AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She’s not wrong. My mom has grown more protective of Arielle and I over the years, keeping us busy and at home more. She’s in trouble if she thinks that will stop boy-crazy Arielle, though. She rotates through crushing on the most eligible boys in her class about once every three weeks.
“Hmm,” I hum to myself, distracted. It isn’t often that Mom meets with guests at the bell tower, the building she unofficially works out of near the center of town. It’s where she takes the shifters she’s unsure of—strange, considering she acted like today’s guest was worth dressing up for.
“Don’t tell me you want to go spy too. We haven’t done that since we were little kids.” Indie arches her eyebrow as she looks over at me with a wicked smile. If I said the word, she would go all in with me. I almost say yes, but the wistful part of me withers to nothing and logic takes back over.
“Absolutely not.” Whatever is going on with my mom at the moment, I don’t want to be a part of it. My dangling arm brushes the rolled paper sticking up out of my pocket. “I actually need to drop this paperwork off to Meghan because she’s doing transport tomorrow for the woman I met with. Do you want to tag along? I might go to the grocery afterward.”
Indie’s eyes light up, and she jerks upright on the bed, hands going to her hair to smooth it. “Do you think Trey is working?”
“Probably.” He’s always working since the grocery store is his pride and joy. It’s not often the local places beat the big box stores, but he managed to run one out of our little community when he opened up shop.
Cupid’s Pack, like all packs, has its flaws—but no one dare say we’re not loyal to our own.
I turn my head toward the floor, hiding my sad smile behind a curtain of my pink hair. Not for the first time, I wish the Fates weren’t so cruel and had made Trey my best friend’s fated mate. It would have made her infatuation easier to watch.
“I would have dressed better if I knew we were going to the grocery.” Indie looks down at herself and purses her lips at the simple jeans and T-shirt that meet her gaze. Her eyes swing back up to me, and I can read the panicked urgency in them. “Can I wear something of yours just this once?”
The pleading look in her eyes pains me. I protect my wardrobe at all costs, even from Arielle’s sticky fingers. My eclectic collection of clothes is a point of pride for me. Every piece is carefully chosen to curate outfits in every style across the spectrum. I own everything from sixties housewife-style dresses to strappy outfits that could pass for bondage gear.
As a person, I’m dependable and maybe even a little boring sometimes. But my outfits? They’re bold and never boring. And my style is the only thing I have in my life that’s all mine.
“Just this once,” Indie digs in, sticking her bottom lip out in a comical pout. I don’t love the term puppy dog eyes, all things considered, but there’s no other way to describe the way she stares at me, eyes wide and pleading.
“Fine.” I point to the closet with one hand and cover my eyes with the other. “Just this once; do your worst.”
It barely takes her sixty seconds before she chirps, “Done!”
I open my eyes and try not to gape at her.
“I know, I know.” She holds her hands up. “But hear me out, there’s no way he can ignore me in this. Desperate times call for desperate measures!” She throws her hands up and spins in the neon-pink bodycon dress. She looks good in it, and she’s right. There’s no way Trey will be able to miss her in it.
I shrug. “Okay, but I don’t want to hear you’re embarrassed the first time someone looks at you a little funny.” And it’s bound to happen. I’ve spent twenty-two years on this planet, and I’ve been dressing erratically for at least fifteen of them. Still, the pack occasionally gives me a little side-eye for my choices.
“I won’t,” she swears.She will, my wolf calls out the lie.
“Let’s go then.” I shake off my wolf’s words. Of course my wolf is right, but I owe Indie, so putting up with her current antics is the least I can do.
My best friend follows me downstairs and waits patiently by the front door while I scavenge through the junk drawer in the kitchen looking for enough cash to keep Arielle, Mom, and I fed for another week.
The scrap funds are getting low, which makes a gnawing feeling settle in my gut. I’m not sure my mom has been taking enough work lately. I’ve been supplementing as much as I can, but life isn’t cheap. I’m funneling as much money as I can for Arielle to continue doing the dozen school activities she’s signed up for.
I don’t want her to have to quit things, but Mom hasn’t worked as much since Dad died. If things don’t pick up soon, we won’t be able to keep Greta, the housekeeper, any longer. Mom’s adamant that firing her would make the pack worry that we’re dealing with hardship. Which we are. But her pride is too big, too important to her to risk asking for help.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I can’t afford to spiral. I let the breath out through pursed lips before plastering a smile on my face. It’s fake, but Indie has the decency not to call me on it.
“I’m ready,” I tell Indie, opening the front door to let her step out in front of me. I close it behind us but don’t bother locking it. No one bothers us in Cupid’s Pack, especially not considering how close the guard stand is at the front gates.
We barely make it a block of the way to Meghan’s place before chaos erupts ahead of us. The distinct sound of my mom’s panicked voice yelling, “Wait a minute!” sets me instantly on high alert.
My first thought is that Reagan’s mate has come. I shove the paperwork for her transportation to the East Terrace Green Pack into Indie’s hands. The Alpha there is a good man, and I’m confident he’ll protect her until she’s ready to choose a place of her own to live.
“Get that to Meghan. Go.” I nudge Indie away, despite the uncertainty in her expression. I shoo her away, stomach twisting at the deep frown pulling the corner of her lips down as her brows furrow. I need to ensure Reagan gets away safely, and I can’t risk Indie.
I spin back in the direction of my mom’s shout. My wolf’s attention piques as a man stomps in my direction, closely followed by my mom, who looks pale-faced and desperate as she struggles to keep up. He doesn’t look angry necessarily, but the expression on his face isn’t comforting either. His ashy blond hair lies haphazardly over his forehead, and his icy blue eyes burn through me with barely contained… possession?
Do you feel it?my wolf asks me as a sick feeling twists in my gut. He’s tall and broad, and the look on his face speaks to an ugliness in his soul that I can just… feel.
“Feel what?” I murmur to myself.
