“Oh, Lyric,” Destiny whispered sympathetically. “I wondered why you have me pick you up there sometimes instead of from your work.”
“I know it sounds silly, but I miss the hope, you know? I miss finding the perfect plate set and taking it to the counter, chatting with the check-out person, and carrying the bag out of the store, imagining how I will set it out on the counter so he can be so excited when he comes back. I think I’m getting tired, and I haven’t been imagining him coming back as much lately. He seems so at home in the woods. I’m scared that Cian got Vic’s human side killed that day. I’m supposed to be grateful that he still exists, so I feel selfish saying it, but I miss the way Vic’s arms felt around me,” she said in a small voice. “I’m afraid I’ll never feel his arms again.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks as Destiny pulled her in for a hug.
“That makes complete sense to me,” Destiny assured her. And sometimes that’s what a woman needed — reassurance. Validation on her feelings. Sometimes she just needed to be seen without judgement.
“I will never leave him, but I’m afraid I will spend the rest of my life missing him,” Lyric choked out.
“Oh girl,” Destiny uttered in a tear-stained voice.
“It doesn’t feel fair,” Lyric said on a breath. “But then I think this is Karma, you know? I Turned all those wolves. And then I met Vic, and fell so hard, and this happens to him immediately? I barely had any time with him. Just enough to bond to him completely and what if you’re right? What if this is long-term?” she asked easing out of Destiny’s hug. “What if I only have the wolf for the rest of our lives? I’ll never have his babies. I’ll never have a mating ceremony. I’ll never have his last name. The wine tour when we finally schedule it? I’m going to have so much fun with you girls, but I will think of him the entire time. EverythingI do for the rest of my life, I will wish he was there, making jokes, hauling around his little hamster, making me laugh, holding my hand. When I see other couples kiss, I will be happy for them, but I will always, always think of Vic and wish all of him had survived.”
Destiny wiped dampness off her cheeks and tried to smile. “We have to have faith that he will find his way back to his human skin. It’s Vic. He’s full of surprises.” Destiny clapped her hands on her knees. “I think we need a break from all of this. It’s been really heavy on the entire Pack. Let’s go ahead and schedule the wine tour, and take a day off work, and take a day away from here and just…breathe. And laugh.”
Lyric huffed a breath and rolled her eyes.
“I’m serious. You aren’t used to girls nights yet because you keep refusing our invites. Girls nights are for laughter. It’s to be self-deprecating about the shit shows of our lives, and get everything off our chests, and cut loose. The wine tour is the perfect way to get you out for a break. Okay?”
Lyric nodded. That actually sounded not-terrible.
“Yeah?” Destiny asked, gripping her shoulders. “You’re giving me the okay to schedule it?”
“Sure.”
Destiny squealed a high-pitched sound that grated on Lyric’s sensitive ears. Everything was amplified in her body right now, thanks to the constant Changes lately.
Lyric’s alarm went off on her phone. “I have to get going. Just let me know what day to take off and I can get my shift covered.”
“Okay, I’ll text you as soon as I figure out a day with the girls.” Destiny got up and started clearing their sandwich plates off the table.
Lyric made her way to the door but paused before she left. “Hey Destiny?”
“Yeah?” she asked.
“I’m glad we have the Maker Bond. I’m glad I have it with you, I mean.”
Destiny offered her a mushy smile. “You saved me, Lyric. I’ll never forget it. I have this life with Dodger because of you. Anything you need, I’ve got you.”
Lyric cleared her throat. “I don’t want you to owe me some kind of fealty just because of the Maker Bond though. I just like that you’re my friend also. So…the same thing goes for you. If you ever need anything, just ask. I want to be there for you in the same way.”
Destiny’s smile turned soft and pretty. “Okay.”
“See you after work.”
“Okay, are you sure you don’t need a ride today?”
“Nah, I have one lined up.” She had big plans on fixing the car situation tonight. She couldn’t lean on the Pack for rides forever.
“Okay, I’ll be on Vic’s porch waiting.”
Lyric snorted and left, closing the door gently behind her. She’d wised up and given her location to the Pack on that location sharing app. Destiny was the one who used it the most with Lyric. Every day this week, she had meandered out of her and Dodger’s house just as Lyric was pulling up with a glass of lemonade and a smile on her face. Destiny was one of those people who checked in on her friends and was sensitive to them when they were having a hard time. That was rare in Lyric’s experience, and she appreciated her for it. They would chat for a few minutes on Vic’s porch and Lyric would drink her lemonade, and she would head to the woods to Change for Vic. Sometimes her shift ended in the daytime, and sometimes in the evening, or sometimes late at night, but morning or night, rain or shine, Destiny showed up with a smile and a ‘welcome home’ and a lemonade.
The more Destiny and the other females here showed her care, the less acceptable Eden’s behavior over the years had become.
Tonight would be hard on Lyric.
She hadn’t admitted it to Destiny, but she was heading to Coeur d’Alene Lake Pack territory tonight to tie up some loose ends. She’d thought about bringing the Pack for back-up, but for this, she needed to do it alone.
