AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Now that’s not very nice to say about someone’s family,” Drake said, his eyebrows furrowing.
“They’re right, my parents are terrible, I promise,” I reassured him before he could worry too much. “I ran away from home the moment I turned eighteen, kind of terrible.”
“Clearly, you guys didn’t see the interviews with her parents. I should have shown you them, remind me next time I come over,” Serenity said.
Not wanting to dwell on my crappy home life, I flipped the pages further, going through their teenage years and into college. For Serenity at least. Ezra at that point had already taken over the diner. There was even a picture of him standing behind the counter. I loved that they were proud no matter what their kids did.
“Who is that, Serenity?” I asked. There was a guy that recurred in almost every picture from her college days. Even a few of them back home. Everyone around me shifted uncomfortably and I felt like I’d opened up a can of worms I didn’t mean to.
“An asshole who taught me that chosen mates can sometimes break your heart,” was all Serenity offered before closing the album. Thankfully, nobody held it against me, the conversation switching quickly to the latest motorcycle ride Valerie and Drake took.
“You’d be surprised at all of the hidden spots around here. We found this look out on old Route 73. You kids will have to come check it out sometime. We can have a picnic out there,” Valerie said. Her voice was loud as she excitedly described the ride.
Ezra looked like he wanted to ask me something. His expression shifted into one of determination before he turned back to his parents.
“We might have to put one of those sidecars on the bike for the baby. Make it a whole family affair,” he said casually.
I’ve never seen two people more enthusiastic to receive news like this. Valerie let out an ear-piercing screech while Drake’s laughter was booming. In seconds, we were both wrapped in suffocating hugs and I was being bombarded with questions.
They were only cut short by dinner finishing. Though we didn’t have that much information to give them yet, we still had to make it to the appointment next week.
We spent the rest of the evening swapping stories and getting to know each other and I realized that this was exactly why I was always meant to end up in Lockwood.
It was home and these people were now my family.
Ellie
Ludwig was quite possibly the cutest cat that I’d ever seen. He was a ball of fluffy, gray fur with a little, smooshed face. He looked angry but his meow was delicate.
The moment I walked into girls’ night at Kat’s house, I claimed him as my own
“Look, I know my cat is really adorable, but I need to know how that doctor’s appointment went,” Kat finally said, forcing me to focus on her, Serenity, and Tori who were now looking at me expectantly.
“It’s an aunt’s right,” Tori said, the other two easily agreeing as they claimed the aunt title right along with my sister.
“It went really well, actually. The office was fairly accommodating. You know all five of my guys insisted on going into the room with me, especially for the ultrasound.
“I’ve seen bigger packs,” Serenity offered. “There was a girl in college who found a ton of her mates in a fraternity. Can you imagine the nightmare that would have been? I want to say she was up to eight by the time I graduated.” Serenity looked justifiably horrified at the thought.
I shuddered. “No thanks. I can barely keep up with my five.”
“It’s the ‘no mate’ life for me,” Serenity said, shaking her head. Kat gave her a look and started rolling her eyes.
“You’re going to have to give in one day,” Kat argued.
“Look, not all mates work out,” Serenity defended stubbornly. Clearly, this was an argument they had often.
“You wouldn’t know,” Kat protested. “You didn’t even try to defend yourself.”
Serenity scoffed. “When your chosen mate accuses you of cheating and says he never wants to see you again, you take those red flags for what they are. He believed his childhood best friend, who happens to be a girl and in love with him, over me. I’m not even going to get in between that drama. He made his choice that day and I’m simply respecting that.”
Serenity snatched the bottle of whiskey off the table and angrily twisted off the top. She took a long swig before handing it off to Tori. She, apparently, hadn’t dealt with her feelings regarding it either.
Tori took a drink and passed it to Kat, who was still glaring at her best friend, though she did let the argument drop.
They had my curiosity piqued but I wasn’t about to beg her for more details. It was not something she liked talking about. I also had a very big distinct feeling that it was the alpha from the pictures I saw during dinner last week.
“Okay, moving on only because I’m starving,” Kat said. “Tacos are only good in person, so that leaves us pizza or Chinese food.”
