Page 94 of Talk About… History

By the time we all had greasy burgers and fries in front of us, I couldn’t understand why I hadn’t done this sooner. Part of being independent and keeping stability in my life with a pack was staying close to my family, but also close to my friends.

I’d let the others isolate me, but my mates had no intention of doing that. In fact, they encouraged me to not lose myself in work.

This was going to be the first of many girls’ nights.

“So, what kind of packs are we looking for, ladies?” Sidney asked, directing the question to both Grace and Mom.

Grace chewed on her bottom lip as she thought it over. “Honestly, I’m not super picky. I just want to find my scent matches and be treated like a princess. If we’re being honest, I’m definitely one of those omegas who craves a fluffy nest and guys who are fully dedicated.”

“That’s how my pack was,” Mama said, her smile nostalgic but not sad, as if she was simply remembering how amazing they were. We couldn’t even mention them growing up, but it started to get easier to think about them as each year passed. It seemed the same was true for Mom.

She wasn’t going to forget them or move on completely, but they would want her taken care of.

“And you, Lucy?” Hailey asked. “Are you looking for the pampered queen life this time around?”

“Oh god, no,” Mama said. “I’m not even sure if I’m looking for a full pack this time or just an alpha. I kind of want to travel, take care of my garden, and enjoy time with my babies—especially when they give me grandbabies,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me to make it clear she expected some in the future.

I laughed it off, but I couldn’t deny that the idea of having a big family sounded amazing. Growing up with my siblings, they drove me crazy, but I loved them, and we took care of each other. I wanted my kids to have that, too.

“Oh shit, we’re going to be late,” Sidney gasped. She waved over the waiter and handed over a card. “I’ve got dinner.”

It was a flurry of paying and throwing down cash for tips before rushing over to pottery night.

Mariana’s eyes lit up as we walked in. “I’m so happy you guys are here. I was so worried it’d be another empty room.”

“We’re excited to try this out,” I reassured her.

“This is going to be so much fun,” Hailey said before turning to me. “You should take some pictures. You’re doing the town tour thing, right?”

“Oh, she already interviewed me,” Mariana waved her off, but I was already pulling out my phone.

“I don’t have my professional camera, but she’s right. I’m going to take some pictures because this would be just the thing we want to add to the events page.”

“Oh, well, in that case, I plan to do these every Thursday night.”

“Perfect,” I said. The pics would have to wait until everybody was settled. Right now, it was an empty room, and that wasn’t exactly going to bring in a crowd.

Mariana went through the rules before showing us the wine selection. Once we all had a glass of wine in front of us and our pottery of choice, she started distributing the paints.

I chose a cute little mushroom mug, the top of the mushroom was a lid to keep your coffee warm.

She turned on some music because we were all strangely quiet as we dove in, but by the time the second glass was poured, our focus was a lot less intense and the conversation picked up again.

“Oh, that’s beautiful,” my mama gushed at mine. I glanced over to see her vase, which had vines wrapping around it. She’d painted them a gorgeous shade of dark green, and the base was a pearly white. I wasn’t sure what it would look like after Mariana fired them in the kiln, but it was gorgeous already.

I nearly burst into laughter when I looked over at Sidney’s. She had chosen a coffee mug, too. It was a cute little grumpy bear sitting in the middle of the mug, with a tree trunk as the handle. Instead of the normal colors, she painted it in every color imaginable, so it looked like a rainbow forest.

At least she had the skills to make it look amazing.

“Honestly, Sidney, I love it,” I told her. Sidney grinned at me before tipping her glass back and taking a large gulp of wine. I loved that my best friend was the ‘give no fucks’ type. If I was an overthinker, she was impulsive and liked to live in the moment. She was unapologetically herself and that hadn’t changed as we got older. When she did find a pack, they would be lucky to have an omega like her.

“Alright, I think that’s enough wine to build some courage,” she said. “Did we start on those profiles, ladies?” She gave my mama and Grace a look that said she wasn’t letting it go this time.

Grace buried her face in her hands and groaned. “Are you really going to make us do this?”

“Hell yes, I am,” Sidney cheered. “Let’s see it, ladies.”

Mama pulled out her phone and pulled up her profile. Everything was already set including the new pictures. She just needed to hit the button to publish it.

---