I jogged down the stairs without having decided, which was never a great idea.
My mom always said I was too emotional to be an Alpha. Controlling what came out of my mouth, being patient, was not a strength of mine.
I stepped onto the landing and turned, finding our kitchen a bevy of happiness.
Food preparation and drinks being poured.
And at the heart of it all was Nevaeh, smiling at Brad and letting Aaron drop kisses on her face.
How could she possibly want to leave us?
I pushed down the need to explore that gaping hole of sadness and leaned against the couch.
Brad glanced over to me. “You gonna help?”
I laughed. “How? There’s three of you in the kitchen already.”
I’d get in the way, and I wasn’t sure I could trust myself not to ravage her again.
Aaron grinned. “Yeah, with Nevaeh here permanently now, we should look at expanding. I know humans do extensions on their houses all the time. What do you think, beautiful?”
Nevaeh had frozen, and I was the only one to see it.
The others continued to smile and move around the kitchen, preparing food.
I felt bad for everyone in that room.
Nevaeh was feeling overwhelmed and probably a little trapped, and my pack mates were about to get their balls handed to them.
I waited, my chest aching. It was like watching a car on the road, slipping and sliding amongst the elements. Knowing an accident was imminent but there was no way of stopping it.
Nevaeh moved further away, around to the side of the room. “Ah… I’m heading home later today. I have some things I need to do.”
I crossed my arms and stared at her.
“Didn’t Claire ask you to stay for a few days, so that we could get to know each other better? Plus, I think she also made sure you had the time off work.”
She glanced over to me, then back to Aaron and Brad.
“Yeah, she did. But I’m not comfortable staying here tonight. Little River’s only an hour away. I can come back tomorrow.”
She was lying.
She wouldn’t come back tomorrow.
Brad and Aaron began to get upset, their faces taking on dark expressions, and the atmosphere in the room changing dramatically. The temperature dropping from scorching to sub-arctic.
Yet everything in me calmed down. Went very still.
“What do you mean, Nevaeh?” Aaron asked.
“What did we do wrong?” Brad queried.
I waited as her gaze bounced between the three of us.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I just need to go home. You must know what that’s like. There’s no place like home.”
Aaron moved towards her, the pain on his face obvious. “What do you mean? You’re our mate. We want this to be your home.”