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“I’m so happy to see you.” Vaila’s arms wrapped around Ellie and held her close, reminding me how little I knew about these people.

Pulling back, Ellie asked, “Is she going to be okay? Physically. Mentally, she needs a slap in the face.” I guffawed and leaned forward to whack her thigh to get her attention.

Stop perpetuating the teenage asshole stereotype.

“But am I wrong? You took off and got hurt after already getting into this mess, and you’ve hinted at other things.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at me.

Fine. You win.

“I can help with mentally too if Mine wants me to, but physically, she will heal with time and care.”

“I’m on it. What does she need?” Ellie forced Vaila to reiterate everything, and she kept a list of notes on her phone to make sure everyone did as they were told. That meant everyone played servant until my ankle wasn’t a mess.

Time went on, Vaila stayed for lunch, then dinner, and as much as I was annoyed with how Odie still looked at her, I really liked her. She was a nice and welcomed addition to keep the boredom at bay. Plus, I didn’t think they’d start the interrogation until she left, so if I got her to stay too late, this shindig could be put off until tomorrow after a long night of sleep.

I found out Vaila was there when Ellie was born and was a constant in her life as well. Not as constant as Odie and Cy, but she was in and out, helping all of them as illnesses and injuries occurred. Apparently, she was close friends with Ellie’s mom, which sparked everything, leading to her being in the room when Gerard birthed her.

Ellie and Odie were half siblings, sharing Gerard as a parent. Both had Alpha parents, but Ellie’s was a female Alpha where Odie had a male Alpha. Learning about their breeding practices was interesting when compared to Humans. Omegas could, in theory, be impregnated by any designations, Betas were practically Human, and Alphas were as well except female Alphas could also impregnate others. It was easy to remember when thinking about who has dicks and who has uteruses. However, I wanted to see some drawings to get the full picture.

Female Humans already had complicated anatomy. I could only imagine what a male Omega’s looked like. Add in slick and knotting, and it was an anatomical nightmare. When Vaila mentioned these, Ellie had lots of clarifying questions lined up, but Odie promised they’d discuss it more later as she already knew plenty it seemed like.

“I should be going,” she said shortly after our dinner of steak, potatoes, and asparagus. Odie was a master on the grill, and they were all perfectly medium rare. “If you need anything else, you know where to find me.” Vaila winked, and the irritation grew. I hated it.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night so you aren’t driving around here in the dark?” Vaila raised a brow at Odie, and so did I.

“No thanks, Odie. I don’t want to overstay my welcome. Besides, I like driving at night through the forest. It’s calming.” If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she glanced at me when she said “overstay my welcome.” I didn’t know if that was a jab or something more.

“If you say so.” Odie walked her out after we all said our goodbyes.

The house was quiet once again with Odie and Vaila outside, Ellie playing on her phone, and Cy and I cleaning up dinner. We worked in companionable silence, and despite her rough exterior and our initial meeting, I thought she enjoyed having someone helping out besides Odie.

Too bad the silence couldn’t last forever. When Odie returned, my nightmare began.

Chapter 14

Mine

I sat in one of the wingback chairs to remove myself from them as much as possible. Ellie sat beside me in the second one with Odie beside her on the two-seater and Cy eyeing me from the larger couch.

This was incredibly uncomfortable, but it wasn’t like I didn’t know it was coming. I’d been avoiding it all day, and now with Vaila gone, there were no more excuses other than I was tired and didn’t want to. That wouldn’t stop them though.

“Tell us what happened.” Odie’s voice was calmer than I expected, and that eased some of the tension in my body.

I assumed they figured some part of it out since Ellie had, but better to get the truth from the horse’s mouth than be a big old ass assuming shit.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. My hair hung down around my shoulders, and I played with it, refusing to meet their eyes when I opened mine.

It was going to sound ridiculous to them, and I didn’t want that judgment. There were so many words vying for a spot first, but I had to start somewhere.

They ruined my things. None of them said a word, letting me carry on and explain. I don’t care about the things. They can all be replaced, but they ruined a picture.

My boxes had been shoved into the space between the TV and the hallway opening, so they weren’t in the middle of the living room. Seeing them like that made it seem like I had so little, but really, they barely packed anything in there, and what they did pack was meant to make a statement.

“A picture of what?” Odie prodded.

My parents and I before they died.

Through my peripherals, I saw Cy’s nostrils flare and Odie’s hands turn into fists.