Page 73 of Where There's Smoke
Melody nodded thoughtfully, chewing on a piece of candy. When she swallowed, she looked up at me, exhaustion plain on her features.
“My family didn’t supportanythingI wanted to do. They think they’re some kind of impressive businesspeople because they own a few used car dealerships. They see their children as stepping stones, not people. They wanted my brothers to become lawyers or doctors—something prestigious they could brag about to their friends.”
“And what did they wantyouto do?” Elliot asked pointedly, pulling out the tea bag now that it had steeped for a while.
“Well, their misguided belief is that the best thing I can do for the family is marry a doctor or lawyer or someone in finance. So they started setting me up on dates as soon as I turned eighteen. It was trainwreck after trainwreck. They kept pushing me to stay with pompous, arrogant, self-absorbed assholes who I wanted nothing to do with. No matter how many times I tried to talk to them about whatIwanted, it fell on deaf ears. I’m an utter disappointment because I haven’t married well.”
“How did they take it when you moved out here?” I asked. If they were that involved in her dating life, I could only imagine their reaction to her moving across the country.
Melody smiled, tapping her finger on the table as she looked between us. “Oh, theydespisedit. But I made sure they didn’t know until the last moment. I had a job waitressing already lined up and a roommate waiting. I packed my bags and told themthat dayI was leaving, so they didn’t have time to cook up any schemes to stop me. I actually had a little money left to me by my grandmother, and that’s how I bought the land for the shelter.”
Elliot nodded thoughtfully. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was proud of her for that. Our omega was smart, beautiful, and compassionate, which was apparently quite the feat, considering who her parents were.
She really was the whole package.
“But you’re still friendly with your brothers?” Sam asked.
“Onlyoneof them,” Melody clarified. “Reed is still a pompous ass. He did whatever our parents wanted, and he has the attitude to match. He thinks I’m out of my mind for wanting to rescue animals when I could be doing ‘charitable endeavors’ like galas—you know, things more suitable for a family of ourhighstanding.” Her last sentence dripped with sarcasm.
If only she knew just whomyfamily was. To say they were old money would be an understatement. I understood the kind of life her parents were striving for—it was the life my family already had. Only, my family cared more about people than status. So, when we decided to do things like become firefighters or follow our own passions, we were supported wholeheartedly.
Melody deserves that too.
I’d taken that for granted most of my life. My cousin, Blaze, had forged his own path, and I’d watched with admiration. He found an omega who loved him for him, who didn’t give a damn about the money.
That in itself was liberating. Unfortunately, people in my family’s social circle attracted a lot of gold diggers—lovers and friends who saw dollar signs, not the person behind the name.
Melody wasn’t like that. She didn’t see me as a walking payout. She just sawme. Honestly, I was pretty sure if I told her the full extent of my family’s wealth, she’d scream and run away.
Oddly enough, that was something I found incredibly endearing about her.
I was going to spoil this omegarottenonce she accepted her fate. But I had to ease her into it—because if I started showering her with designer bags, properties, and fancy vacations, she’d definitely freak and bolt. I needed to slowly introduce her to the luxuries I wanted to give her. I needed to figure out the types of luxuries she even liked, too.
It was the opposite problem most people in my position had, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“So, did your family accept it once you moved out here?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t say theyacceptedit,” she replied, cocking her head. “They still ask me to come back all the time, but I tend to avoid them. I think they’ve stopped spending so much energy trying to get me back. Still, they had the nerve to ask Chord to ‘check on me,’ so there’s that.”
Elliot snorted. “They sound like real winners.”
“Parents of the decade,” Melody said, putting on a mock-serious face. “I owe them for being so kind as to bring me into this world.”
“But the brother who turned up here?” I asked, my tone hopeful. “He seems okay. You two get along?”
“Chord doesn’t care what I do with my life. He just wants me to be happy. He hasn’t exactly followed our parents’ plan, either, but because he’s a boy, they’re more obsessed with keeping tabs on him. Oh, and apparently there’s the fact that he makes a butt-ton of money as a software designer. As a result, he’s managed a somewhat amicable relationship with them, while I avoid our parents altogether.”
I hated that she didn’t have the loving family she deserved. Melody had just been through a fire, and she didn’t feel like she could reach out to her parents for support. There was no way that wasn’t lonely and upsetting.
“Well, luckily for you, you now have a family that’ll doanythingfor you,” I said, moving my chair beside hers and throwing my arm around her shoulders. She settled against me, and again, Melody just feltrightin my arms—in my life.
She looked at me, eyebrows raised, as I grinned back. “Excuse me?”
“Firecracker,” I said, taking her chin with my fingers and gazing down at her, “don’t be coy.We’reyour family now.”
“You’re stuck with us,” Sam agreed, smiling as he stood near the table.
“Welcome to Pack Wilder.” Elliot rolled his eyes and smirked. “It’s complete chaos, two-thirds of the members are idiots, but itisa family that’ll do anything for each other, which certainly includes you. How does that sound?”
