The Taste of Home

Chapter 26

"Are you sure this is enough pillows?" Alejandro carefully positioned the last of the ones they'd bought amid the mountain of blankets on the pullout couch.

"That's more than enough, thank you." Miguel suppressed a laugh at the memory of the store they'd gotten the bulk of the bedding from. The employees had clearly been far more accustomed to young families preparing to welcome children into their lives or elders looking to spruce up their dens. They'd been too busy gawking at the dozens of pillows piled into their shopping cart to ask why a chupacabra and a human were shopping together in the first place.

The sleeping situation wasn't the only aspect of Alejandro's apartment he'd overhauled for Miguel. Half the fridge was now filled with all the meat Miguel could possibly ask for, and several thick, wooly scarves that no sane human would ever wear in Texas had been added to the closet in case Miguel needed help bringing up his body temperature in the morning.

And the knitting! Alejandro had always loved losing himself in the clicking of his needles at the end of the day— a habit he'd picked up from his abuela along with her fondness for flan— but it had been something he'd done to relax. A hobby. Now, he was constantly working on projects for Miguel. At this point, it was easier for Miguel to count the garments he owned that hadn't been graced by Alejandro's needles than the ones that had been.

"Something's still not right." Alejandro ran a hand over the stubble lining his jaw before snapping his fingers. "I've got it!"

He sprinted into his bedroom, reemerging a minute later with the giant stuffed bear from Zest Fest. Its rainbow fur had been ruffled by many weeks of bedtime cuddles, but it still looked as soft and huggable as ever. "I know it's not the same as having your old pack around, but hopefully this big guy will help you feel less lonely."

Miguel cradled the bear close to his chest, drinking in the same lavender scent that lingered in Alejandro's hair before carefully adding it to his makeshift nest. "He'll definitely help. You know who else will?"

"Me." Alejandro wrapped his arms around Miguel and pulled him into a tight hug.

This was home for Miguel now. Not with Saguaro Pack and not inside this strange yet pleasant apartment, but with Alejandro.

But that didn't make his old pack's absence hurt less.

"They'll come to their senses someday," Alejandro whispered. He always knew when Miguel's mind was drifting back to his old pack, sometimes before he realized it himself.

"You don't understand what Isabella is like," Miguel said. "She's as stubborn as mule and twice as irritable when she thinks something will harm the pack."

"You're right, I don't understand what she's like. But I do understand that even the most stubborn people can change their minds." Alejandro sighed, a wisp of air brushing against Miguel's scales. "When I told mamá I only like men, she didn't believe me at first. She said I was confused and would 'change my tune' once I found the perfect woman to give her grandkids with."

"And now?"

"Now she keeps trying to set me up with every guy who comes to get his nails done and wants me to adopt, or at least get a cat. The thing is, even though it was hard for her to accept that part of me at first, she just wants me to be happy. If Isabella cares about you as much as you keep saying she does, I'm sure she'll take you back."

"Don't talk about her like that." Miguel winced at the sharpness that had slipped into his voice, forcing his spines to lay flat. "She has to put the pack above all else, even me. That's her job."