It’s one of the worst feelings in the world.
Embarrassed, I stand from the bench, leaving Avery behind, and head back into the rescue. Piper is there, a sympathetic look on her face when she sees my tears.
“Oh,” she says softly. “I’m sorry, Maeve.”
I shake my head and wipe a tear away quickly. “It’s fine.”
“He’ll come around,” she promises. “I’ll talk to him.”
“His intentions are good,” I sniffle. “That’s the worst part.”
“I know they are,” she says. “He just worries about you.”
“Do you think I’m doing the right thing?” I ask softly. “We were talking about moving in together.”
Piper chews her lip, looking thoughtful. “You are embracing the love in your life,” she says slowly. “I didn’t. I fought it as hard as I could.”
I swallow. “Yeah?”
“I was abusing my suppressants, just so I wouldn’t go into Heat. I didn’t want to deal with the emotional or physical toll it had. It was just a reminder of how lonely and miserable I was. I told you that, right?”
I shake my head slowly. “Kind of.”
“I didn’t want a pack,” she chuckles. “I hated Poe at first, by the way. In my eyes, he was the worst. He called cats pests, you know.”
“Oh,hellno.” My sadness is replaced with fury. “I’m glad he didn’t say that tome.”
Her lip quirks. “Me too. But the thing is, Maeve--I was hesitant abouteverything. I second guessed the people that mattered the most to me in life. For a time, the only person I opened up to was Blair. I wasmiserable. You wouldn’t have liked me, back then.”
“I’m sure I would have.”
Not like Piper?
That’s insane.
She’s great to my brother. She loves him for who he is, and they complement each well.
So why can’t Avery be happy for me? Ivan, Fang, and Logan…well, they haven’t said the wordlove, but they like me for who I am.
But they also haven’t known me long enough to get tired of my worries, so what if…
“Also, he can relax.” Piper interrupts my insecurity spiral and frowns. “Avery acts like there’s not an age gap between him and me. It’s ridiculous that he’s holding you to a double standard.”
“Exactly! That’s what I’m saying.”
Avery’s words still sting though.
What happens when my pack sees me at my worst and decide I’m too much to deal with?
“You found your Alphas, Maeve, and you’re embracing it. You’re accepting the goodness that comes into your life—something I couldn’t do for a long time. I’m not going to judge it.”
I nod. “Thanks, Piper.” Her words don’t make me feel better, though.
“Ladies!” Mari booms, entering from the back, holding a long string in her hand. “We have to make sure that nothing is left over from that broken shipment of cat toys—these are dangerous to the kitties!”
I swallow, and Piper notices my nervousness.
“It’s fine,” she says quietly, low enough that Mari can’t hear. “Everyone is fine. We cleaned up all the strings.”
