I couldn’t have created the empire that I did in Pine Ridge. It just wasn’t equipped. The city was where I needed to be, and I had no regrets about that choice.
That didn’t mean I had to cut them out of my everyday life, though.
And now, there washer.My omega.
It felt like somebody had struck a match and lit my whole world on fire. All I could picture was Aspen’s gorgeous face in my mind. She was so pretty and petite, but she packed a punch. Her confidence and chaos was something that made me feel alive again. I hadn’t realized how monotonous and boring my life had become, how little of myself I had left at the end of the day.
She was full of life and excitement and I wanted just a fraction of that energy thrown my way.
The moment I scented her while we were sitting outside, everything seemed to fall into place. She was mine, and I wasn’t going to fuck that up… although it looked like I wasn’t doing that great of a job of that, seeing as how she ran out of here.
Because Jack was right, I had overreacted. It wasn’t that she had other mates. I knew that I’d likely have to share her. Aspen’s light was too bright to be meant for one single alpha.
But I also knew that Jack and North were very pro-Pine Ridge. They weren’t going to move to the city with us, and Aspen and I both had lives back in the city, jobs and homes. We couldn’t just pack up and move here permanently. It was a bit too far to commute and fight morning traffic every day.
“Are you even willing to move to the city for her?” I demanded.
“North has an entire business here,” he argued back.
Neither one of us was wrong, but it was a huge chasm between us.
“Yeah, and Aspen has a job and an apartment back in the city.” I didn’t need to tell him that her lease was about to be up and that she was going to be dealing with that soon.
Really, they knew nothing about her. I barely did.
It didn’t matter. I had every intention of figuring that out while we are here. I’d never taken off work for anyone, and for her, I’d taken two weeks off with barely an ounce of hesitation.
Aspen had changed everything, and now I was a bit terrified at how all this would turn out. Would she want to stay with them? Would I be willing to let that happen?
Could I really live without her?
The answer was an immediate resounding no from me and my alpha.
We started searching again, refusing to say more to each other as reality hung heavy between us. I would have to say something about the fact we had issues, but that was for another time.
When I knew where my omega was.
We reached the kitchen again. There was a soft peal of laughter drifting in from the back door. I could hear the gentlecadence of North’s voice. He was always so soft-spoken, the kind of beta that made an alpha want to protect him.
Aspen was talking animatedly, and his eyes were on her, soaking in every word she said. I understood. She was magnetic, drew you in just by being herself. Our scent-matched omega was full of life. Aspen laughed freely, wasn’t afraid to call you out, and that was all what I’d learned in a few short days.
There was so much more to come. I wanted it all.
“Well, I’d say you two are getting along nicely,” Jack called out.
Like usual, when attention was on him, North blushed and shrunk in on himself, ducking his head slightly. But she didn’t let him hide, drawing him back into the conversation with an infectious smile and touch, grounding him.
They were already good together. She was good for him and he’d be the softness she needs in life. This felt right. More right than I imagined.
“We were just sharing some holiday memories. Who knew that sliding down the street on ice and making a fool of yourself was a universal thing?”
Jack and I both cracked a smile, sharing a look of disbelief. Not once in all of my years had I seen North take to anyone other than us. Sure, he and Jack had become friends easily, but that was all Jack. He wasn’t the type to take no for an answer. He decided that he and North were going to be best friends, and so they were. That was the end of it.
Now he was sharing stories with Aspen. We had to be in some alternate reality or something.
“Hopefully, we don’t try to recreate it this winter,” North said, shaking his head. “Pine Ridge winters are brutal. Especially at five a.m.”
Aspen’s nose wrinkled adorably, and she looked horrified at the thought.
