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Silas
I sat at the dining table with my mate, a cup of steaming coffee in front of me. He poured a bit of creamer into my cup and then some into his, as well as a scoop of sugar. I didn’t really want it, but when he offered, I nodded automatically. He probably thought this entire situation scared me.
And it did.
But not in the way most people would have assumed. At no point in time was I worried for my own safety. If I died, I died. But knowing Jerome was so close to my mate—to Nathan—to the omegas here on Asilo? That had my blood running cold.
“Is it really over?” I asked again. It wasn’t going to seem real until all was said and done, and until that happened, I wasn’t sure I could ever fully believe it.
I had rationalized that Jerome had run off, gone far away. He wasn’t going to come here. Why would he? He thought I was dead. That Nathan was as good as dead. But those feelings were only on the surface.
Deep down? That was an entirely different story. I’d been living with the alpha being at large over my head for weeks now, without even being fully aware of it. Looking back, it had impacted so many aspects of my daily routine. And now that he was gone, perhaps the rest of my life could begin? That it wouldn’t be a silent nagging in my brain.
With all of my belongings here, my new job, and my mate growing our family… Life was finally mine… ours.
“It’s really over,” Pol assured me. “Well, I mean, there’s the trial of course, but the council always makes those pretty fast.”
It was both a positive and a negative that the council rushed through cases like these. In this case Jerome was guilty. But were they always? I’d always assumed Steelwick was the counterbalance to that. That they assured justice simply by being a part of the process. My case had me looking at that differently.
Steelwick was filled with shifters, not super beings. They made mistakes too. I couldn’t be mad at Beckett. I would never be his BFF, but based on how he reacted to the situation, he had seen the uglier side of this world and had a goal of protecting those that couldn’t protect themselves. I was confident he was going to learn from this, that he would see that he needed to look closely at every situation, that not everything was as it appeared.
The case was solid, even with his flubs.
“Being that we have two eyewitness testimonies, as well as myself and Jasper being able to vouch for you, I think it’ll be a pretty cut-and-dried case. After that, we don’t ever have to think about it again.” Pol put his hand on mine.
“That sounds great.” I took a sip of my coffee. It was warm and a tad too sweet but was exactly what I needed.
Nathan had already gotten up and left the house for an early-morning therapy session, so it was just Pol and me. Nathan was the best housemate. I was glad he decided to stay and that he and Pol were becoming good friends. I still held some residual guilt for not protecting him better. But in hindsight, things could have gone a whole lot worse.
We had slept in because of the late-night events and we really needed to get moving. But also, we needed this slice of normal.
Steelwick had arrived almost as soon as we had Alpha back to the house. They had some men nearby for something else and the timing worked out perfectly. They had taken custody of him, and he was no longer our problem. They had asked a few questions, but I knew they’d be back later or perhaps they would just speak to us over the phone. I had so many questions, including how he knew I was still alive and where I was located. I suspected I’d never get the answers to them.
“Do you think that Nathan is going to be okay?” I asked.
Pol nodded. “He’s strong. And he has a support system. Having old friends or friends from your old life can sometimes help in the recovery process.”
“You think he will stay here?” He came from the same pride I had and while there was new authority in place, the systemic problems there were deeply engrained. I was happy not to be going back there. But I’d never push my feelings onto him. It was a decision he was going to have to make for himself.
Pol shrugged. “He’s more than welcome to. We always need more people. Sometimes that’s not always in omegas’ best interests. Surrounding yourself with trauma like we have here is not for the faint of heart.”
I hadn’t considered that. But it made sense. Every day you were reminded of what brought you here. For some, it would make them stronger, others it might give them purpose, but I imagined for quite a few it would keep wounds from healing.
“That’s fair,” I said.
Now that I thought about it, Nathan had always been a free spirit. A quiet life in an Asilo might not be what he wanted for his future. It wasn’t the only option, though. I’d learned of some pretty amazing packs since I arrived. He might prefer someplace like Northbay or Greycoast.
“Come on, I have a surprise for you.” Pol stood up.
“A surprise? How did you manage a surprise?” I loved how excited he looked at whatever he was going to show me.
Pol left his coffee after having barely more than a sip. His tastebuds had been off since he became pregnant, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he left coffee behind until the baby was born.
I grabbed my cup, not wanting to be without the caffeine for the day. Pol had been right making it extra sweet. Now that I was fully awake, I was enjoying it—like a little morning treat.
Pol dragged me along across the yard toward the clinic, not once telling me where we were going or what we were going to be doing there. I had a guess though, and the closer we got, the more excited I became.
It was a beautiful little building that Gideon had put together not long ago. I couldn’t say that I had fond memories of the place, since I had been there to have my leg reset, but it was perfectly functional for the pride.
