Page 61 of Puck My Life

“They look so good together,” I murmur.

“Do they? I don’t know. They look kind of bored and fed up to me.”

I sniffle.

“Ah, I see. Who are they?” he asks kindly.

“My foster family.”

“And you’ve told them how you feel, haven’t you?”

I shake my head. “Of course, not. Look at them; they are shining stars, and I’m just me.”

“Vae, that is absolute nonsense. If I can see your worth, I assure you lots of people can.”

“They can’t.”

“Then they don’t deserve you. How about you be my date this evening? I was going stag, but I’d love to have a beautiful omega like you keeping me company instead.”

“Marilyn said you were my date,” I say in surprise.

“Oh, did she now? Meddlesome alpha,” he mutters.

Mal leans down and kisses Indy on the cheek, and a photographer takes several shots. My heart thumps hard in my chest. My decision is made instantly.

“Okay. I’ll stay with you.”

“Excellent. Now, what can I show you to get your mind off those fools? I know, do you want to see my kitchen and the cake?”

His expression is so open, so honest. There’s no teasing, cruelty, or malice. He’s just being a really nice person. When I glance back at the pack, they are surrounding Indy, a beautiful pack.

It’s time to let go. Just a little bit. It’s time to find my own people and happiness.

I focus on him and only him, forcing a tiny smile that doesn’t show how much my heart is hurting. “Yes, I would like to go with you to see the cake.”

I put my hand in his, and when he threads our fingers together, I don’t pull away.

Raynor

PAST

Vae hasn’t spoken in days. She is silent as she stands beside me in a black dress, her cheeks too white, and her eyes glassy. I reach out and take her hand, half expecting her to pull away, but she doesn’t. Instead, her lower lip trembles.

She looks so young, like she’s still the kid everyone says she is, that I pull her into my arms, resting my chin on her head. Deacon and Mal step closer, the four of us and maybe a handful of other people to mourn the woman who saved us.

The priest reads the words we gave him, and then it’s over.

“Vae, you aren’t alone. We’re always going to be together.”

She stills and then pulls away. “Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away, and going away means forgetting.”

It’s a quote from her favourite book.

Those words sit with me for days, and Vae, she bounces back, throwing herself into the cleaning and cooking, and she never does explain.

But she’s not the same.

PRESENT