She smiles. “Thank you.”
“What would happen if the opposite occurred? Just imagine we didn’t like our mates?” I muse.
“Goddess, that would suck,” Charlie exclaims. “I really don’t give a shit about his rank or anything else, I just need him to be a good person.”
Her words settle on me for a while, even after we shift our talk back to planning our road trip. I don’t really have any expectations towards my mate. Charlie said she wants her mate to be a good person, while I just hope my mate will like me.
He just isn’t deep.
My chest clenches, my stomach quivering slightly.
I am just not deep.
twelve
New Guests
*GWENDOLYN*
“Faye, are you ready for your playdate?” I call towards the kitchen.
Faye jumps through the door, stretching out her arms and nodding. “Will mommy be okay?”
“Yes, I think she understands the new routine now,” I say. “We have been doing it the last couple of months, and it’s not much different to how it was before. But maybe you and Donna can check on her. Does that make you feel better?”
“Yes,” she says seriously.
Faye, Marina and I had been travelling around for weeks, not sure where to stay, until we reached this small town on thecoast. Maybe it was fate, I don’t know, but everything fell into place here. I ran into an old lady who was struggling with her groceries, and I helped her. That was Donna. Donna’s friend and neighbor is overseas at the moment, and was looking for someone to house-sit her small cottage.
Donna immediately took a liking to Faye and me, and, I think, felt some pity for our situation concerning Marina, so she set us up with her neighbor. He isn’t paying me anything but provides a space to live. The cottage is small, even smaller than the one from my former pack, but it’s comfy, and there’s space enough for the three of us, plus Tiger, who has not left my side ever since we left the pack. It also means we can rest a while from the endless road trip. It’s necessary to have this break, especially for Faye.
We have been staying here for two months now, although it’s obviously just a temporary solution. Faye needs stability. I am surprised how well she took us leaving the pack; maybe deep down, she really hated it there. I told her we would be travelling around and just have a little bit of girl fun.
When I talked to Maddox’s cousin, she immediately agreed to help me but told me to lie low while she searched for a good pack that would take us in. She very much encouraged me to drive around at first, just to put distance between my old pack and us, before staying in one place for a couple of weeks or months. I hope she will be able to find a solution that would fit for all of us.
“Don’t forget,” I say to Faye, “that Donna is a human.”
“Yes,” she giggles. “I’ve learned all about that in the pack.”
I get down on my knees and pull her into my arms, squeezing her. Faye giggles. “Stop it, Gweeeen!”
I laugh. “You are just too cute to resist.” I get up again, gently stroking her hair. “Come, let’s say goodbye to Mom.”
She beams, running back to the living room where Marina is currently sitting. The TV is on, as always. I am just glad she hasadapted to the new routine, but also for her sake, we soon need to find a proper solution to our situation.
“Bye, Mommy!” Faye places a kiss against Marina’s cheek. My heart breaks when I look at her, and the way Marina doesn’t react to anything Faye does. Faye returns to me and takes my hand. “I am ready.”
“Let’s go.” I shoulder her bag and look at her. “What’s your name?”
“I am Ann,” she giggles. “And you are Elsa.”
We decided to go by fake names, just to be sure. I have no choice but to trust Maddox’s words that no one will sniff us out as rogues, but I still wanted to add a layer of safety. Faye is obsessed with that movie, Frozen, so I hoped she would remember these names easily. Fortunately for me, she loves pretending to be a princess.
With Faye safely at Donna’s place, I can focus on work. Maddox gave me money, but I don’t want to rely on it solely, as we might need to live on it for a while longer. My plan is to keep it as backup, in case of an emergency, or possibly save it for Faye. He was right, it would technically help us survive for a couple of months, but once it runs out, we won’t have anything left.
And I don’t want it to come to that.
“Hey, Elsa.“ One of the patrons reaches out to grope my ass, but I dodge him swiftly.
