I was only halfway through my story when a timer went off.
“I have a free session after this one, if you would like to continue,” she offered gently. Her soft voice and compassionate eyes made that decision easy.
“I think that I would,” I said as I settled in more.
One hour later, my story was laid out in every last gory detail. It wasn’t easy to explain all the awful things I’d simply dealt with, or the end of our relationship and how fucked up it was.
But when I stood up to leave, I felt a little lighter than I had in a long time. With a fresh appointment card in hand, I finally walked out of the office and into the afternoon sun to call my friends.
The phone barely rang before Dani and Taryn were already on it, their faces eager.
“So, how was it?” Dani asked without a hello.
“Well, she let me stay for another hour, so you tell me?” I teased back.
“Do you feel better?” Taryn asked.
“I do. I’m headed back to the store to check the emails and then home,” I promised before they could call me a workaholic.
“Can we talk you into dinner at the lake? The guys are making subs and sides. Plus, there will be s’mores,” Dani sang out.
“Oh no, not s’mores,” I joked, but, honestly, it sounded perfect. I spent all afternoon in the past, spending time in the present sounded perfect. “Yes, I’ll be there. I’ll do the emails then run by my place and change.”
“Great, see you there in an hour. Liam will be excited to see his favorite Aunt Bea,” Taryn said. They both looked relieved that I was back to myself. .
“He’s the only man that I’ll ever need,” I said with a laugh.
“I bet he’d fight a fireman or two for you,” Taryn teased, not letting me off the hook. I had a feeling these two wouldn’t let me escape my pack if I wanted to.
“He may have to. I ran into one of them at lunch. It was not easy to simply stay away,” I admitted. “My omega and I like them.”
“Then why are you?” Dani asked.
“Get a few drinks in me and ask me then,” I answered with a sigh. This wasn’t a subject for a phone conversation, and especially not after two full therapy sessions. There was only so much an omega could handle.
“I’ll hold you to that,” Dani said. Knowing her, she meant that. “Hurry up and get your ass here.”
“I’ll be there within the hour, promise,” I promised again.
“If you aren’t, I may have to call a few 911 hotties to rescue you from yourself,” Taryn said with a chuckle.
“You better not. I’ll tell Holt, Ash, and Matthias you’ve been a bad girl,” I shot back.
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” she snorted. “Now hurry that cute ass up.”
“Gross, see you both soon,” Dani said before she disconnected.
“Seriously, if you’re not at Dani’s in an hour, I will call them,” Taryn stated before she hung up, too, the threat hanging in the air behind her.
Shit, I better set an alarm so Taryn won’t have to keep her promise. Otherwise, I’ll be the one in trouble.
Smoke billowed out of the windows of the large home ahead of us, glass shattering as it exploded outward. Two figures stumbled back, the woman’s cries loud enough to hear as we rolled to a stop.
Corvin started barking out orders the moment the truck was in place. They were orders that Apollo and I followed without hesitation. We trusted him, and we’d done this long enough that we were a well-oiled machine.
The woman standing outside was wringing her hands as the man tried to console her.
“Is anyone inside, ma’am?” I asked as I approached. I was usually the one to handle civilians, not just because I was a beta, but because I knew how to talk to them.
