While Liam hung out with his brothers the next afternoon, I spent some time with Jamie. We headed out to the lake to relax by the water and to get away from all the commotion around the house. We laid back on lounge chairs, soaking in the rays of the sunshine. The breeze was steady, keeping us from overheating, making it the perfect day for being lazy.
“How are things with you and Liam?” Jamie asked after we got settled.
“Good. Great even. We finally talked about our wolves claiming each other as mate and decided to give this a real chance. Well, as long as all goes well with his family.”
It felt weird chatting about Liam with someone I didn’t know all that well, but I wanted to make more of an effort with Jamie. I needed more females in my life, and from what I could tell, she was going to be around anytime we were with Caleb. It seemed like the perfect time for me to try to make a new friend.
“I’m sure it will be fine,” she said. “Caleb has talked about it some and thinks their mom will make their dad see reason if he doesn’t to begin with. It doesn’t sound like Elijah’s a bad guy even though he’s tough on them.”
“I had come to that same conclusion myself,” I said. “Liam just doesn’t want to disappoint his family and thinks it’s better to tell them in person. I get it. I’d probably feel the same way. I’m just ready for things to be settled. Everything feels so up in the air. What about things with you and Caleb? I don’t need to kick his ass, do I? I warned him I would when he began flirting with you.”
Jamie’s face lit up with pure joy. “Thanks for that. I hadn’t been sure he was sincere with his feelings when we first met, but he’s proven himself. We’re in the same stage as you and Liam except the alpha thing. I told Caleb I would go with him to the Catskills yesterday while you guys were gone. I’ve never had a real family before and he makes me happy. My wolf is quite fond of his as well. I’m nervous, though.”
“Why would you be nervous?”
“I went through a lot living under Declan’s rule. It feels like I’m being an idiot for jumping right into things with Caleb. I don’t know. Maybe I’m overthinking it. Tricia says I’m crazy, but she’s not a wolf. Well, she doesn’t have one in her. The spell doesn’t give them the same perks as us, so she doesn’t get it.”
I hadn’t even thought of that before. It made sense that the humans who were turned wouldn’t have the same connection to their wolf side as us since it was a forced change in their genes and not something they were born with. Tricia had been the only person Jamie had grown close to besides Caleb, and I felt bad for not having reached out to her sooner considering all she had been through.
“That makes sense. I don’t think you’re being crazy at all. I think you’re living in the moment and that’s what we have to do. We will never know how many moments we have left. If you’re happy with Caleb, and your wolf is pushing you that way, then I say go for it. This is your life and you need to live it the way you see fit. Don’t let anyone, Caleb included, sway you. Those guys need to be put in their place more often. Cocky bastards.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” Jamie laughed. “Thank you. I really appreciate the advice. I’ve never had a real friend before and it feels nice to just hang out here with you.”
I leaned over and lightly pushed her shoulder. “Don’t get all sappy on me. This friend thing is new for me, too.” I laughed. “It’s always just been me, Cord, and Augie. So much has changed in such a small amount of time.”
“I can’t even imagine how hard it’s been. If you ever need to chat with someone with less testosterone, know I’m here for you.”
She really was too sweet and I was liking her more and more. She gave me a lot to think about without realizing it. My advice in telling her to live in the moment made me think about my own moments. Liam and I had decided to give this a real shot, but we hadn’t really talked about what it meant for our immediate future.
We needed to get our own place. There was no way I was living with my mate and my father under the same roof. Something needed to change soon.
We continued to chat idly, keeping the conversation light. It was fun getting to know her and to share things about me most people didn’t know. By the time the sun began to set, I was sad to see our afternoon end.
We grabbed our things and headed back to the pack house with smiles on our faces. When we arrived, the guys were already back from their adventures. When we asked what they had been up to, it was clear we didn’t want to know. The look of guilt on each of their faces said they’d behaved like unruly children and had way too much fun. It made me happy to see them that way.
Caleb and Jamie headed outside, Aiden went up to their room, and Liam joined me in the living room. We sat on the couch and I laid my head on his shoulder. My skin was still warm from the earlier sun and my heart was content.
“Good day for you, too?” he asked.
“It was. Jamie was a lot of fun to hang out with.”
“More than me?” He raised a brow.
“She’s a close second. You better be on your best behavior or she just might beat you out.”
Liam squeezed me tightly. “I’ll see what I can do about that.”
“She did help me realize we need to talk about us some more. If we’re really going to do this and you’re staying here, then things need to change. We can’t live in the pack house with my dad forever.”
“Believe me, I’ve thought about it plenty. Probably more than I should, but I had no intention of pushing for anything more until you were ready. You just got your dad back. I was willing to wait until things settled down for that conversation.”
“It’s not a big deal. None of the houses or cabins are that far away from the pack house. We’d still be close, and I think he’d understand.”
“Still be close to what?” Augie said, rudely interjecting into our conversation.
“August James, didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s rude to interrupt other people’s private conversations?” I said in mock disapproval.
He tapped his finger on his chin as if he was thinking really hard about the question. “Sounds like familiar advice, but I don’t remember. So, you going to tell me what you were talking about or do I have to bug you later?”
I glanced up at Liam. “I’m sorry. He’ll grow on you, I promise.”
Liam laughed. “No big deal. We were talking about trying to find a place to live in with just the two of us and when would be a good time to do so since Gerald just woke up.”
“Why don’t you move into my house and I’ll move in here? It’s one of the closer houses to the pack house, and I’m here all the time anyway. Even more so since I became beta. I don’t mind.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “There’s no changing your mind once I move my stuff in. You’d be finding a new house if you did.”
“Yeah, I’m positive. I think it’s the perfect solution. Talk to your dad about it and let me know tomorrow. I’m headed into town with some of the guys for a few hours.”
I got up from the couch to give him a hug. “Love you, Augie, and thank you.”
“Love you, too, and you know I’d do anything for you. Don’t worry about it. I think it will be good.”
Augie left, and I settled back down on the couch with Liam. “Well, I guess that was a little easier to figure out than I thought it was going to be.”
Liam nodded in agreement. “Should we cook your dad dinner and talk to him then?”
“Not a bad idea. Let’s do it tonight. Who knows what tomorrow will bring,” I said.
We headed for the kitchen and I sent my dad a text, letting him know he now had dinner plans. He quickly replied with an agreement. Liam decided to grill steak while I worked on all the sides. Within the hour, we were settled at the table.
Liam was sweating bullets the whole time, and the conversation was awkward while we tried to wait until everyone had eaten to spill the news. I finally got tired of it and threw it out there.
“I’m moving out of the pack house and into Augie’s house.”
My dad choked on his food. “Excuse me? What about this guy who recently told me he loves you and wants to move to our pack?”
Oops. That hadn’t come out the way it was supposed to. “Augie is moving into the pack house. Me and Liam will be moving into Augie’s house. With Augie being beta, he’s always here anyway. More than before when he was just visiting me. It makes everything easier this way.”
“I don’t like your definition of easier,” Dad grumbled. “Why do you have to move out?”
“Dad, Augie’s house is less than a hundred yards away. If you’d rather, Liam and I could move to his pack instead.” I’d never actually do that, but the comparison would help him see how little of a deal my request really was.
“No, Augie’s house will be fine.”
“Thank you, Dad. Now you can finish eating in peace.”
“You fight dirty, kid.”
I smiled sweetly at him. “I learned from the best.”
“I was wondering why you seemed so damn nervous,” my dad said to Liam. “I was beginning to worry I’d made the wrong choice saying you could live here.”
“Dad,” I said sternly. “Leave him alone. This was my idea. He hadn’t wanted to make the decision so soon after just getting you back.”
Liam sat up straighter. “I did tell her we could wait, but I’m a smart man and know when to argue with her and when not to.”
“She does have a bit of a temper.” Dad laughed. “Probably a good choice on your part. I expect the two of you for dinner at least three times a week.”
“I’ll make sure it happens,” Liam said confidently.
“Good, now let me finish my steak.”
We all finished our meals and I was glad to see things moving forward in at least one part of my life. If only we’d make more progress with Declan and Jaye, then things would really be looking up.
***
The following morning, my dad had called a meeting with our entire pack. He was ready to officially announce Augie as the new pack beta and give anyone the chance to object. I had been a little nervous. Augie was young, and we had plenty of others that had been in the pack for decades like Rick, Sam, and Tommy, who might not agree with the promotion and want to fight Augie for the placement.
I hadn’t been worried that he couldn’t handle himself, but it would have changed the pack dynamic if it happened. Thankfully, nobody had objected, and everything had gone off without a hitch. Except for when I nearly fainted during the ceremony as they did some weird blood exchange I hadn’t been prepared for.
I was never meant for the medical field. Ever. Augie had been like a kid on Christmas morning, though, and I was so proud of him. He’d worked alongside Davis and Cord for the last couple years and deserved the position.
After all of the congratulations he received, I finally had a moment alone with him back at the pack house. I pulled him in for a hug and whispered in his ear to tell him how proud I was.
“You did great up there,” I added as we pulled apart.
“Really?” He sighed. “I was a wreck on the inside. Believe me, I want this and I will give it everything I have, but after your dad completed the blood bond, I felt so much more. The pack is here inside me now. Not like it is for Gerald, but definitely different than before. Their strength is now my strength. It’s an odd sensation that’s going to take some time to get used to.”
I gave his hand a solid squeeze. “You’re going to be an amazing beta and be prepared to do it for decades, because I won’t allow anyone else to be my sidekick except you. Consider this practice for when I need you at my beck and call later.”
He grinned at me, and the more we talked, the more the tension and stress he’d been feeling melted away. I knew Augie would excel in his role. I had absolute faith that he’d keep our pack safe just like Davis had for so many years.
Before the conversation could get all emotional, we moved on to lighter topics, just catching up since so much had been happening lately.
My dad found us a little while later, ending our bonding time with a new task.
“The witches have finished with the spell removal on the first round of humans. They’re unconscious now that their memories have been wiped, but it only lasts a day or so depending on each human. We have to get them back near their homes before time runs out.”
Well, I guess I wouldn’t be moving yet. I wasn’t looking forward to packing, but I had been looking forward to finally sleeping under the same roof as Liam and nobody else.
“Are they all from neighboring towns, or do we need a few teams heading out?” I asked.
“Two teams. One headed to north Colorado and the other to south Colorado. It appears as though Declan was careful to spread the abductions out, so it didn’t seem to be a major problem in one area with missing people. Augie, I want you to take Rick and Tommy and head north with two of them. Taya, you’ll go with Liam and one of his brothers to take the other three south. I want groups of no less than three capable shifters each time anyone leaves the pack for something like this.”
Augie and I nodded our understanding at the same time. I didn’t like us splitting up, but we couldn’t carry unconscious people on a commercial plane to get there faster, which made driving our only option to get it done fast enough.
“The witches are already working on a few others, and I’ll recruit some other pack members to help us deliver the humans back to their homes. This should be the only trip you guys have to make,” Dad said.
“I’m going to go find Liam and his brothers. We’ll get packed for an overnight trip and leave as soon as we can,” I said.
“What she said, but with other people,” Augie said with a laugh.
With that, we each went our separate ways. I went into the kitchen and found Liam and his brothers sitting at the table, drinking beer and bonding. I loved when they spent time together. I was worried once Aiden and Caleb went back to the Catskills, Liam would regret his decision to stay. I knew how close I had been with Cord and nobody would have been able to take me away from him if I had a choice.
Though, the way his face lit up when he saw me walk in the kitchen helped to calm my worries a little about how he’d feel later. I still had niggling self-doubts that I wouldn’t be enough for him to want to stay here. He was giving up so much, and it didn’t make sense why he’d want to do that, but I shook off the dark thoughts as I sat in the open chair next to Caleb.
“Who wants to go on a road trip?” I asked.
“Not me,” Aiden said as he slid back from the table. “I’m tired of driving you guys around, and Liam’s driving makes me nervous, so have fun.”
He grabbed his hat off the table, then walked out the door. He really was an interesting specimen. Always so enigmatic.
Caleb grinned at me. “Shotgun!”
“No way. The last time you had control of the radio for hours at a time, it almost made my head explode,” I complained.
“Fine, but if I have to sit in the back, then I want to bring Jamie with us. Is there room?”
“Yeah, we can use one of the SUVs. At least I won’t be outnumbered by testosterone.” I’d probably let him have the front seat, so I could hang with Jamie in the back. I had a feeling she’d make the drive more fun than Liam would since he’d be driving. Nobody ever let Caleb drive. Apparently, his road rage was something to fear.
“Go pack a bag,” I said to Caleb. “We’ll be staying the night in Colorado, then driving back home tomorrow.”
Caleb groaned. “I really should have asked where we were going before I said I wanted to come.”
He slowly got up out of his chair, pouting the whole way out of the kitchen. He even stomped his feet just to make sure his point was made.
“Your brother is a big baby,” I said to Liam.
“Technically, he is the baby of the family. He takes his role very seriously.”
“I can see that.” I laughed.
We got up from the table, making our way back to my bedroom to pack up our stuff. I made quick work of it, wanting to get on the road as soon as possible. My dad’s earlier words explaining how the knock-out spell would only work for a day or so were on repeat in the back of my mind. We didn’t need any more trouble.