Free Wolf on a Mission: Salvation Pack, Book 6 by N.J. Walters Page B

to have been rough on both him and Elias.
    Sage put six foil packages on the barbecue and closed the lid. “Me too. They were killed in a car accident.”
    Reece whined and walked over to stand beside Sage. Sue hadn’t realized that Billy was close enough to hear their conversation.
    “My grammy and grandpa died too,” Billy offered.
    Sage crouched down so he was more on Billy’s level. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s tough, isn’t it?”
    Billy nodded and stuck his thumb in his mouth. He’d started doing that after her mother died and only did it when he was under a lot of stress.
    “They wouldn’t want you to be sad,” Sage said. “They loved you, so they’d want you to be happy.”
    Sue wanted to hug the young man who was so wise for his age, so very giving and empathetic as well. She reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder.
    Reece broke the sad tension by giving a deep woof and trotting over to lick Billy’s face. Her son broke out in peals of laughter. That quickly, his sorrow was forgotten. She envied him the resilience of youth.
    After the wolf scampered off with her son in pursuit, Sage stood once again.
    “I’m so sorry for your loss,” she told him again. “I never meant to bring up such a deeply personal subject.”
    Sage nodded. “It’s okay.” He stared out into the trees. “From the sound of things, you know what it’s like to lose your parents too. Does it get any easier?”
    She wished she knew what to say to make his pain lessen. “Honestly, I don’t know. I was lucky enough to have my parents longer than you had yours. My mom died of cancer. It happened fairly quickly. My father was never the same. He had a massive heart attack and died soon after. We lived with them, so it was hard on Billy.”
    “I’m sorry for your loss,” Sage offered.
    “And I’m so sorry for yours.” It was tough to imagine him losing his parents so suddenly on the cusp of adulthood. He might be bigger than her, but she couldn’t help the swell of maternal emotions she felt toward him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. “I’m glad you have your uncle.”
    He leaned down and rested his head on top of hers. “Me too.”
    Elias stood just out of sight but well within hearing. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but the conversation had seemed so intense he hadn’t wanted to interrupt. He knew Reece was listening too. Sometimes it was hard to tell if their enhanced hearing was a blessing or a curse.
    So Sue and her son had known great loss as well, and recently. No wonder she felt such deep empathy for Sage. Elias began walking again, making enough noise on purpose so Sue would hear him.
    Sure enough, she pulled away from Sage just as he rounded the turn. Sage was more reluctant to let her go but dropped his arms back by his side.
    “Fish on?” he asked.
    Sage nodded. “Yeah, it won’t take too long.”
    “I’m going to check the potatoes and get some drinks. I have lemonade, milk and water,” she offered.
    “Milk, please.” Sage opened the barbecue, checked on the packets of fish and then closed the cover again. Sue nodded and hurried into the house.
    Elias set the cooler down by their gear and went to his nephew. He rubbed his hand over the boy’s back. “You okay?”
    Sage nodded. “Yeah.”
    Knowing Sage didn’t want to talk about it right now, Elias left well enough alone. He felt bad for Reece. The boy could use some mothering and a hug as well, but he was stuck in his wolf form. Not that he was doing so badly. Young Billy had Reece in a choke hold he was hugging him so tightly. Reece didn’t look as though he minded at all.
    “I’ll be right back,” he told Sage. “Keep an eye on things.”
    “Will do.”
    Elias nodded and went up the back steps, opened the door and stepped into Sue’s home. She was pouring drinks at the kitchen counter and frowned when he entered.
    “Was there something you needed?” She stopped what she was doing and stiffened.
    Elias