Lachlan

It took another week, but finally my life with Magnus started to settle down. Luin moved into the pack house the same day we invited him to. It turned out everything he owned fit in one bag, so moving was easier for him than it had been for even me – and I had become a master of moving.

I did worry about how the pack would receive Luin, even though I knew everyone to generally be very accepting. Everyone was really good about it, though. Even the few who were a little stiff and stand-offish with strangers were curious enough about Luin that they flocked to his side when they ran into him in the pack house or around the property. And Luin... well, he was a little stiffer than usual at first, probably from awkwardness, but he soaked up the attention and soon, I hardly ever saw him alone.

In fact, finding Luin when I wanted to was tricky until I realized I just had to ask around. He was out so much that someone would always have seen him in the kitchen or repairing a fence or watching children, and so on. Magnus had said Luin would need to contribute in some way to the pack... but instead, Luin seemed to be trying to contribute in every way.

"You know you can just pick one job, right?" I said one night when I caught up with him at a bonfire. He was toasting marshmallows with a few other pack members and when I sat down, one of them passed me a skewer like it was just accepted I was going to be participating.

Luin's silvery eyes looked particularly uncanny in the firelight and he looked literally radiant as he smiled at me. "Are you kidding? Lachlan, I'm meeting so many people this way!"

And I felt like an idiot for not realizing what was going on. Of course he spent his time going all over the pack and getting in on whatever he could. Of course he did. Luin was building up as many relationships as he could, and he was thriving on them.

So that was one worry gone. Luin was settling in better than I ever had. Then, a couple of days later, I got home from a walk and found a few suitcases sitting at the bottom of the staircase. As I approached, Mel called, "Heads up!" from upstairs just before a tote bag came flying down to land with the suitcases.

"What's all this?" I asked, though I had a feeling I knew. Did too much excitement leak into my voice?

"Jason and I got our own place!" she answered, and I heard clunking sounds and slamming drawers coming from her bedroom.

Jason had moved in a few days ago, but he hadn't appeared to be settling in fully, so I had been waiting for this day with cautious expectation. Not that I really minded having Mel and Jason living here. It was harder to get alone time and the walls really weren't thick enough, but she was easier to live with than I ever imagined and Jason seemed to go out of his way to make his being there easier on everyone.

Still...

After all the craziness of the past few months, I wanted some normal time with Magnus. I wanted to wake up and not have to worry about waking Mel up and making her cranky. I wanted to have a meal alone with Magnus without having to ask our housemates to accommodate us. And I really wanted to be intimate with him without worrying we were being too loud.

So I was thrilled that Mel and Jason were leaving, with one little caveat. I headed up the stairs and found Mel flinging clothes from her drawers to Jason, who folded them and put them in the bag that was beside him on the bed. "Does Magnus know about this?" I asked.

Mel glanced over her shoulder at me and smiled approvingly. "Yeah, he's the one who helped us find an empty house on pack territory. Don't worry, Jason and I aren't going far. Just far enough for a little privacy."

I smiled back. "Good," I told her, and I meant it. Magnus would never be happy without his family nearby, and I found that I liked it, too.

--

Magnus' whole family agreed to meet in the dining hall at the same time that night so we could all eat together. They did this sometimes, but I was pretty sure tonight had been scheduled as a bit of preemptive emotional support for Magnus and Mel, who were about to be living apart for the first time in their lives. If I hadn't lived with her for a while, I probably wouldn't have realized this was something both siblings needed, but the buried truth about Mel was that she had feelings just as tender as Magnus'. She just hid them with sneers and jabs.

And Magnus... well, he definitely was better off with the reminder that his family was still close to him even if they were living apart.

I did worry, when we got home, that Magnus might fall into sadness or wallowing. I should have known better. The instant the doors were shut behind us, he grabbed my hand and clumsily twirled me around. When I faced him again, he was wearing a broad, beaming smile.

"What should we do first?" Magnus asked excitedly. His eyes were bright with excitement and he bounced on his toes while he waited for a response I wasn't sure how to deliver.

"What?" It was almost eight at night. Why would we be doing anything?

"We're alone, Lach! C'mon, we have to celebrate. Do you want to jump on all the furniture? Run around naked? Oh, I know!" He pulled out his phone before I could say anything and tapped at it until Backstreet Boys blared through the living room speakers.

Magnus grabbed my hand and pulled me into the living room, where he shoved the coffee table out of the way and started dancing, though it was mostly just jumping around like a kid. "Dance with me!" he said.

I grabbed his hips and pulled him into the only kind of dancing I was comfortable with: high-school level shuffling. "Why are we doing this?" I asked over the pounding music.

"Mel hates Backstreet Boys! And loud music! And dancing!"

And I finally understood what we were doing – anything Mel wouldn't like.

"Be right back!" I said, and ran to the kitchen. I pulled a couple of snack cakes out of the pantry and ran back to Magnus.

He took his with bright eyes and cheered, "Yes!"

Mel, you see, hated when we ate in the living room.

So we ate and danced, and we had one of those horribly cliché scenes out of a rom com where we undressed each other on our way up to the bedroom – leaving a trail of our clothes scattered in our wake. We left the door open and I made a game of seeing how loud I could get Magnus to be while I teased his body as long as I could stand to before diving into him.

I loved living alone with Magnus.

Later, we were tucked in bed and Magnus had his head tucked drowsily against my shoulder. I had thought he was on the edge of sleeping, but then he shifted a little and his eyes fluttered open. They took a little too long to focus on mine – sleepy Magnus was always adorable – and he said, "What's next?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, and kissed the top of his head while I waited for an answer.

"I mean...For the first time, we aren't struggling with anything. Your humanity isn't an issue anymore. The pack is doing better than ever and Opal's gone. Luin seems almost happy now, and my family's all doing great. So what's next?"

He had a point, I realized. I shrugged, though the motion was clumsy since he was on my shoulder. "I dunno. I think maybe we just enjoy this for a while, yeah?"

In fact, I could see all kinds of hurdles we could set up for ourselves in the future, if we wanted them. I knew Magnus was still toying with the idea of getting into substitute teaching, or maybe teaching a night class for adults. It would be a lot to juggle with his work as alpha, even though he was sharing the load, but I knew Magnus could do it.

That was a change Magnus might make. I was starting to see Luin incorporating himself so thoroughly into the pack and wondering whether I should try doing the same. It was weird to think of throwing myself into a community like that, but Luin made it look so fulfilling that I kind of wanted to try.

Then there were changes for both of us to tackle together, like kids. I definitely wanted them someday, and I was sure Magnus would absolutely love parenthood. I wasn't ready to share him yet and we deserved a little calm after so many storms, but... you know, someday, it would be nice.

I didn't say any of that now, though. For one, Magnus' head felt heavy against me and his arm across my stomach was limp – I was pretty sure he was asleep. And then, I really did want to enjoy this time of calm with Magnus for a while before we shook everything up again. With my head full of thoughts of the future, I curled around Magnus and drifted to sleep.

--

Shorter chapter, I know, but what else is left to say?  Actually, I have some ideas for extras and would be happy to take requests, as well.  No promises on timing since book 3 is currently in progress and taking priority.

On that note, Chapter 1 of Crossing Boundaries (Luin's story) has been posted!  As always, I'll post at least one update per week, but I might take the next week off while I work ahead.  I've got three chapters written right now, but it's better for everyone if I have a few more in my pocket -- what you see will be better planned and better edited.

And finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for reading this far.  It's an incredible feeling to know others might enjoy the work I put into these stories, and I really do hope you'll continue to enjoy them going forward.

All the best,

Nia