Page 34 of Talk About… History

“Sid, I didn’t realize, I’m so sorry,” I said, my heart breaking for my best friend. She waved me off but I could tell this was something she struggled with. “I’m here if you ever need to talk it out.”

“The doctor’s think my mates might trigger it, that it’s just a dormant thing, but I guess I haven’t found them yet,” she said with a shrug.

Fuck, it was a hard place to be, stuck between chosen and scent-matched mates. There was no real wrong choice but it was a complicated scenario.

“Can we talk about the project?” she begged.

“Sure,” I said as I pulled out my camera. “I started with Cohen over at Cohen’s Creations. I’m doing interviews and taking photos and videos of the shops. The goal is to showcase the shops and things Rockwood Valley has to offer, give people a reason to visit again.”

“How did the interview go? He seems so nice but he’s so quiet,” she said.

Taylor swept out with an armload of things, dropping off the salad, bread, and plates before he was gone again.

“He’s my mate,” I admitted. I’m not sure what possessed me to admit it, but it felt like I was constantly hiding from everyone. At least Sidney wouldn't go around and gossip about it.

She gasped loud enough the other tables turned our way but we ignored them.

“Shut the fuck up! Mates?” she hissed. “Is that why you hid away?”

“Partly,” I admitted. “He said we could take it slow and I did have this to handle, but I also had a not so pleasant meeting with The Network a few days ago and it rehashed some old memories.”

“Fuck those assholes for doing this to you,” she said, her voice quieter now.

“We’ve all got our skeletons. I’ll be alright,” I reassured her. Sidney nodded, she could understand that.

She didn’t press further as I stood and took a few shots of the water and the building. When Taylor brought our food out, I took a few more before I couldn’t resist the bubbly cheese and scent of the alfredo.

“So, you’ve got all these work plans, but what about living arrangements? I know how crazy it can be living at home,” she said. “At least I have the old stable-hands’ cabin for my own so my dad and uncle don’t drive me too crazy.”

“My dads left us some land and I have a bit of an inheritance. The plan was to build but I feel weird doing it without pack input. I want to be close but I need to have some independence, too.”

She nodded, listening to every word. Sidney was an amazing friend and always had been. She saw right through me most of the time so I didn’t usually bother holding back.

“At the end of the day, a house on your land will always be yours. Inheritance is generally protected by law, so talk to your lawyer and see if you need to do anything to protect it, and build with a pack in mind. At the end of the day, you are the omega in this equation. Any pack that wants to be with you, will want you to be comfortable.”

“I guess it couldn’t hurt to meet with someone about building it,” I said as I bit into a bite of chicken, chewing it as I mulled over her idea.

A place of my own, that I put thought and care into, that would forever be mine. Somewhere that I had my own space but also space to grow with a potential pack. Where they could integrate with what I already had so it didn’t have the risk of being ripped away.

“There’s a construction company in town, schedule a meeting. Actually,” she cut herself off and tapped at her phone for a few minutes.

“What are you doing?” I hissed, startled at the abrupt change.

“Setting this up. No more running, Avery. It’s time to reclaim your future.”

“I’m not running,” I muttered but stopped arguing as someone answered her call. Hell, I couldn’t even be mad as she arranged a meeting for a week away.

Maybe it was time to do something for myself, something permanent.

Avery

Cohen: What time’s the meeting?

Avery: In an hour. I’m freaking out over here. I’ve been sitting in my truck for twenty minutes, I couldn’t sit at home anymore.

Itossed my phone aside and drummed my fingers on the steering wheel of Nash’s car he let me borrow for this. They were trying everything they could so I didn’t lock myself away again.

“You’re prepared, Avery. You have everything you need,” I reminded myself, trying not to focus on the nerves bubbling in my stomach.

---