She didn’t?
“Bec. Bestie. You know why they did it. We’ve been over this a million times. If you’d just get off those shitty suppressants, you’d see things differently.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she grumbles.
I tilt my head and examine her. A lot of frustration there, that’s obvious. But there’s something else deep inside. Something I’ve seen before in friends of mine.
Insecurity. Fear. Pride.
But I can’t say that to someone I just met.
“I’m from one of the only official packs in L.A., so I never took the suppressants that affect the senses. I never thought much about how they knew which drugs had those side effects or not.”
Bec scrutinizes me, but not in an angry way, more like I’m an experiment she’s observing. “You’re a Pepper.” It’s a statement, but I nod to confirm anyway.
“Adley Pepper, that’s me.”
“I met your brother a few times.”
I cringe outwardly. “Which one?”
“Aaron.”
That’s two people who know my asshole brother here. “I’m sorry for your trauma.”
Bec laughs and finishes her second glass of wine, not refilling her glass this time. “Well, now that you’re caught up—”
“That’s not entirely true.” Izzy’s voice is just slightly slurred. She looks at me. “One of her mates, as I think I told you earlier, is my brother. Well, the other one is Matthew’s dad.”
I can’t school the shock on my face. I already knew about her brother, but the odds of the other Alpha being related to one of Izzy’s mates has to be minuscule. Yet, here we are.
Izzy laughs and laughs.
“So nice of you to make fun of my pain.”
“Oh, stahhhhp it. They’d both murder for you.”
“Each other?”
Izzy huffs, and Bec sighs.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean that.”
Izzy frowns, but says, “I know.”
After a moment of silence, I ask, “Why don’t you want to be with them? They obviously want to be with you.”
Bec contemplates—reallycontemplates—for what seems like forever before her sad blue eyes turn up at me. “It used to be because my career meant more to me than anything. Success was all I ever cared about. Making money. But now…” She flops back into the back of the sofa, her whole body going limp, something I’m guessing is uncharacteristic for her. “I just don’t know anymore. Habit? Fear of change? I’ve been alone a long time. I always thought I preferred it that way.”
“Are you happy?”
“No.” She says it immediately, and I think she even surprises herself.
“Well, don’t you deserve to be? What if being with your mates really changes your life for the better?”
Bec’s lips part and close, then part again on a humorless laugh. When she looks at me this time, her eyes are glassy. “Perhaps you’re right. I’ll think it over. Thank you, Adley.”
“Adley is good people!” Izzy shouts, her words a bit slurred. Sephie’s head rises from between us and she shoots her mama a death glare. “I’m sorry,babyyyy,”she whisper-coos.
