Page 76 of Fated to the Alpha

“Oh, so I can’t go threaten his life if he doesn’t agree to release you from the pack?”

“No. And even if you did, I think you’d be surprised to find that Gage won’t be pushed over so easily by threats.”

The future, once shrouded in a dark thundercloud, opened up before him with blue skies. His pack forgave him, and he was on his way to mending things with Kimberly. Life couldn’t be better.

But, if the last few weeks told him anything, it was to not rest on his laurels just yet. It seemed that when everything appeared to fall into place, another whirlwind came crashing through to throw them off course again. Gage could deny Kimberly her freedom. Dominic, though unlikely, might refuse his financial proposal for the pack to move. Shane could accidentally slip back into acting like his father again. Luckily, he had a number of people in his corner, like Kimberly and Paul, to keep him accountable.

There were a number of things that could still go wrong, but things could still go gloriously right. He had to hold onto that hope and not let it die again, otherwise he might just lose his mind.

*

Kimberly made her way tentatively toward the open garage bay on the side of Tolstone Auto Repair. The front was closed, but Gage assured her in their text exchange that he would be working a little late that evening on an old Ford before heading to the alpha meeting that night. She hadn’t told him what she wanted to talk about, only that she needed to talk immediately upon her arrival back into Tolstone.

Shane’s invitation to follow him to Oakfield hadn’t caught her by surprise, but the timing was less than ideal. Her emotions were still all over the place, her spirit tired by all the introspective work of building herself back up. She wasn’t where she wanted to be, but she was better than she was.

When he asked her, her first reaction was to give all of the old excuses she used to shout down what she really wanted. But she caught herself slipping into that old pattern and stopped herself.

Over the last few days, Kimberly took the time to reexamine her life and her decisions. Was this what she wanted? Did she want more? And if not, why? What held her back? Was it truly her lack of dominance? Or was it fear? Fear of what might happen if she went after what she wanted, regardless of her disabilities, tied her down. It suffocated the girl she used to be, the girl who used to believe she could be with Shane, despite anything else beyond their own feelings for each other.

Kimberly resolved to find that girl again, to live in the truth that she was perfect the way she was because Shane made her feel that way. That girl would seize what she wanted and flip fate the bird. If Shane wanted her, then she’d follow him to the ends of the earth.

However, she couldn’t just drop everything and follow him. Getting Gage’s permission felt something like a formality, like when a man asked his girlfriend’s father for his blessing to marry her.

She wasn’t sure exactly what Gage would say, but she remembered what Declan told her before. They just wanted her safe and happy. If Gage could be guaranteed that, the odds would be in her favor.

She jumped a bit at the sudden whirl of a drill, and spotted Gage’s legs and booted feet sticking out from under the old Ford pickup. Kimberly went in that direction and dodged around buckets of bolts and open toolboxes, making plenty of noise so she wouldn’t sneak up on him.

“Hey, Kim,” Gage called out from under the truck. “Give me just a minute while I zip her up.”

Kimberly stood to the side, hands folded against her long, flowing skirt, and tried not to gag on the odors of oil and fuel. After several moments of clanging tools, muttered curses, and the short buzz of the drill again, Gage wheeled out and sat up. Patches of grease and motor dust smeared his face, but his smile was just as charming as always.

“You survived your visit with your parents.” Gage pulled out a dirty rag from his back pocket to wipe his cheeks. “Are you feeling better?”

“Much. That’s part of why I wanted to talk to you.” Kimberly squatted in front of him, knees together. “I have to ask something, and I know you’re not going to like it, but I have to ask.”

Gage’s smile dropped. “Does this have to do with Shane?”

Kimberly nodded. “He’s … He’s asked me to go with him and his pack.”

Her alpha’s gaze fell to the space between them. The garage fell quiet besides the whoosh of the summer wind through the garage bay and the rumble of cars in the street.

“When?” he asked, a bit of gloom feathering his voice, just like when he heard of Michael’s death.

“Not sure. He still has to get the finances and make arrangements. He said a couple of weeks, maybe.”

Gage nodded thoughtfully as if he mentally calculated the time and the steps Shane would need to take. He was calculating how much time they would have left with her.

“You love him?”

She smiled, knowing she didn’t have to think too much about that answer. “I do.”

“Have you told him?”

“Not yet, but I will. We’re going to meet up tonight after the alpha meeting.”

She had other plans for that night with Shane, but Gage didn’t need to know about them.

He let out a sigh and pushed himself to his feet. “Then, it sounds like you already know what you should do.” He picked up his tools and made his way to one of the large red tool caddies. “Why are you asking me?”