“I know, I saw your dad’s truck last week. We were wondering how he had gotten the money for it. Guess this answers that.” Link rubbed small circles between my shoulder blades and I leaned into the touch. I had never been very touchy feely before perfuming but now I couldn’t get enough of it.
“I don’t want to go. I’m going to run away and live in the woods.”
Link chuckled next to me, “I’d go with you but you and I both know we’re shit at outdoor survival skills. Remember the time we tried to camp here? Attracted coyotes and everything.”
We’d been eight and ten and had decided to try and make a go of living away from our parents after Link’s step-dad had given him a black eye and a busted lip. We’d been doing well until the nighttime and coyotes had ripped into our bags which we’d left outside of the tent. The night had been spent huddled together as animals scuffled outside. We definitely weren’t cut out for outside life.
“I don’t want to leave you.” I finally admitted turning to look at him with teary eyes, “You’re my person Lincoln Vendrick. What will I do without my person?”
Link’s green eyes had always been expressive. You could always tell if he was angry, or upset or happy. Right now he just looked sad.
“You’re my person too Ellie. Together against everything.” He held his pinky out to me and I linked mine with his and he did something he had never done before. He leaned over our linked fingers and kissed me. It was clumsy and awkward and I was completely surprised. But I loved every second of it.
“I’ll come find you Eloise. Once I’m eighteen I will come for you.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
I had walked back to our neighborhood of trailers with him after that, our hands joined, and had gotten into the SUV without any more fighting. I didn’t look at my mother who was suddenly in overdramatic hysterics—no doubt for the neighbors—I didn’t even look at the old run down trailer that I had been born in. I only looked at the boy who was standing at the end of the cracked cement sidewalk. He stood there as we drove away and I watched as he grew smaller and smaller until his dot disappeared.
That was the last time I saw Lincoln Vendrick.
I waited for him. Counting the days until his eighteenth birthday and telling myself that he’d come for me. But that day came and went. After that I had tried. But the other packs felt wrong. I convinced myself that if Link wasn’t in the pack then that was the reason I never clicked with any of the packs. After all, he was my person and I was his.
Doubt niggled in my mind as I sat on the edge of my tub, nearly dry now as I thought about my childhood.
Shaking off my dark thoughts I finished drying my hair and dressed in the clothes that I had brought into the bathroom with me. As I stepped into the bedroom someone knocked on the door.
“Ellie, it’s Ric.” Just like this morning the dark eyed alpha was here again.
“Hey Ric,” I greeted him as I opened the door, just like this morning his nostrils flared again but he seemed to recover more quickly.
“I played hooky early from work—wanna grab an early dinner?” Ric looked a bit mischievous and though he had an easy-going smile on his face he was shifting from foot to foot which showed that he was a bit nervous. I had seen countless dancers do that move when we were waiting to try out for parts.
My stomach growled at the thought of food, reminding me that I had only nibbled on the breakfast sandwich that had been left earlier, “Just you and me?”
“Yeah, unless you want me to bring the whole gang…?” Ric asked with a raised eyebrow.
I shook my head. “No, definitely not. But dinner sounds great—what were you thinking?”
Now that I’d agreed to his request Ric’s nervousness was gone and a broad, genuine, grin lit up his face—leaving me a bit dazzled.
“It’s a secret but I think you’ll like it.”
Well I couldn’t argue with that, now could I?
11
The Thai restaurant we were sitting in was quiet, only having just opened for dinner. We were the only customers except for a few older men sitting at the bar top seating. The employees were quietly bustling around, undoubtedly preparing for a busy night. Eloise and I had ordered our food: I, a chicken plate, and Eloise, much to my surprise, a spicy curry plate.
“Can you handle all of that spice?” I asked with a raised eyebrow and took a sip of my beer that I'd ordered.
“Yeah, I love spicy food,” Eloise said a bit absentmindedly as she answered a text on her phone. I'd caught the name “Tibby” earlier as we walked in and I assumed it was an omega friend from the academy.
“I’m just surprised, the other guys can’t handle any kind of spice and end up chugging water and milk when we order spicy food.” I couldn’t help but watch as she reorganized the silverware on the table, switching it to the other side. She was left-handed, so I made a mental note of that. She also seemed to love the coke that she ordered if the little sigh she gave after taking a sip was any indication. I wondered if I could make her sigh like that and had to talk myself down before I embarrassed myself at dinner.
“Well you’ve got a fellow spice fanatic in me. My roommate Tibby can’t stand it either so I’m usually on my own.” Eloise replied, putting down her phone and giving me her full attention. Her brown eyes crinkled in the corners as she gave me what felt like the first genuine smile I’ve gotten from her in the 24 hours that we’d known each other.
