watched as Bliss and Angel walked into the kitchen, their arms linked and their heads together as they laughed. Her heart ached a little. She’d never see her friends Klegna and Felora again. Blinking away her fresh tears, she looked at Bliss’s mates who had remained in the room with her and the two wolves. The alpha cleared his throat.
“I didn’t tell Bliss this, but I’m giving you until the full moon this month to make a decision. If you want to stay here in Beyton, you’ll have to have a job and a place to live. If Angel wants to make you a permanent roommate, that’s fine; otherwise you have to have a home of your own. If you don’t have both of those things by the full moon, I’m going to drive you to the edge of town and watch you walk away. Are we clear?”
Fear struck through her like lightning, but she pushed back against the feeling. She was a stranger, and the alpha was being more than generous. “Thank you, Alpha.”
He hummed and straightened, looking at Bliss’s mates. “I know that something more happened on the trip than Bliss said.”
Memphis frowned. “She asked us not to say anything.”
“Don’t leave my hands tied by not telling me what’s up. Something’s clearly going on with that girl. I think there’s a good reason why owls aren’t well-known shifters, and the fact that there’s one in our midst now tells me something’s up.”
Memphis said, “I’ll tell you, but we need to keep this between us. Bliss is adamant about that.”
“I give you my word,” Mack promised.
Rome smiled tightly at Brierley. “Come on, let’s go see the girls. They get so busy talking that they forget that there are other people in the room.”
“Thanks, Rome.”
He grabbed her arm lightly to stop her and said in a low voice, “I hope you understand that Bliss doesn’t want Angel to know what happened or why you ended up coming back with us. She’ll tell her friends when she’s ready.”
“I won’t tell.”
Brierley followed Rome into the kitchen, where they found Bliss and Angel talking in between bites of fat cinnamon rolls. “Pull up a roll, Brierley,” Angel said. “I heard your stomach growl, so when everyone leaves I’ll make dinner for us and we can get to know each other.”
“Thanks, Angel.” She picked up a cinnamon roll and took a bite. She sighed deeply as she chewed on the sweet morsel, the perfect combination of spicy cinnamon and sugary frosting.
Bliss and her mates stayed for ten minutes, and then, after Bliss checked twice that Brierley was comfortable staying with Angel, they left.
Angel leaned against the closed door and looked at Brierley for a long moment. “I know you’ve got some secrets, and I have a feeling that a couple of them might be about my bestie. I’m not asking you to share everything, but I just want to know this – is Bliss okay?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. So how do you feel about hamburgers?”
“Good, really good.”
“Babe, I think we’re going to get along famously.”
Angel slipped her arm over Brierley’s shoulders and gave her a light hug before steering her into the kitchen, where she spent an hour chatting about her life, Beyton, and the pack, while making hamburgers on a grill pan on the stove. Angel didn’t seem to mind that Brierley wasn’t sharing much about her life. She was trying to close the door on that part of herself and move forward. Maybe she’d talk about her life someday, after Bliss had told her friends about her own ordeal.
Settling under the covers of the twin bed in the spare bedroom, she closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. She’d never slept on such a comfortable bed before, and she wiggled a little bit and sank further into the soft mattress. Outside she could hear the wind howling, but unlike the home she’d been raised in, which had drafty windows and a leaky roof, she was perfectly toasty. She wondered if her mom missed
“I didn’t tell Bliss this, but I’m giving you until the full moon this month to make a decision. If you want to stay here in Beyton, you’ll have to have a job and a place to live. If Angel wants to make you a permanent roommate, that’s fine; otherwise you have to have a home of your own. If you don’t have both of those things by the full moon, I’m going to drive you to the edge of town and watch you walk away. Are we clear?”
Fear struck through her like lightning, but she pushed back against the feeling. She was a stranger, and the alpha was being more than generous. “Thank you, Alpha.”
He hummed and straightened, looking at Bliss’s mates. “I know that something more happened on the trip than Bliss said.”
Memphis frowned. “She asked us not to say anything.”
“Don’t leave my hands tied by not telling me what’s up. Something’s clearly going on with that girl. I think there’s a good reason why owls aren’t well-known shifters, and the fact that there’s one in our midst now tells me something’s up.”
Memphis said, “I’ll tell you, but we need to keep this between us. Bliss is adamant about that.”
“I give you my word,” Mack promised.
Rome smiled tightly at Brierley. “Come on, let’s go see the girls. They get so busy talking that they forget that there are other people in the room.”
“Thanks, Rome.”
He grabbed her arm lightly to stop her and said in a low voice, “I hope you understand that Bliss doesn’t want Angel to know what happened or why you ended up coming back with us. She’ll tell her friends when she’s ready.”
“I won’t tell.”
Brierley followed Rome into the kitchen, where they found Bliss and Angel talking in between bites of fat cinnamon rolls. “Pull up a roll, Brierley,” Angel said. “I heard your stomach growl, so when everyone leaves I’ll make dinner for us and we can get to know each other.”
“Thanks, Angel.” She picked up a cinnamon roll and took a bite. She sighed deeply as she chewed on the sweet morsel, the perfect combination of spicy cinnamon and sugary frosting.
Bliss and her mates stayed for ten minutes, and then, after Bliss checked twice that Brierley was comfortable staying with Angel, they left.
Angel leaned against the closed door and looked at Brierley for a long moment. “I know you’ve got some secrets, and I have a feeling that a couple of them might be about my bestie. I’m not asking you to share everything, but I just want to know this – is Bliss okay?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. So how do you feel about hamburgers?”
“Good, really good.”
“Babe, I think we’re going to get along famously.”
Angel slipped her arm over Brierley’s shoulders and gave her a light hug before steering her into the kitchen, where she spent an hour chatting about her life, Beyton, and the pack, while making hamburgers on a grill pan on the stove. Angel didn’t seem to mind that Brierley wasn’t sharing much about her life. She was trying to close the door on that part of herself and move forward. Maybe she’d talk about her life someday, after Bliss had told her friends about her own ordeal.
Settling under the covers of the twin bed in the spare bedroom, she closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. She’d never slept on such a comfortable bed before, and she wiggled a little bit and sank further into the soft mattress. Outside she could hear the wind howling, but unlike the home she’d been raised in, which had drafty windows and a leaky roof, she was perfectly toasty. She wondered if her mom missed
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