AllFreeNovel
Share Us
You need to face your future fully rested
I set the phone down with a sigh and closed my eyes, trying to think of Allie and not how much our lives could change tomorrow.
I was a bundle of nerves as I got ready for my date.
Sidney sat on the couch with Prince in his lap. “It’s okay to explore and see if you want a pack,” he assured me for the hundredth time.
“It doesn’t feel okay.”
He caught my wrist as I passed by again, and pulled me down onto the couch where I avoided his gaze and buried my face against Prince’s head.
“Breathe in the puppy for a minute. You’re going to brunch with your friends, and other alphas will just happen to be there. It’s only a big deal if you make it one.”
I let out a string of incomprehensible sounds against Prince’s fur and yelped when he turned to lick up my nose. “Baby, no, my nostrils are already plenty clean.”
“That was your own fault for giving him an opening.”
I stood and spun for Sidney, showing off the navy-and-white striped shirt and the matching navy capris I was going to pair with some ballet flats. “Do you think this is okay? Not too sloppy?”
“You look just fine. Relaxed, but still classy.”
“I don’t feel like doing my hair and makeup.”
“You did your hair and makeup for me.”
“Yeah, but I wanted to seduce you. This is just a meal to try to shut up part of my brain.”
“Fair enough.”
Part of me wanted him to forbid me to go, but I knew that would piss me off as much as it would please me. “What are you going to be doing while I’m gone?”
“Let all the puppies have some living room time, then I’m going to clean, and I might have a nap after.”
It was absolutely ridiculous to be jealous of that list, but I was. Before I could talk myself out of it, I kissed him and Prince goodbye and hopped in my car. I fussed at myself the entire drive and was relieved that Luna waved to me the second I walked into the restaurant. Both she and Meg were already there, and I was excited for a few moments without the boys, but a second later the bell above the door jingled and their presence became a wall at my back.
“Hey, beautiful. Good to see you. I don’t think we ever did proper introductions.”
I forced a smile as I turned.
“I’m Jason. These are my friends Josh and Jeremy.”
“You guys could be triplets with those names.”
“Right? That’s what everyone tells us.”
“I’m Allie,” I told them all as we crossed the short distance to the table. “This is Meg and Luna. Besties, these are Jason, Josh, and Jeremy.”
Meg scooted over so we could each sit next to our prospective dates, which left me sandwiched between Jason and Josh. Luna, bless her, kept the conversation flowing and dragged all manner of details out of the men as easily as she sipped her mimosa. If I had been on this date by myself, I was doubtful I would’ve managed to string more than two sentences together.
It wasn’t difficult to notice that all three of the men seemed more charmed by Luna than by Meg or me, but she had that vivacious quality that drew people in and it was hard to mind. All I kept thinking while I was out was that I wished I was back home with Sidney, and the puppies, and the peace that life brought.
I stared at the beautiful blond alpha next to me, took in his easy laugh and bright smile. He seemed so comfortable, spoke easily, and even worked in the same field as me, but I didn’t fucking care. I should have liked him, and maybe that was a weight on the side of the scale that the bond was controlling my responses to others, but maybe I was just…happy where I was. Maybe none of it mattered. It wasn’t like Sidney was taking the easy way out and letting the bond be the basis of our relationship. He was putting in the effort.
There wasn’t a damn thing wrong with any of the alphas around me. They asked questions to get to know us and were quietly affectionate without being pushy, but all the while I just kept wanting to be sitting next to Sidney, folding towels while Prince tried to eat them, a sitcom on the TV that we were watching exclusively together. I had never really liked the dating game, and all the years I had been forced to engage in it had exhausted me. I really thought when I met Sidney again that would be the end of it, and maybe that should’ve been my clue from the start.
I didn’t have to do this.
I didn’t have to be here.
