Chapter 52
Chapter Fifty-Two
“Did you threaten my mate’s manhood?”
“Tattletale.” Bec rolls her eyes. “Yes. And I have every right to do so.”
I stifle a laugh as we sit alone in the quiet living room, everyone else in the B&B having gone off to bed.
“This is like the old days,” she says. “It’s after three in the morning, and we’re just drinking and chatting.”
I smile at the memories we’ve shared. “You were always a party animal.”
“Pfft, like you can talk.” She sips her wine. “I stopped partying a long time ago.”
She makes it sound like she’s so much older than me, but she’s not. “Where’s this weight coming from, Bec?”
She sighs now, her shoulders drooping and body deflating beside me on the couch. “I told you I was sick of the rat race and the city. It’s really wearing me down, Iz. And honestly, I fucking miss you and Vi. Like, a lot.”
I grin at her. “So what Will said was true?”
She pauses. “About what?”
“About you wanting to buy this place.”
“Oh,” she sips again, “yeah. I think it would be a great change of pace, and I could still freelance. It’s a good investment in the right hands.”
I laugh. “And yours are definitely the right hands for business.”
Bec regards me over her glass, blessedly waiting for me to swallow my wine before saying, “Your brother and Matthew’s dad want to fuck me.”
And I still choke anyway. “Shit, Bec,” I say between coughs. “I’d planned to question you about all those looks between you, but I guess that’s unnecessary now.”
She gives me a side-eye and purses her lips. “I knew there was something about Crescent Lake. It’s like the match-making capital of the world or some shit. Whether you like it or not.”
Laughing again, I ask, “Have you gone outside with them?”
Her brow raises. “No. Why?”
I blink. “The scent neutralizers.” I wave to the nearest device. “Without them around, you’d probably really scent them. See if you’re matches.”
She gives me a look. “You’re much calmer about this than I expected.”
“Why did you expect me not to be calm? Could you imagine if you were my brother’s mate? We’d be real sisters!”
“We wouldn’t be real sisters. We have different parents. And if we were, that would be really gross because Christian would be my brother, too.”
It’s my turn to roll my eyes. “You know what I mean, bitch. Cut the crap.” I huff.
“But you always told me your brother was a womanizing douche. I don’t need that stress in my life.”
I wince. Good job, Iz.
“Look, we all had our periods of debauchery, right?”
She does not look amused.
I sigh. “I don’t know what Christian has been up to these last few years since he’s been in New York, and that’s the truth. He may have changed his ways.”
“That’s the other thing, isn’t it? He lives almost three thousand miles away.”
That’s the truth, and I don’t know what to say about it to make things better.
We sit a moment before her voice comes out so soft I can barely hear it in the dead silence around us. “I never changed my meds.”
My back shoots up ramrod straight. “What?” I hiss.
She frowns, gulps the last of her wine, and sets the glass on the coffee table.
“Once I saw what happened with Violet, learned the truth about scent matching and what those suppressants were doing to Omegas…” she trails, shakes her head.
“I was scared, Iz. I didn’t want to lose sight of my career goals.
I didn’t want to take a chance on finding someone I belonged with and changing. ”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing, and yet what she says makes me so incredibly sad.
I place my glass on the table beside hers and pull my friend into my arms. She’s stiff as a board at first, but then embraces me back with a long exhale.
“Bec. If you find your scent-matches, that means they’re fated for you. You’re going to be perfect for one another in every way. That means none of you will need to change who you are.”
She pulls back, her expression vulnerable. “What about Will?”
“What about—?” I cut myself off when understanding strikes me.
“Oh, honey. Will isn’t changing who he is.
We helped him fight for what he’s always wanted.
We love and support one another. Believe me, if Will wanted to stay here, we’d all be on board and do whatever it took to make his dreams come true.
That’s what we’re doing now, with this change. ”
Her expression softens. “I… I’m glad to hear that. I was worried.”
I smile. “Listen. I know you know not to, but I’m going to tell you to not make any rushed decisions anyway. Will won’t be ready to sell until next year, so you have time to think. About everything. Okay?”
Bec smiles back at me, then yawns. “I do have to say that just being in this town is like a natural antidepressant. I haven’t felt this good in a long time.”
I shoot her a wicked grin. “You know, there’s ice skating at the lake right now. I know you love to skate.”
“Will it be open tomorrow?”
“Technically today, but yes.”
“They have rentals?”
I nod in the affirmative.
“You know, I think I might just do that.”
And I think you might find two Alphas being sent after you...