Page 37 of Lucius

“No furniture, just clothes and toiletries,” Lucius said with a chuckle.

“Oh whew,” Indio said. “I was a little worried I’d invited myself along and would have to move a couch or something.”

“Unbelievable,” Amadeus said. “We’ve all got extra strength from our beasts and you’re both bitching about furniture.”

“It’s still the weekend, give us a break,” Benjamin said. He grinned. “Now if it was my soulmate, I’d be flexing so much she’d swoon.” He popped a pose like a bodybuilder and Lucius groaned.

“Let’s go before he strains something,” Lucius said.

While the trio flexed and compared their biceps, Lucius got behind the wheel of the SUV and said, “Baby, I love those guys, but they’re all kind of idiots.”

She smiled. “I’m glad they’re willing to escort us. I don’t have much to bring to your house, but it would take us a couple hours to pack if it was just us I think.”

“Your house,” he reminded her. “What I have is yours now.”

She beamed at him and it made him feel ten feet tall.

Backing away from the spot, he drove down the aisle, turned right, and passed through the guard station, waving at Felix who was inside and hit the button to lift the gate for them. “Not too long now, sweetheart,” Lucius said as they left the park and headed toward the parkway. “Do you want to talk about your mom or something else?”

“Anything else,” she said. “Distract me with something.”

He hummed. “Have I told you about the lion mating ceremony yet?”

“No. What’s that entail?”

“Well,” he said, glancing in the rearview and seeing his friends behind him in another SUV, “picture it being pitch black outside, the whole pride gathered in the paddock, and me chasing a rabbit…”

Sidney opened the back door of the salon and stepped inside, holding it open for Lucius to follow her in. The familiar scent of hair spray and shampoo swirled in the air, and the soft hum of a hair dryer and the quiet chatter of stylists and clients made Sidney feel both at home and more stressed.

As they walked through the storage room that doubled as an employee breakroom, she spotted her mom cleaning her station.

Taking a deep breath, Sidney left the storage room and walked over to her mom.

“Hey, can we talk?” Sidney asked quietly. She tried to sound casual but she could hear the stress in her voice and it made her chest ache.

Her mom glanced at her. “I’m a little busy. I’ve got two clients coming in soon and you skipped out on me this weekend, so I’ve been running around crazy catching the phone and booking appointments.”

“Mom, it’s important.”

“Fine.”

Her mom gave a final swipe of the counter with a cleaning wipe and dropped it in the trash. Folding her arms, she said, “What’s going on?”

Sidney glanced at the nearby stations. Two other stylists were working on clients and she suddenly felt like everyone could hear what she was about to say. Grasping her mom’s arm gently, she led her away from everyone.

“I want to tell you that I’m quitting and won’t be coming back to the salon to work, and I’m also moving out.”

A myriad of emotions flashed over her mom’s face before her brows lowered and she frowned severely. “You’re quitting? Just like that? You can’t be serious. Anyone else would give me at least two weeks’ notice.”

Her mom’s voice was so sharp and her gaze so harsh that Sidney wanted to wilt. She could see Lucius out of the corner of her eye and knew she was doing the right thing. The alphas of the park had been gracious enough to let her come with an escort and pack her things and quit her job, but they weren’t going to let her stay away from the park or Lucius. Too much was at stake and they still didn’t fully trust her.

But even if they did trust her, even if she could stay at the apartment or work a couple weeks and help out, she wouldn’t. She’d given enough blood, sweat, and tears to this salon and was ready to move on with her life.

“I’m very serious. The guy I went on a date with last night, he’s my Mr. Right. My forever guy. He asked me to move in withhim, and I’m going to. I want it, more than I’ve ever wanted anything, even doing my art.”

Her mom scoffed loudly. “You’ve known him a day and he’s your Mr. Right? Give me a break, Sidney. You’re throwing away everything for a guy you just met? What are you going to do when this all blows up in your face and you’ve burned bridges?”

“I haven’t thrown anything away,” she said, feeling indignant. “I’m moving on. It’s time, for goodness’ sake. It’s what I need to do for my own sanity and what I want to do, because he’s a great guy and we’re going to build a life together.”

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