His Prisoner

Christmas With Family [38]

"Well..." Em pulls away from me smirking. "I brought reinforcements to help you decide."

"Of course you did." I laugh, wiping my face. 

Em turns around and motions someone over as I wait patiently. His broad figure approaches and I smile softly as he catches my eye. Em moves out of the way for him and he steps into the house, immediately pulling me in for a hug. I melt into his embrace.

"Chase." I murmur into his shirt receiving a squeeze in return.

"Hey, little lady." 

Chase became the big brother I never had very quickly after we met. He was there when I needed rescuing from Jack and he visited me in the hospital and let me cry on his shoulder for hours after I lost the baby. He's always protected me and listened to my problems, offering advice when I ask or just being there for me when I've needed it. He is much my big brother as Em is my big sister. 

"You're the big guns huh?" Chase chuckles in reply. I slowly pull away from him smiling as he tucks my unruly hair behind my ear. 

"Something like that." He grins. 

I look at Em behind him and she gives me a pleading look, eyes like puppy dogs and hands clasped together in prayer. I glance back at Chase who lifts one shoulder in a shrug, the grin still on his face and I sigh in defeat.

"Fine. I'll come with you." Em cheers happily and rushes me inside to get ready.

That's how I find myself in the familiar house of the Alpha and Beta families on Christmas Day. Emily didn't want to overwhelm me last night when I arrived so I only saw Claire and Anthony for a few hours before Em and I went up into her bedroom to stay for the rest of the night. Now, on Christmas morning, I sit in the living room that is beautifully decorated with tinsel and lights, a tree snuggled into the corner of the room and so many colourfully wrapped gifts sit underneath. I'm sitting on the sofa in between Chase and Emily as we wait for the rest of the family to join us for the opening of presents. 

"Are your parents here Em?" I ask her curiously. 

It suddenly occurs to me that Emily and Chase's families live here as well as Eliot's family but I've never met either of their parents. Do they have siblings? How many people will I actually have to socialise with today?

"No. They still belong to my old pack. I'll see them over New Years." She smiles at me. "Chase was born into this pack but I was accepted into the pack once I met Chase and found out we were mates."

"What about your parents Chase?" I turn my head to face him, amused at his slouched position, sunken into the cushions with tired eyes.

Chase mumbles something through a yawn causing me to giggle. I've recently found that Chase is not a morning person. I've only ever seen him awake early once and been in a relatively happy mood about it. Emily is more of a morning person than him. 

"What he means to say is that his parents are on holiday Mer. Every other year, they go away for Christmas to see other family members."

"Oh, didn't you want to go with them?" He shakes his head lazily, not seeming bothered about not being with his family on Christmas. Maybe it's just his normal but I would do anything to have one more Christmas with my parents. I guess you really don't know what you have until it's gone.