Chapter 134

“Ariel!” Mark shouts, bounding across the room like the big puppy that he is and grabbing me in a hug.

“Baby!” I shout, dropping Luca’s arm and laughing as I hug my brother back, my eyes pressing shut with the pleasure of it. Mark – he’s not even the baby of the family, he’s nearly two years older than Juniper, but he’ll always be my baby, and he lets me fuss and cluck over him like a mother hen.

“I’ve missed you,” my Markie murmurs, hugging me close and tucking his head down against my hair. “June’s been so mean to me and there’s no one to stop her –“

I laugh, pushing back a little so I can look up into my little brother’s sweet face. Mark favors Rafe and my dad, of course, but he’s more of a mix than Rafe and I are. While Rafe and I are our parents’ twins, Mark has some of mom’s softness in the curve of his cheeks, in the lighter highlights in his hair.

“Mark, you’re bigger than June,” I say, grinning up at him and shaking my head. God, when did baby get so tall? Has it always been like this, or did he grow in the couple of months I’ve been gone? He’s Rafe’s height now, or at least almost. “Just shove her over -”

But before I can finish giving Mark my very best sisterly advice, a screech sounds in the room and all of our heads whip to the left, where five kids charge for Jesse the second he steps through the door.

“No, no!” Jesse sounds, deliberately dramatic as they leap all over him. “Not the piranhas! They’ve got me! I’m being eaten alive! No, NO! They’re taking me down!” All of Jesse’s siblings grab onto him, shrieking and laughing, pulling him to the ground despite his mock protests, piling on top of him, shouting his name and how much they’ve missed him.

I grin, watching Jesse fake fight his siblings for a second, pleased to even see Caleb, who is thirteen now and pretends he’s too cool for fun and games, shrieking and getting in on the fun. After a second of pretending to fight them off Jesse starts to grab each of his siblings by turn, giving them each what they need to feel loved and seen – a big kiss, a hug, a ruffle of the hair, a brotherly punch on the arm.

“Whoa,” Luca says, his eyes wide as he takes in the chaos before him.

“Yes, they’ve missed their human jungle gym,” Grandpa Henry says, wheeling up next to me and smiling over at Jesse’s continuing scene, as I am. “It’s been murder on me and my chair – they’re always wanting rides up and down the hallways. Playing horsie and piggy-back-chauffer is usually Jesse’s job.”

I grin at my grandpa, whose eyes sparkle as he shifts his gaze up to me, and I bend down quickly to give him a kiss on the cheek, murmuring how good it is to see him. Grandpa laughs and tells me that he feels just the same as Mark comes to stand close to us, not wanting to miss a thing. Juniper steps close too, her scowl deepening for no reason.

Something about my sister’s scowl kindles something in me, and I can’t help it – I grin, and leap for her. “Junie Junie!” I sing, dancing around Grandpa Henry’s chair and reaching for her, taking two handfuls of her long now-black hair in my hands and holding it up like pigtails as I bounce around her, singing the song she hates so much. “Our little goonie! She loves the moonie! It makes her swoooonie!”

“Oh my goddddd,” June groans, swatting at me with her hands and trying to back away, though I keep up with her, laughing and still playing with her hair. “Stop it, Ariel!”

“I can’t!” I return, laughing my ass off and dropping her hair before snatching her into a big hug. She struggles against me, but Junie’s even smaller than my mom and me, and I’ve spent a whole semester training at Alpha Academy, so she’s got no chance. “I just missed my little sissy so much!” I plant a series of big kisses on her head.

“You are literally so embarrassing,” Juniper groans as I continue to kiss her gratuitously, her face flushing as she slumps in embarrassment, flicking her eyes towards where Luca is watching with delight. “You seriously want your mate to see this side of you!? The abuse you rain on your sister!?”

“Aw, no! It’s cute!” Luca says, grinning at us. “Sisterly love!”

“You,” June says, narrowing her eyes and pulling one arm free to point at Luca, “you just made an enemy, sir. Where’s the other one? Maybe I’ll like him better.”

I laugh at my little sister and loosen my arms a bit, a little tickled that she already knows about my mate situation so I don’t have to awkwardly explain why I brought two boyfriends home. Mom must have told her, and whoever else she thought needed to know, to avoid some weird scene.

I step back a little from my sister, still holding her so she doesn’t run away, and beam as I look her over. “I like your new hair!” I say, meaning it and nodding eagerly as I take in the hair that she’s dyed pitch black, covering up the rose-gold that matches mine and our mom’s. “You look so cool. You’re all spooky now.”

“I’m not spooky,” she protests, scowling and raising an anxious hand to her head.

“You look like Rafe,” I say, grinning, meaning it. Juniper – lucky girl – got our dad’s beautiful green eyes, and with her hair all dark now? Her familial connection to Rafe, dad, and Mark is more prominent now than it’s ever been.

“Ariel,” Juniper says, appalled, her mouth dropping open. “That’s the cruelest thing you’ve ever said to me –“

“No one is paying attention to meeee,” Mark moans, dropping his head back on his neck dramatically and making me laugh. I immediately drop June and move to his side, wrapping my arms around his waist.

“You are nineteen, Mark,” Grandpa Henry says on a sigh. “You cannot whine like a pup anymore.”

“No, he’s not,” I murmur, “he’s just a little baby, he can cry all he wants.”

“Don’t encourage him, Ariel,” grandpa sighs, shaking his head at both of us, even if he can’t help smiling. “Or he’ll never grow up.”

I hug my brother close as Juniper and Luca step near, making a little family circle even as the rest of the people in the room – family and close family friends, dozens of them, honestly – surge forward and greet Rafe, and Jesse, and all of our guests. I steal a little glance to the side and am relieved to see that mom still has Jackson pinned to her hip as she beams at Ben, getting to know him. Jackson stands stoically next to her, in good hands.

Then, I remember my manners.

“Everyone,” I say, straightening a little and smiling around at my family. “This is Luca Grant,” I say, gesturing towards my mate with a warm smile. “Luca, this is my sister Juniper, my brother Mark, and my grandpa, Henry Sinclair.”

“His reputation precedes him,” my grandfather says, holding out a hand, which Luca shakes eagerly, murmuring his hello’s and letting his dimples shine. “Welcome to the family, son. I’m eager to see you box in two days’ time. I hope you show the Atalaxian champion what Moon Valley is made of.”

“I fully intend to, sir,” Luca says, perfectly earnest.

“I’m excited too,” Mark says, beaming at Luca, and as Luca stands straight and turns towards Mark I see that my little brother’s eyes are already filled with hero worship. “Dad finally talked mom into letting me go to the fight. I can’t wait.”

“You’ll have to come sit ringside,” Luca says, grinning at Mark and shaking his hand too. “Get the really good view, see all the blood –“

“This is somehow both gross and boring,” Juniper sighs, stepping closer to me as grandpa wheels his chair away, probably off to greet his eldest grandsons. “I don’t know how you managed that, but you did.” She crosses her arms, glaring between Luca, Mark, and me like we’ve done her a true disservice.

“I missed you, June Bug,” I sigh, slipping my arm around her shoulders and tugging her close. Juniper and I – we have a weird relationship, and we’re certainly not besties, but she does crack me up with her constant bad mood. And now that I have her back in person, I realize that I did miss her, in my own way.

“I guess I missed you too,” she says on a sigh as Luca and Mark continue talking about boxing, Luca explaining his strategy for the next two days of training before the fight. “Why did you go and get all badass and cool the moment you left?”

I scoff at my little sister and her words, which are – in classic Juniper style – as much insult as they are compliment.