August’s POV:
Why were goodbyes always hard? Perhaps it’s because we understood that we were going to be apart from the people we loved and cared about.
My heart was heavy as I drove onto the main road that led to human territory.
Whitney had tears in her eyes while saying goodbye, and the twins looked as sad as Leo. As for Lexi, she couldn’t even look into my eyes because she too was sobbing. They all knew that I wasn’t going to come back anytime soon, despite me telling them otherwise.
It was a clear lie meant to make them worry less because what I wanted was to be far away from them and just live my own life. I wanted to learn how to love myself more and properly before anyone else, and that was what I hadn’t done in my past.
When my cell phone rang on the front seat next to me, I glanced at it lazily, then quickly picked it up while trying my best not to lose my grip on the steering wheel.
“Sharon,” I answered happily.
“Where are you?” she asked in a cracked voice.
I sadly stepped on the brakes, then looked outside the window while blinking back the forming tears.
“I am far away from our territory,” I answered in a low tone.
“Why, why?” she asked, then sniffed.
I felt bad that she had to find out this way because I had no courage to talk to her. I wondered what she would have done if I had told her a day earlier before my departure. Would she have stopped me and asked me to stay back, or would she have encouraged me to go and come back in a few weeks?
As it was, I was still attached to her, and my heart was badly hurting over the fact that she was mated.
“Why what? Didn’t Whitney explain to you why I was taking this trip? I told her to tell you everything after a few hours,” I pointed out.
“She did tell me everything, but is that reason enough for you to leave?” she asked as I angrily opened the door and stepped out.
“What did you expect me to do, Sharon? Stay by your side and watch you with another man?” I asked loudly.
“No, I wanted you to stay by Whitney’s side because she is like a sister to-”
I disconnected the call before she could say another word, then shoved my cell phone into my front pocket.
So, that was it? Her call wasn’t because she wanted to see me off or ask me to go back to her. It was about her asking me to stand by Whitney’s side because I was her friend and Beta.
I laughed loudly, like I was crazy, as a tear rolled down my cheek.
“I’m crazy. I’m definitely crazy because I think of things way ahead of time before they could actually happen. When they don’t, I lose my mind and feel hurt. Am I sick?” I asked my wolf powerlessly.
“No, we are just alone and unloved,” he answered with a whimper as I squatted down and moved my hands to my face, sobbing.
My heart was empty, and my wolf was feeling twice as I did.
“For a grown-ass Beta to be crying like this at the side of the road, it must mean two things: either you are crazy or crazy shit is eating you up,” Felix’s voice came from behind.
I quickly dropped my hands and stood up, wiping off my tears.
“Relax, I’m not judging you. Whitney filled me in on everything that’s going on, and she asked me to follow you because she was worried about you,” she said softly.
I turned and faced her, then smiled.
She was in men’s wear, and her hair was tied into a ponytail.
“You know, I came running in full speed to find you. If not for my instincts being the best there is in this world, I wouldn’t have found you,” she said as I frowned.
Was that supposed to be a joke? If it was, then it wasn’t funny.
“You didn’t come with a car, did you?” I asked in a cracked voice.
“No, I’m serious when I say I came running,” she answered and then moved closer and patted my shoulder.
“Listen, August, do you know that Amelia once sought refuge at my place?” she asked.
“The Alpha queen?” I asked in disbelief.
“Yes, her,” she answered, then continued to speak.
“Before she knew what she was, she thought she was just a mere omega, and Ian, by then, mistreated her badly. The poor girl had nowhere to go because her pack was taken out by Ian, so she could only be in his pack. Everything changed, though, when Axel took over and forced Ian to back down. He asked me to take Amelia in and made me promise to look after her until she was happy with her life,” she said, then turned and went to the other side of the car, getting into the passenger seat.
“If you want to hear the rest of the story, then get in and drive,” she said loudly as I quickly got in and started the car.
“Please continue,” I whispered.
“Of course, I will,” she answered.
“Amelia struggled to cope with being far away from Ian despite his bad treatment. Nothing made her happy at first until she learned to love herself. The thoughts of her being weird and stupid vanished once she realized that her happiness didn’t revolve around Ian but herself,” she said as I glanced at her seriously for a moment.
“Is that story true?” I asked.
“Well, yes, most parts are,” she answered.
I laughed softly, then shook my head.
“So what is the moral of the story?” I asked.
“The moral of the story is that if you stay with me, you will have it easy. Lee, Jeannie, and Chase are looking forward to having you around. Our company will make you feel less lonely than being alone,” she answered.
“Staying with a vampire, water fairy, and warlock,” I muttered to myself.
“You are forgetting Jeannie. She is a warrior she-wolf who talks trash so you won’t fall for her,” she said calmly.
“Why are you so sure that I won’t when I’m a loser who seems to want other men’s women?” I asked.
“Because you won’t have time to chat or even admire her. She works full-time at a children’s daycare or whatever it’s called. Was it a school?” She asked herself thoughtfully, then laughed.
“She will be busy, and so will you because you will be working at one of my clubs,” she said.
“What?” I asked in disbelief.
“You heard me. I’ll work you to death until you have no time to cry or think. So in the afternoon, you will be getting some good rest, and in the evening,”You will be busy. The pay will be great, so what do you say?” she asked as I smiled widely.
“I’ll take it,” I answered.
“Good choice,” she said, then focused on the road as I drove happily.