AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I am talking to someone else.” Heat crept into my cheeks.
“A professional?” There was a touch of surprise in my mother’s voice.
“No, but she still helps.” More than she’d ever know.
“Is she… are you–”
“Mom!” I spun around and looked right at her.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that you’ve been acting strange ever since we got back.”
“It’s fine, Mom, but I really gotta go. Okay?” I reached out my hand and hoped my smile would be enough to get me to Kate.
“Okay. Just don’t be out too late. Your wolf needs you to rest.” She opened her arms, then placed her head on my shoulder once I stepped into her embrace. “And you can always talk to me. About anything.”
“I know. And I will,” I said as we separated. “Promise.”
“Just not tonight.” The disappointment in her voice forced a knot of guilt into my chest. “Be careful. All right?”
Nodding, I hugged her one last time, then got in my car and backed out of the driveway. I made it one block before I had to stop to collect myself. My mom didn’t fully understand my condition, but she tried.And I was a total ass to her.I didn’t flip her off or anything, but shying away from her the way I did was about as cold as I could get.
And I hated myself because of it.
It was so bad, in fact, I considered going home. But then I thought about Kate and the concert, and somehow, I made it to Nora’s without any other issues.
“Hey,” Kate said as she got in my car. “All good to go?”
“Yup. Man, I haven’t been down this way in a long while.”
“Nora’s pretty secluded out here. She likes her privacy.”
“Without a pack to run with, I guess she has no choice.”
“I’m sure she could run with someone,” Kate said as I turned down Main Street, “but she’s always been weird about letting anyone else get close.”
“She sounds a bit like me. You know, aside from the fact she runs a bakery.”
“She uses the food as a bridge but also a barrier. She’d never admit it, but after spending these last few weeks with her, I can tell she’s lonely.”
“I would be too.” Even if my pack drove me nuts half the time.
“Are your folks okay with this?”
“They know I’m going out, but I didn’t tell them where. Don’t worry. Dustin knows, so if anything happens, he’ll tell them.”
“He sounds like a great ally.”
“He makes an even better brother. He let me borrow this shirt. It’s cute, right?”
Kate leaned forward so she could see the fox on my shirt. “It looks like a small flame.”
“That was intentional. It was a gag gift from several years ago. I didn’t realize he’d kept it until he handed it to me earlier.”
“I like it.”
Settling in on my side of the car, I focused on the road ahead and smiled. “Me too.”
