with that and Peter didn't bother trying to speak again, retaking his position against my chest as he sobbed for the whole world to hear.

I rub at his head gently, looking up after a few minutes of just holding him to find everyone else now surrounding us. 

All teary eyes focused on me, as they came at me one by one. As if their control to stay back, snapped one after the other.

Levi came first, landing into me with so much force that it almost sent Peter and me to the floor. His arms wrap around the both of us while his head tucks itself into my neck, hiding the brief glimpse of his bloodshot, wet, black eyes from me, as he shook slightly.

"I'm so sorry D-Damon." He sobs immediately. "I'm s-so sorry. I-I wish I could t-take it back, take it a-all back. I'm so s-sorry. S-So s-sorry."

I open my mouth to respond but I'm met with an internal silence that was almost deafening. Somehow none of the right words were coming to mind as Levi latched onto me, his grip tightening even more as the seconds ticked on. 

I knew somewhere in my mind that the wetness against my cheeks was my own, knew that the shaking didn't come from them but from me as well. 

With my brothers' sobs louder than my own, I sink into the feeling of home and family, into the warmth and familiarity that I craved more than I'd realized. 

Josey and Hagen came next, the pair coming at me from the next side. With Hagen scaling his way up my body and onto my back instead, he wraps his arms around my neck and cries. His tight grip blocking my windpipes as he unknowingly chokes me, his bawling succeeding to practically deafen me in my right ear. 

"I can't breathe Hagen." I manage, a shaky smile making its way onto my wobbling lips at his unwavering force. I try to pull his hands from my neck, but his grip only tightens as he wails as if his life depended on it.

"Y-You fucking asshole." Josey cries into me as her fingers tighten around my shirt. "You a-asshole."

I laugh gently at this as I wipe my cheek with the back of my hand before cradling her head in one hand, pressing a kiss to the top of it. She comes closer, sinking into the hold as I let my lips waver for a moment as my heart warms at being so close to my little sister again.

My eyes catch my dad's then as he approaches slowly as if he was trying to find a space he could squeeze into amongst the tearful group.

I manage to tug my left arm free, stretching it out hesitantly for him as he took another step closer. The set of tears brimming in his eyes toppling over at the gesture as he filled the space with a few quick steps.

Every cell in me leaped with joy at the feel of his hands coming around my head to press our foreheads together. The pleasure of having my father holding me, hugging me, brought on a form of happiness unlike any other in the world. The feeling just as calming as I remembered it to be, even with the way he seemed to shatter once he could touch me.

"Pup." He croaks against my air, his voice a fragile thing as he clung to me.

That single word launched me back through a lifetime worth of memories. Reminding me of the relationship we once had, the moments we shared, the fun we had and the love that never wavered.

It reminded me of all of it.

....and I couldn't hold back the river of tears any longer once it did.

There wasn't any way for me to deny or stop the sea of emotions which washed over me as I stood in the middle of my family. Stood in the arms of those who loved me and nurtured me, grew with me and fought with me. Those I loved with everything I had and would protect until my last breath.

It was almost perfect.

Almost.

I look up fearfully when the last member of our family never comes. Forcing myself to meet his eyes as he stands away from all of us, looking more terrified than I'd ever seen him.

Then he looked away, eyes darting away from mine as if they'd lashed him and that stung me in a way I wasn't prepared for.

They landed on the person who stood behind us instead, the one who was watching the whole scene unfold in absolute silence.

They landed on Will

---- William's P.O.V--------

They were all clinging to him, sobbing against him as if their most prized possession had finally come home. Something I didn't imagine with the way Damon spoke of his home, he never put himself as a person of value to anyone.

But to them, he clearly was.

One by one they bombarded him with love and affection that spoke volumes more than any words ever could. Not a single one of them daring to pull away once they'd latched onto him, creating an image that did everything to tear away at the anger I'd developed towards them.

I watch the blurred image silently, caught in a helpless state of rapture I try to distinguish the people before me to the ones in the stories I'd been told about.

The ones with blonde hair I knew to be Peter and Damon's dad, Julian. The smaller one who came to Damon first I assumed to be Peter. I couldn't see him now with the group completely molded together.

The pair that came at him I could only think to be the twins, the one trying to choke Damon was Hagen and the one that was still cursing him, Josey. 

Which left the two dark, haired men, Levi and Aiden but I couldn't break them apart no matter how hard I tried to.

But one of them was the one who stayed away. The one who didn't rush to Damon like the rest, the one who didn't go any closer as he watched the scene unfold before him the same way I had.

I caught the moment his attention shifted to me as he turned his head my way, as if only just then noticing my presence. 

My heart races under the scrutiny, nerves sky-rocketing as the reality of the situation sunk in, yet another level. Masking the endless fears the best I could, I tighten the fists resting at my sides as I stand tall under his gaze, teeth clenching slightly at the inability to make out his expression in the slightest.

He just watches me.

Staring at me as he examined every bit of me as if I was some random object he couldn't imagine a reason for being present. 

I stare right back.

My eyes shift back to the group when I catch sight of them unraveling themselves from one another, Damon's head turning constantly from me to his family as they stepped back, well everyone except Peter.

His arms were still tightly wrapped around Damon's back, sniffs and sobs still the loudest of them all as he clung to him as if letting go would take Damon away again.

"Peter," Damon comments sadly as he hugs him just as tighter. 

"N-Not l-l-letting...y-you...g-go a-a-again." He manages after several attempts, his words barely understandable with his crying.

When speaking about Peter, Damon always held a fondness in his eyes, his tone softening as if to accommodate for the boy he described to be fragile. This was now understandable with the heartbreaking way he struggled to get his words out, the sobs only making it worse. 

His emotions were pouring out of him in the rawest display of just how much he cared for Damon. His pain of not having his brother near for all these months almost unmistakable in its strength.

I didn't expect his agony to tear at my heart as much as it did.

"I'm here now," Damon promises with a sniff of his own. "And I won't leave you again okay?"

Peter doesn't reply, not separating for even an inch from his big brother.

Damon glances back at me, his expression unreadable from this distance. He offers his hand for me, the other still holding Peter to him. I stare at it for a moment, the gesture meaning something different from what it always had.

It wasn't just Damon and me anymore, his family, his entire world, was right here and the moment I took it they'd know exactly what we were. 

I force my feet to move, force myself not to dwell on the worries of them not accepting us and go straight to him. My fingers slip easily between his the way they always did, intertwining immediately as we both squeezed a little.

My heart plummeted when the clouded vision of Damon clears to showcase his slightly swollen eyes that were flooded with tears. Even though I knew it was out of happiness, the sight of him seeming to be so pained tore at everything within me with a demanding need to fix it.

As if sensing this, Damon offers me a small smile, telling me without words that he was okay.

Before I can argue it, he turns back to look at the rest of his family, reminding me that they were all watching us. I turn my head hesitantly and look around at the five who were staring at us with gazes I couldn't make out.

The fact only frustrating me more.

"This is Will," Damon says pulling me a little closer, his voice strong and unwavering now. "He's my mate."

Jaws dropped, eyes practically bursts open so wide as they all seemed to freeze in their places at the news. Even Peter had peaked away from his hiding place in Damon's chest and around his arm to look at me, his wide, blue eyes just a little lighter than the ones I loved.

But I couldn't even try to be worried, not when my heart was so full from the pride in Damon's voice when he called me his mate. The feeling beyond electrifying as it consumed me entirely, sending me on a little high I wanted to experience over and over again.

"Your m-mate?" The man I assumed to be Julian questions, "Y-You found your m-mate?" He asks shakily, his tone sounding almost hurt at the news. 

"Yes," Damon answers his tone also a little saddened now.

A hand raises to his father's face, shaking as he held it over his mouth as his body raked slightly. Despite the evidence, I didn't think it was sadness because I was the one mated to his son... rather something else I couldn't figure out.

"I'm s-so happy for you D-Damon." He manages with a few sniffles, his hand dropping enough to reveal a wide smile despite his tears.

Damon's hand squeezes mine at the words, tightening as he holds me close to him.

Then his father's attention seems to shift to me, the original pair of blue eyes holding me captive as he smiled at me, an almost palpable warmth spreading from him.

"I-It's nice to meet y-you Will." He says taking a step closer, but stops as if second-guessing himself. He wrings his hands together as he glances at Damon as if just reminded at that moment that things weren't left in the best of terms. He looks back at me, staying in his place he continues. "My name is Julian, I'm Damon's father."

"It's nice to meet you too," I say quickly, stumbling over my words as I try offering him a smile as well, but I didn't think it was nearly as welcoming. I glance quickly around the others, who all seemed to have recovered except for the one I think was Hagen, his mouth was still wide open. "It's nice meeting all of you." 

Silence falls after and I squeeze onto Damon's hand, worry easing its way in as they stared at the pair of us with expressions I couldn't read. It made me feel naked because I had no way of knowing how to respond, what to do or say as I stared at essentially blank canvases.

I'd forgotten somehow, forgotten how much I hated this part of me.

"C-Can we go inside?" Julian asks hesitantly, the clear hope in his voice hard to ignore. "W-Would you like to c-come inside?"

I look to Damon, wanting him to know that the decision was entirely up to him. He studies me, asking silently if I was okay with that instead of asking himself that question, I nod anyway and offer him a smile of support. 

"Okay," Damon says, turning back to his father. "We would."

As if brought back to life, Julian smile grows even more as he nods eagerly before turning to the man who was still yet to say a word or do anything other than watch. The shortlived joy shifts from Julian's eyes as he goes to him, taking his hand with his and whispering something I couldn't hear before walking him to the large house that awaited us.

That's when I realized that that was Damon's other father, Aiden.

The one Damon spoke about the least. Not because he didn't want to, but because every time he did he had to fight to keep back the tears. But when he did, it was like if he was talking about a God he couldn't believe he was related to, the awe evident in each word he spoke.

Awe that was absent now as he watched the pair before us with a distant gaze, as if he couldn't quite believe the sight in front of him. 

"You okay?" I ask in a whisper.

"Y-Yeah," He answers, visibly slipping from his daze as he looked to me. "He just..."

When the words don't come to him, I tug his hand a little, desperate to take the horrified look away from his eyes.

"Let's go inside for now yeah?" I say with a smile. "One step at a time."

Damon nods and begins to walk, his brother still latched to him but in step with him now as we slowly began to walk.

Here we go...

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FINALLY! THE REUNION WE ALL NEEDED SINCE CHAPTER 4

Thoughts???? PLEASE SHARE THEM!

Did you tear up? Any screaming?

OMG PETERRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (CRIES IRRATICALLY)

AND HAGENNNNNN. I MISSED HIM SO MUCH FUCKKKK

What about the music, did you like? 

If you did then say Thank You to @lwmh18 for sharing with me some music options.
They honestly have made it to my personal playlist. I can't thank her enough for reaching out and sharing the songs, helped with the writing majorly.

Vote and comment if you liked, you know what to do. I really hope you did cause these chapters took time to get it just right - or just right to me at least.

Until next time,
Byeeeeeeeee Humanssssssssssss