Roland and I shared a glance, and he suggested to Alpha and Auden that we talk more tomorrow. They went toward the dining hall, but we decided to return to the cabin and eat later. The Stoney River pack tended to dine earlier than we did, though Roland complained the vegetarian options disappeared early, so perhaps we should change our eating habits.
“I’m not happy with any of those suggestions, other than us staying on pack land and never leaving.” We’d be like the princess who was confined to the tower. She was safe inside,and she could see the world from the top of the tower but never venture into it.
“We’ll come up with something. The more we talk, the more brainstorming we’ll do, and from there we’ll get a viable plan.” Roland stripped off his clothes and strode into the shower. “Want to join me?”
I had my clothes off and raced past him into the tiny bathroom. “Who gives who a blowjob first?”
15
ROLAND
I woke up just as Bryden was getting ready to leave for the day. It was still dark, and I wanted to stay asleep in his arms for a few more hours. That wasn’t going to happen.
“It’s too early,” my mate grumbled.
“Apparently, that’s when alpha shit happens,” I teased.
When I’d asked him his plans for the day, he said he had alpha shit in the morning and library in the afternoon. When I’d asked him what he meant by alpha shit, he’d shrugged.
Yesterday, I’d overheard some pack members talking about getting some of the waterlogged trees out of the river. The wood from them was supposed to be some of the best there was. And that was great, and I had a feeling that was what the plan was for the day.
He and the other alphas were getting along really well, and I loved seeing the way he just blended into this place. I didn’t feel quite the same. Everyone was nice, it wasn’t like my old pack in that way. They respected me and saw me as valuable, but I was also an oddity to them.
Quite a few pack members hadn’t even known that unicorns were real before we arrived. Since there were so few of us, that didn’t surprise me at all, but it also made it more difficult to feel like I was one of them and not on the outside of the pack, looking in.
After my mate left, I dozed for another hour and then went out to the fire pit to see if anyone was around. I had an idea for the day, but didn’t want to leave the pack lands without talking to someone about it.
“Auden.” He was sitting on a chair drinking some tea. I loved how the fire pit was a communal space, even when there was no actual fire burning.
“Morning. Did you want some tea?” he offered.
I held up the travel cup I had brought with me. “Brought my own. Looking for some company?”
“Yeah, I’d like that. Are you working today?”
“About that… there really isn’t much for me to do. I feel like it’s more of a ‘name only’ position, and I want to contribute more. I’m not saying I don’t want to help if someone needs healing, but…” I turned to face him and whispered low, “I think I want to get a job in town.”
To my surprise, he said, “You know, that’s not a bad idea.”
I don’t know why I was expecting pushback. Probably because of the entire luggage cart full of baggage I carried with me everywhere I went.
“Oh. Okay.” I was taken aback by his response and had a whole rebuttal planned. Gods, I was like a teenager sometimes.
I hadn’t discussed this with Bryden, yet beyond it being on my radar, I knew he didn’t particularly love the idea, and I wanted to know if it was doable before having a full sitdown discussion on what me having a job would look like. Having Auden’s approval meant a lot to me.
“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be doing ‘alpha stuff’?” I used finger quotes. I didn’t feel quite right saying “shit.”
“Nah, let the young’uns do that stuff.” He set his cup down. “Do you want to know why I think getting a job in town is a good idea? Because the look on your face tells me you’re jumping to conclusions and not all of them positive.”
I hadn’t realized I was making a face, but he was right. My mind was playing all sorts of games on me, always coming back to some version ofI don’t belong here.
“Yes, please.”
“I think you need something that’s just yours. It’s not about the money, it’s not about what you can or can’t contribute to this pack. I’m not worried about that.” He rested his hand on my shoulder. “For so long, you’ve done what others have told you to, and you need to find something that’s exclusively Roland’s.”
I hadn’t thought of it that way, but he was right. I never got to explore what I wanted to do with my life, not for a career or for a hobby. Was working going to fill that void? No, but also, maybe yes.
“Why don’t you take my bicycle?” he offered. “It’s not too far, but bicycles are faster. But first, you should eat something.”
