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“Still,” I said, “you’ll follow soon, right?”
Jayce was my closest friend. He and I had become pen pals when we were barely ten years old, and we’d kept in touch as we’d grown up. When the two of us went to college, we picked the same one so that we could finally meet in person. That had been four years ago, and we had been inseparable ever since.
My home den wasn’t the greatest, which was why my brother started his own. And so, when school was finished, I stayed with Jayce. His den was small, though, and there were not many alphas to speak of. Joining my brother’s den was going to be a great opportunity for both of us.
I zipped up my suitcase, and he grabbed the other one.
“You sure about this?” he asked.
I laughed. “It’s going to be a little difficult to go back on it now. Besides, our lease is up in three months, which is when you’ll be coming, right?”
“Right.” He didn’t sound as sure as I wanted him to, but it was better than a maybe, so I was going to take it. “One last shift before we go?”
I shook my head. “I was supposed to leave three hours ago.” And had been dragging my feet, letting my nerves get the best of me. “But you can walk me out?”
I wasn’t ready for me to go either, but it was time. We each grabbed a suitcase and went out to the drive, walking far slower than normal.
He wrapped his arms around me and held me close. “Promise me you won’t let your brother tie you down too much. Don’t let that stick up his ass dull your sparkle.”
I laughed. “You speak as if he is some sort of overbearing, crazy person. He’s just—”
“Boring.” He gave me one final squeeze and took a step back.
“Not boring.” Although I could see why he sounded that way. “He likes his schedules, and he likes to be organized. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Jace wrinkled his nose. “We’ll see,” he said.
One last hug and I was on my way. The drive was smooth, which was good as far as timing and safety went, but also problematic because it meant my head was wandering the land of what-ifs. What if this wasn’t as grand a plan as I thought? What if I failed at my new attempt at a career? What if my arranged mate smelled bad and ate smelly food that clung to his breath?
I called my brother when I was about an hour out to let him know my ETA since I started so much later than I had told him I would. He answered on the first ring.
“Corey!” I could hear his smile in his voice. My brother might’ve been strict, organized, and set in his ways, but he did love me very much. And I knew exactly why he was the way he was. It was the same reason I wasn’t holding out for my fated mate.
“Hey,” I said. “I’m about an hour away.”
“That’s perfect. I’ll let Zane know.”
“Zane, your second?” I’d not met him, but my brother trusted him. I still didn’t get why he needed to know how long I’d be driving.
“Yeah. He’ll make sure you get where you need to be.”
And then it clicked. “You’re not at the den?”
“I’m not. I had business with another den.” Normally I’d have seen that as a reason to worry, but he was far too chipper for it to be anything bad. “And actually, it’s a good thing you called.”
“Is it?” I said, my stomach doing a little flip-flop. I had hoped my brother would be there when I first arrived, but I understood that he was busy.
“You know I mentioned about an arranged mating?”
“Yes,” I said, unsure what I wanted him to say next. I wanted a family, but also it was scary to mate someone you didn’t know.
“I think it might actually happen.” He hadn’t told me it wasn’t a done deal. Or maybe he did and I was so busy processing it all I missed that part. “Are you certain that you’re okay with this?”
I took a deep breath. It was one thing to have that be a hypothetical situation, but this was real. “I think so,” I said. “I mean, I’d like to meet the alpha first, but you know, I just want a home and some cubs with someone who is reliable.” Someone who was nothing like our deadbeat parents.
Maybe it was my omega tendencies, but I really just wanted a family. One that I never had growing up.
“When I return to the den I’ll be bringing some visitors from here. One of them is the alpha who will be your mate.”
