Page 104 of Home: Posy 5

"Oh, do they live close to you?" I asked.

"No, but they are going out of town after this, and they'll be driving right past Yoyo's place."

"You're staying at hers?" Grace asked, her eyes alight with curiosity and speculation.

Of course, since Bram had turned eighteen today,everyonewas match-making, wondering who his mate was going to be, but I knew it wasn’t Yolanda. Even if Bram wasn’t gay, there was zero chemistry between them. Plus, I had the feeling there was someone else for each of them.

"Yeah. I'm kind of avoiding my mom at the moment." Bram scrubbed one hand over the back of his neck.

"But it's your birthday. Don't you want to spend it with her?"

"More like, she doesn't want to spend it with me." His face burned red and he dropped his eyes. "She's always been embarrassed to have an omega for a son."

"Oh, Bram, I'm so sorry!" Grace apologized. "I didn't mean to hurt you by sticking my nose in your business."

"It's common knowledge, Gracie. Don't worry about it." He gave her a washed-out smile. "But now that I'm legally an adult, I can start looking for my own place."

"You should start working with me at Roger’s on the weekends," Peri teased. "Apartments aren't cheap, you know!"

"Tell me about it. I've been talking to Mr. Ramirez about renting a room." He slung an affectionate arm around Yolanda's shoulders. "He loves me and said, since I'm there all the time anyway, I might as well move in."

"Good thing I love you like a brother," Yolanda murmured, then ducked her head shyly under all our attention.

The bigger the crowd around her, the quieter Yolanda became, so I was happy that she was comfortable enough to speak even a little bit with so many of us standing there.

"Besides, I’ll be off to college soon anyway," Bram tried to put a positive spin on it, but I could see the sadness in his eyes. "I don’t know how I’ll afford it, but I want to be a librarian someday, and you have to have a master’s degree for that."

My antennae shot up at the word librarian, and "alpha library" flashed in bright red letters across my brain. I would have to talk to Jayden first, of course, but I didn’t see why we couldn’t interview Bram for the job.

"You know you’ll get at least one academic scholarship," Sophia told him.

"Still, there are books and fees and—"

"You’regoingto college," I said with a little frown. "Don’t even worry about the money. We’ll figure that part out."

"Does Greenville State offer what you need?" Grace asked him, and he nodded. "That's where I'll go, too, if I decide to get a degree. I can't be away from Landry to go elsewhere."

"Very few pack members go anywhere other than GSU," Peri pointed out. "It’s a Division I school, which means lots of athletic scholarships. That’s where Coach Hall went, and he got drafted into the NFL."

"I knew he played pro ball." Sophia tilted her head. "How long was he in the NFL?"

"Four years before he missed the pack too much and quit." Peri shrugged. "Everyone in the world of football was shocked. I mean, hedidlead the league in sacks the last two years of his career."

"That's when he came to work here?" I clarified.

"Yep. Last year. He's also one of our part-time warriors—"

A shout cut Peri off.

"Luuunnnaaa!"

With Spring trotting after him, Thoreau raced up to me with bright eyes as if he hadn't seen me a couple of hours ago.

"Guess what, luna? Guess what?!"

"Oh, my goodness! What, Reau?" I grinned as he came to a sudden stop right in front of me.

"Mama and Papa said Chi-Chi and Way-Way can stay overnight tonight! We’re going to work on the secret fort tomorrow!"

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