Page 84 of Verses and Blooms
“Yes,” I answered for Kane. “Malik was keeping everybody medicated to the point of being zombies. The therapy was nonexistent. Everyone was just left to exist in their misery.”
“That’s fucking bullshit,” Paul burst out.
“It is,” Kane agreed. “But it’s in the past. Things are changing, and we should be getting out soon. I want to know what’s going on with you. Has anything happened since we last spoke?”
Paul put his glasses back on and focused on Kane. “I wanted to stay close, just in case there was anything I could do. Every time I tried, they kept shutting me down. After a while, it was too painful, so I thought about moving, but I could just never go through with it. It felt wrong to leave you behind.”
“You don’t have a pack hiding somewhere?” Kane asked in shock.
“No,” Paul said, a bit sheepish now. “I sort of buried myself in my work.”
That seemed to spark something in Kane’s memory, and he sat up a bit straighter. “Wait…did you ever figure out your app?”
Paul grinned and nodded. “Yeah. It took off like wildfire. I’m talking life-changing.”
Kane looked at the rest of us, ready to explain. “He was developing an app that would help people find friendships. Kind of like a dating app, but multifaceted. A way for designations to find each other. Even for packs to find other packs so they can build friendship and community.”
Paul’s cheeks reddened a bit at the pride in Kane’s voice. “There are far too many times in this world that people are stuck being alone. They may not be looking for somethingromantic, just friendship. It helps connect people by all sorts of things, hobbies, jobs, anything that might bring people together. Making friends once you’re an adult is next to impossible. Maybe this was my way of honoring our friendship and how impactful it was for me. Either way, it’s going well.”
“I know for a fact you’re underplaying this,” Kane said. “I’m so fucking excited for you. You deserved this, you worked hard for it.”
“What happens when you get out?” Paul asked. That was the million-dollar question.
“We’ve been talking about moving away,” Kane admitted, almost reluctant now. I couldn't blame him. “There are too many memories here, and we all want a fresh start, somewhere the rumors about this place aren’t going to haunt us.”
Paul looked like someone had just canceled Christmas forever.
“You should come,” I said quickly, hoping to find the only solution that would work for my poor beta.
Everybody turned to me like I’d lost my mind.
“You’re his family, and we want family to be there with us. If you don’t have ties keeping you here, and you can work from anywhere, then join us. Caspian’s sister is going to be joining us, too. We’ll find a small town to settle into and build a life. Find the peace we all deserve.”
Paul smiled slowly. “You know what? That sounds perfect.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ansel
Have I mentioned how exhausting it is to have an actual schedule?” Audrey said as she crawled into our nest. She flopped down beside me, her blonde hair falling over my face. When I didn’t respond right away, she looked up and laughed, brushing it out of my face and pushing my own hair away from my eyes.
She might’ve been exhausted, but the change in her was obvious. Her eyes weren’t dull anymore. They were bright and full of laughter. She teased us constantly and laughed more than ever.
Even now our bond was open. She was content with me, happy. The feeling was mutual.
It was strange to have Ledger’s bite on me, but I was grateful for it. Out of all the alphas, he and I had grown the closest. Things were shifting more, though. Our pack was closer than ever. You couldn’t go through losing your mate, even temporarily, and a heat without forming some sort of bond.
Audrey pulled one of our soft blankets over her and snuggled into my side. After a long day, this was quickly becoming my favorite way to unwind. Just me, my mate, and the nest we built together.
“How was therapy today?” she asked. “Does Alice like the progress you’ve made with your daily portraits?”
“It wasn’t too bad. She’s happy I’ve taken the leap and didn’t shy away from it,” I admitted. “I really like Alice. I think it’s good for me that she isn’t afraid to challenge what I think. She doesn’t let me stick to what’s safe.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Audrey groaned dramatically. I guess I wasn’t the only one Alice pushed.
It went beyond just the portrait she had me doing now. Over the last week or two it had blown up. After drawing Charlie, there was always someone sitting at our table with us, courtesy of Ledger if I had to guess. Each one became a little less awkward as it fell into a routine. I was able to smile and greet them without wanting to close in on myself, which was a huge step for me.
“I’m so excited about us potentially having our own place and being out of ARC,” I said. “But can I admit something?”
