Page 62 of Lost
Tyde has his car parked on the other side of the large garage, but I still have a lot of room to work in. This is better than working outside at least. It’s already starting to snow again, Iwatch as it comes down. The lighting in the garage reflects off it well so I can see it clearly.
“I get that a lot,” I muse.
I’ve had to learn a lot of things in order to be able to survive. Self sufficiency is the only way to keep my independence.
“So you’re just going to change your own alternator?” he asks. “Have you done that before?”
“Yes on both counts,” I murmur. “Bertha likes to randomly break down. The snow is also really rough on car parts, so when you drive as much as I do, things wear out faster. You should have heard my engine. It would grind and complain constantly. I bet I could be heard from miles away.”
“That’s terrifying,” he says, making me smirk.
“Not having the money to fix it is what’s terrifying,” I grunt. “Bertha was finally not only drivable again but also safe. Now I have to fix the alternator so I won’t have to worry about getting stuck somewhere.”
“Can I ask why you wouldn’t just buy a new car?” he asks.
“I like that I can live in my van in a pinch,” I say, glancing at him as he leans on the vehicle beside me. “She’s typically safe, there’s space for my cat, and if things get dicey, I have a place to hide. Pixie has plenty of nooks to hide herself in as well, because she sure as shit doesn’t like enclosed areas.”
“You weren’t safe at the camp,” he says.
“Those were extenuating circumstances,” I remind him. “Once I decided that Pack Ledger was sincere about letting me rent out their tiny house, I was really excited. It meant not having to worry about my heats. I was far enough from their home to be able to ride it out alone, and it was a safe place.”
“There are few people I worry about,” he says after a long pause. “My employees are some of those people. I just asked one of them not to walk home alone tonight after closing up. Whilethere are patrols after dark, omegas are still being stolen off the street.”
Shivering for reasons outside of the cold, I nod to show I’m listening. I’ve heard about the auctions and listen to podcasts as I drive. I’m not completely out of touch with the world.
“I’m typically home from my appointments by then unless I’m attending a birth,” I say. “I mostly hear of these reports about people who are walking late at night, but regardless of that, it’s fucked that it’s happening at all.”
“Your nomadic ways are terrible for my health,” he says.
“I’m unsure why it’s any of your business,” I sigh. “I know it seems like I can’t take care of myself?—”
“No one should have to live the way you have,” he growls. “Living out of your car isn’t normal, Nova.”
“It was my first taste of freedom,” I whisper. “Things were worse before I was able to get the van. I spent my entire first paycheck on the down payment, and it kept me from living on the streets. I’ve been on my own for a long time.”
“You have alphas now, Nova. You don’t have to be alone anymore,” he says, his eyes widening when I turn to face him.
I just went from conversational to pissed the fuck off.
“I don’t have alphas,” I growl. “I have myself and Tyde. That’s it. Regardless of what biology seems to think, you have to earn your place at my side.”
The sound of a vehicle makes me turn and I see a delivery man get out of his car to open the back doors of his van. I guess I’m walking to the gate.
Tyde, the alternator is here. Walk me to the gate please?
You just want me for my muscles and sunny disposition, don’t you, Little Queen?
My lips spread wide into a private smile as I begin to walk out of the garage.
I think I might like that nickname. It’s better than what Lars calls me.
I can feel Tyde’s amusement as I pull the hood on the sweatshirt over my head as I walk.
Hold on! I’m your muscle, remember?
I drop my head back and laugh, turning to face the house. Tyde opens the front door in a hurry, jogging over to me.
“I lift and support pregnant women during labor,” I tease him. “I will accept your offer, but I could probably muddle through.”
