Chapter 18 #2
Norah shrugs, as if it is. Then she straightens, eyes sharpening in that way that means she’s moving into problem-solving mode.
“And I don’t get why you’re comparing what you went through with relying on Ryker.
The construction crew are Alphas, yes, but you’re also paying them.
I don’t think you should feel guilty about them charging you so little.
In fact, I think they would do that for just about anyone.
You know they’re very fond of this town. ”
I had shared the fact that Ryker had slashed the prices of everything he had been charging, and that’s why I was so embarrassed that I could barely afford any more repairs. “You think so?”
“I know so. You know what I think you should do?”
“What?”
“Pop-up. At my shop.”
I blink. “Pop-up?”
She nods. “Bring your coffee stuff, a couple of easy pastries, and set up a table in the corner. My customers come in for flowers—they’ll stay for coffee and a muffin if you’ve got it. You’ll start saving money while Ryker sorts out the café repairs. Win-win.”
I sit up, chewing on my lip. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious. The longer your café stays closed, the less money you make. This way, you keep momentum. And I’ve got space. We’ll move some pots, push a table back, and voilà.” She spreads her hands dramatically.
I stare at her. “Norah…” My voice cracks. “That would save me.”
“Good. Then do it.”
The wave of gratitude that hits me is so strong I almost knock the pizza box over when I lunge to hug her. She laughs, squeezing me back.
“Thank you,” I whisper fiercely. “Thank you so much.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” She pulls back, her grin sly. “Because now I’m going to give you advice you might not like.”
My stomach twists. “Okay…”
“Invite the Alphas to help at the pop-up.”
My heart stutters. “What?”
“You heard me.” She pops another bite of pizza into her mouth like she didn’t just drop a grenade. “Beau can work the counter—he’s charming enough when he wants to be. Simon can handle the practical aspects, such as organization. Levi can lift heavy things and look intimidating when needed.
“And…” she points her crust at me, “it’s a way to get everyone on the same page. Beau clearly wants you. Simon does too. Levi—who knows, but he hasn’t vanished, has he? If you’re all going to be tangled up anyway, might as well see if it works outside a heat bed.”
I gape at her. “Norah—”
“Besides,” she continues relentlessly, “half the town already suspects you’re in some kind of… harem situation.”
I choke. “What?”
“Oh, please. People talk. Their trucks were outside the café, Simon was disappearing for days, and Beau was acting distracted at the station. People put two and two together. So why not let it be a thing?”
I bury my face in my hands. “This is insane.”
She leans forward, prying my hands away gently. “Is it, though? Or are you just scared?”
That word burns. Because she’s right. I am scared. But not for the reasons she thinks. “You don’t get it,” I whisper. “You didn’t grow up with Alphas the way I did.”
Her expression softens. “Tell me.”
The words scrape coming out, but once they start, I can’t stop them.
“My father…” I take a shaky breath. “He’s an Alpha who thinks being Alpha means control.
He treats my mom like property, as if she doesn’t have a say in her own life.
He makes every decision for her, from what she wears to whether she can leave the house.
And she… she just takes it. I swore I would never let anyone do that to me. ”
Norah’s hand finds mine, squeezing.
“So, when you tell me to invite three Alphas into my space, into my business…” My voice cracks. “All I can think about is losing myself. Becoming someone else’s possession.”
She lets the silence linger a beat before she asks softly, “Have they given you any reason to think they’d treat you like your father treats your mom?”
The question knocks the breath from me. Images flash unbidden—Beau’s cocky grin softening when I panicked, Simon’s steady voice explaining my fever, Levi’s quiet patience as he brushed my hair after the heat broke.
None of them pushed. None of them bit me, even when I begged. They were careful when they didn’t have to be.
I shake my head, my throat tight. “No. But that doesn’t mean—”
“It doesn’t mean they won’t,” she finishes gently. “I know. But it also doesn’t mean they will. You’re not your mom, Wren. And they’re not your dad. You get to choose. Every step of this, you get to choose.”
The weight of it makes my chest ache. Choice. A word I’ve spent my whole life clutching at like it could slip away at any moment.
Norah squeezes my hand again. “So maybe give them a chance to show you who they are outside of bed, outside of heat. Invite them to the pop-up. If they act controlling, you’ll see it. If they don’t…” She tilts her head. “Then maybe you’ll finally believe that not all Alphas are the same.”
I lean back, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts a tangled mess. She makes it sound so simple. Too simple. But the truth is, she’s right about one thing—the longer the café stays closed, the more I bleed money. And a pop-up at her shop might keep me afloat.
“Okay,” I whisper, more to myself than her.
“Okay?” She grins.
“Okay,” I say again, firmer this time.
Norah beams, victorious. “Then it’s settled. We’ll clear space tomorrow. And Wren?”
“Yeah?”
“Pizza first, life decisions second. Always.”
I laugh, but it comes out shaky, because underneath the warmth of her teasing, I know the truth: inviting the Alphas will mean facing them. All three of them.
Not just the way they made me burn in bed, but the way they could burn me alive outside of it.