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Beau and Evan would be disappointed in me if I even considered it.

Beau first met me at Cedar Ridge, while Evan was being beaten to the floor by Devlin. Evan was bravely trying to protect me from the older Alpha.

Evan’s eye was swollen, and his lip was bleeding.

Devlin was jealous that Evan kissed me first. He hated that I loved a Beta but rejected him, the captain of the football team.

Beau, the social outcast, who spoke to almost no one, quietly strolled over and took that asshole jock apart.

After that, Beau stuck to Evan and me like a shadow. He guarded us between classes, and we became best friends.

He would never allow me to become Devlin’s property.

Devlin is a spoiled rich boy who thinks that he can throw his weight around in this town to get what he wants.

Not this Omega.

Yet Acorn Inn isn’t only my home. It is where I scattered the ashes of my pack.

If I lose this inn, then I’ll lose Beau and Evan as well.

And I am not ready for that.

I will never be fucking ready.

My stomach growls again.

Have I missed breakfast?

I stroke over the leather jacket. “You would take one look at me, growl damn nuisance, but then come back with your signature tray of biscuits and gravy, right?”

I stare at the door, as if Beau will push open the door and stride in any moment with a breakfast tray and coffee for me.

But the door remains closed. The inn is empty, apart from me.

My eyes burn.

I slowly reach for the phone, which I keep every night beside my head.

I swipe it on, shifting onto my side, until my nose is touching the screen.

I open the messages and swipe to the group chat.

I tap Fate Made us Do it.

It is like Beau and Evan are as alive here as they were the night that they were snatched away from me.

Sometimes, I reckon holding them in this phone is the only thing that has stopped me from going crazy and allowed me to recover from Shattered Bond Syndrome.

My thumb moves upwards through months of photographs, silly banter, memes sent by Evan, and pictures of paint colors.

Then I find it—a little audio waveform tucked behind Evan complaining about not being able to find the right wood to restore the porch and a photograph of Beau’s wolf tattoo flash.

I have reread every message obsessively.

How did I miss this one?

I don’t remember what it says.