Chapter 17
Grace
T he firehouse was one of the coolest buildings I’d ever come across. The fading brick facade and sturdy building had character. There were bits of faded signage and blue paint on the large parking lot, both of which spoke of years as the local firehouse.
Inside it was empty, smelling of cleaner and shone to perfection. The big garage was open and empty, waiting for us to find different ways to use it.
Except for the pole that jutted up into the second floor above. I had a feeling I’d have fun with that. It was already buffed, making it gleam in the afternoon light.
The kitchen was the most outdated, but that gave us a way to gut it and rebuild it for a pack, not the firemen.
Upstairs the living quarters were empty. There were at least five rooms, all fading carpets and worn walls. More blank slates for us to renovate.
When the realtor led us outside, I fell even more in love with the place.
The yard was enormous, with a garden taking up one corner, a playground at the other, and the rest was wide open.
The back patio was a sturdy outdoor kitchen that still had a grill, pizza oven, and a large griddle.
Behind it was a sitting area still faded in places to show where furniture once stood and an empty, but swept-out, fireplace.
I could just imagine snuggling under blankets with a roaring fire as the nights grew colder.
“What do you think, Gracie?” Drew asked as he stepped closer, his scent teasing my nose and hand resting on my back.
My heart picked up its crazy beating as he warmed my side with his presence. I glanced up into the heart-aching smile he beamed down at me.
How I went all this time without it was insane. Right now with the rest of our pack hours away, I was ready to cling to it like a crazy, little omega.
“I think it has tons of potential. What about you?”
“I’m dying to get my hands dirty,” he admits. “I think a swimming hole out back, beef up that sitting area outside, get rooms ready and especially your nest, then let you spread your sweet omega charm through this industrial building until it’s a home.”
His voice was pure and wistful as he talked. I let that sink into my very bones, reminding me that I had a pack and no one was leaving again.
Especially, not him. You don’t build a life then walk away easily.
“Pull the trigger?” I asked, not bothering to hide the hope in my voice.
“Done,” he promised, brushing a kiss over my temple before disappearing, leaving me to walk around and picture all the possibilities while I basked in the foreign feeling of not being alone anymore.
I’d always envied the Whitakers and their mates for the way they all came together in one big family. I was welcomed in, but on the sidelines. I was a close friend but never really felt like I wasn’t encroaching.
It was me and Hailey against the world.
Now she had a mate and…
I have mates, too , I had to remind myself. This was the natural course of life and I had to stop being so damn hard on myself.
I’d feel better with a purpose and a way to put this extra nervous energy to good use. Being seperated from a freshly found pack, no bites on my neck or set return date, wasn’t for the faint of heart.
Or the omega inside who was terrified they wouldn’t come back.
Drew and I just drove into town and right to this place, we had nowhere else to go outside of Hailey’s place, and if the alpha was willing, he wasn’t leaving my side yet.
“Hey, they’ll be calling soon,” Drew soothed as he pulled me into his chest. I wanted to soak in the reassurance but my heart was fragile right now. It was really hard to not feel rejected.
As if summoned by his words, my phone rang. When I saw a video call coming in from Cade, I didn’t hesitate to answer and walk outside.
“Hey, where are you?” he asked, eyeing the faded door and bricks behind me.
“Just a potential packhouse Drew and I found,” I smirked. “You can see it when you get here.”
“About that,” he sighed. My heart sank into my stomach, my scent souring around me enough that it choked the fresh air.
“What is it?” my voice wavered and I could see my stricken face reflecting back at me.
“The board is giving us kickback on the move to Rockwood Valley. Don’t worry, we aren’t easy to dissuade, just now we have to jump through a few unexpected hoops,” he admitted.
“Beck is already in there ripping them a new asshole and Spencer is doing damage control. I wanted to keep our omega in the loop and promise her we’ll move mountains to be by your side soon. ”
“I know you will,” I lied through my teeth. Somewhere, on the surface, that might be partially true. But, deep down, in the wounded omega of my soul, it was confirmation that they’d find reasons not to join me here.
“Gracie?” Drew asked as he stepped outside, arms immediately pulling me close. “What’s wrong? I could smell your stress from in there.”
“Red tape bullshit,” Cade said, filling him in without hesitation. I should love that they were being open with him, including him, but I was seconds away from losing it.
“Check in when you know more,” I said in a fake cheerful face that had Cade’s concern flaring stronger. His eyebrows crinkled and his eyes narrowed. “I’m exhausted and we have to get back. Talk soon!”
I ended the call then immediately broke down. Drew didn’t judge me, just pulled me close and whispered reassurance.
“Is this how you felt when I left?” His broken whisper held pain and I didn’t want to lie, so I simply nodded.
“I lived then, I’ll live now,” I managed to choke out.
“You’ve got me and they will come back,” he promised. It was a dark vow, one that said he’d drag them back himself if he had to.
I didn’t want that. My mates needed to want to be close to me.
“It’s fine,” I lied again. “Just need food and sleep. Are you heading back to Hailey’s with me?”
“Of course,” he said. “Never leaving your side again, omega.”
I had a feeling Drew would remind me that every chance he got.
Cade
Grace’s pain filled eyes and forced smile had a growl escaping me. It could rival any alpha’s and I was ready to eviscerate every one of the old assholes on the board.
They weren’t the founders here, and honestly, let them pull their fucking investments.
When I walked in, Cade and Spencer were alone and it reeked of defeat.
“What the fuck?” I demanded.
“More bullshit,” Spencer cursed, a bitter sneer on his face I’d never seen before. “We own this fucking company but they have their hands in so many aspects that its going to take work to get this new office approved.”
“I’ll fire them all,” Beck vowed.
“You can’t,” I argued. Even I knew that. We’d allowed ourselves to bring in investors, which became shareholders. They did hold power.
We held more, though. And had plenty of resources at our fingertips.
“Why are they fighting back?” I demanded. “They’ve never done this before.”
“Politics,” Beck bit out. “They want us here, the face of the company, not hidden from the public eye hours away.”
“We’ll be coming back here when we need to,” I growled. “We’ve been more than accommodating.”
“They can’t truly shut it down,” Beck said, taking a calming breath. “But red tape means we’re delayed.”
“I just told Grace,” I admitted as I sank down into the chair. This fucking boardroom made me twitch. It was suffocating in here.
“How was she?” Beck asked, deflating.
“She nearly cried when I said it would take longer,” I admitted. “Looked like I kicked her while she was down. I think she’s feeling rejected.”
“Never,” Spencer spit out. “I’ll leave right now. Fuck this company.”
“We can’t provide for her if we’re jobless,” Beck said, calm as ever and pissing me off even more. “We do what we have to and go home.”
It wasn’t a bark, but a direct order from our alpha. One that would tear our pack apart if we ignored it.
I hated that he was fucking right. We had to do this so we could establish a life with our omega that didn’t have us constantly in and out. That would be just as bad.
“Call her every day. Text her. Keep present,” Spencer said, giving us each a look. “Don’t let doubt creep into her mind.”
“Never,” Beck promised, looking relieved we weren’t walking away from him and his orders.
“Let’s go home,” Spencer said, standing up and cracking his neck. “We’ll hit them again tomorrow with full plans they can’t refuse.”
We stopped for pizza and sank down on the couch, laptops in hand. Even I joined, though my hands itched for a paintbrush. I had a new muse to paint and my sketches were no longer enough.
The sun was rising before Spencer called it, a feral smile on his face.
“Let them red tape this,” he vowed, stumbling to his room.
We had four hours, then we’d be back in meetings. For once, I followed their lead, ignoring the urge to create.
She was all that mattered.