Page 16 of Mating With My Grumpy Alphas
"Ah." His expression shifted to understanding. "Let me guess, unsolicited advice about what's best for you, delivered with absolute certainty that she knows better than you do about your own needs?"
Despite everything, I found myself almost smiling. "That's exactly what it was."
"People love to do that, don't they? Especially when they're convinced they're helping." He moved closer to the counter, maintaining respectful distance but clearly wanting to offer support. "I'm Cassian, by the way. Cassian Black."
"Willa Rowan." I studied his face, noting the genuine sympathy there. "Thank you for checking on me. You didn't have to get involved."
"Seemed like the right thing to do. Besides, I know what it's like to have people tell you how you should be living your life." Something in his tone suggested this was more than casual frustration. "Family expectations can be... overwhelming."
"You sound like you speak from experience."
"More than I'd like." His smile was rueful. "People who think they have your life figured out and can't understand why you won't just follow the script they've written for you."
I felt some of the tension in my shoulders ease. Here was someone who understood what it felt like to have your choices questioned by people who claimed to know what was best for you.
"That sounds complicated," I said carefully.
"It is." He was quiet for a moment, then seemed to shake off whatever he was thinking. "But enough about my family drama. Are you sure you're okay? That conversation looked pretty intense."
"I'm better now, thank you. Sometimes it helps to be reminded that not everyone thinks they have the right to manage other people's lives."
"Definitely not." He glanced around the bookstore, taking in the cozy atmosphere. "Actually, since I'm talking to you, maybe you could help me find something? I'm looking for books about local history. Information about the area's environmentalsignificance, maybe some background on the communities who lived here originally."
The shift to something practical was exactly what I needed. "Of course. Hollis has an excellent section on regional history. Let me show you."
I led him toward the local interest shelves, grateful for the distraction from Mrs. Vaughn's implications about my life choices. Cassian followed quietly, his presence somehow supportive without being overwhelming.
"Here," I said, gesturing toward a shelf lined with books about Appalachian history, local wildlife guides, and several volumes about the area's coal mining heritage. "This section should have most of what you're looking for."
Cassian examined the selection with genuine interest, pulling out a book about the region's watershed systems and another about Native American settlements in the mountains. His focus seemed authentic, not just polite browsing.
"This is perfect," he said, then paused, looking at me thoughtfully. "Can I ask you something that might sound strange?"
"Sure."
"Do you think people can really change? I mean fundamental change, not just surface adjustments, but actually becoming someone different from who they were raised to be?"
The question was unexpected and loaded with something deeply personal. I thought about my own journey from Sterling's controlled omega to whatever I was becoming here in Hollow Haven.
"I think people can choose to change," I said slowly. "But it usually requires giving up something you thought you wanted in favor of something that turns out to matter more."
"Even if that choice comes with serious consequences? Like disappointing everyone who's invested in your success?"
"Sometimes those consequences turn out to be the best thing that could have happened to you," I said, thinking about leaving Sterling, about choosing uncertainty over security. "You just have to be brave enough to face the possibility that your old life wasn't serving you as well as you thought it was."
Something shifted in Cassian's expression, like I'd said something he needed to hear.
"What if the right thing—the thing you know you should do—goes against everything your family expects from you? What if it means losing everything they've built for you?"
"I think the right thing is always the course of action that means you can live with yourself afterwards," I said quietly. "Even if it totally changes your life. Because sometimes those are the best changes that could have happened, and you just have to be brave enough to face the possibility of them."
He was quiet for a long moment, holding the books like they contained answers to questions he was afraid to ask.
"That's wise advice," he said finally. "And terrifying."
"The best advice usually is."
"Thank you, Willa. For the book recommendations and for..." He gestured vaguely. "For understanding that sometimes the right choice isn't the easy one."
