Chapter 9
Late Saturday night Remi sat on his front porch in the dark.
He’d intentionally turned out his porch light so that he wouldn’t be so readily seen as he relaxed and took in the vibe of the whole place.
True, he was watching Riley’s house as he sat in the darkness, but he was also just kicking back and doing his best to let go of any stress he’d been holding since arriving.
He also knew that some members of Riley’s Pride had been out running on the land behind the mobile home park.
In fact, three of them had been running.
One of them was currently slinking through the darkness toward him, on the far side of his home.
He was pretty sure the others were near enough to keep an eye on him and their friend, but didn’t want to be detected.
He kept his eyes staring straight ahead into the darkness, refusing to let the male quietly approaching know he’d been detected.
The male stood quietly beside Remi’s home, at the opposite end of his front porch.
After a good five minutes of silence, Remi finally relented. “How long would you like to continue pretending we aren’t aware that each other is here?” Remi asked, without looking in the direction of the male scoping him out.
A gravelly, husky laugh responded. The male laughed for a few moments before he stepped out into view, wearing a smirk and a pair of running shorts. “Didn’t fool you for a second, did I?”
“I heard you and your friends when you left for your run, and I heard when you crossed back over to the park. Heard you when you were making your way up here.”
“You’re Daniel’s boy, right?”
Remi turned his head toward the male and smiled. “I’m not much of a boy anymore, but yeah, Daniel and Avaleigh are my parents.”
“Explains why I couldn’t get the drop on you. Dragons hear every damn thing.”
“It’s a curse. A blessing, but also a curse,” Remi said.
“I can only imagine. I hear enough as a Panther. The last thing I want to do is hear more.”
Remi nodded and relaxed back into his previous position, pausing to sip out of the glass bottle dangling from his fingers.
“You gonna sit out here all night and watch for Cristie?”
Remi laughed. “That obvious?”
“Well, I know you’re here for Cristie. Also know she’s been running around in that pretty little red car with the distinctive engine noise. Makes her kind of easy to track.”
“Sure does. I can track her from inside. But I find I like sitting out here at night. It’s relaxing.”
The male stood on the steps of Remi’s porch, not yet coming any closer.
Remi turned his head just enough to focus on him. “Want to have a seat?”
“Sure.” He stepped up onto the porch and pulled another rocking chair close to Remi before he plopped down in it. “What’re ya drinking?”
Remi grinned. “Apple flavored soda,” he said, holding it up for the male to see.
“Never mind,” the male said.
“Thought it was beer?” Remi asked.
“Yep. Even looks like it. I’ll pass on the soda, though.”
“I got beer in the fridge. I guess it’s part of the usual amenity package. You’re welcome to go get one, or six. I don’t drink anymore, so I won’t be having any.”
The male stood up and started toward Remi’s front door.
“Hey,” Remi said.
The male looked back at him.
“Who are you?”
The male laughed. “I’m Lazarus. My people just call me Laz,” he said.
“Or asshole,” Lucas said, stepping out of the darkness to Remi’s right and walking right up onto the porch.
“We don’t call him an asshole,” Roman said, following in Lucas’s footsteps.
“Sometimes we do,” Lucas said.
“And this is why a Panther was making every effort to be heard, instead of silencing his approach,” Remi said.
“What is why?” Lucas asked.
“You two. He was narrowing my focus to his approach, so I wouldn’t notice the two of you coming from the other direction.”
Lucas and Roman grinned at him. “Did it work?”
“Just a bit. I knew you two were out there somewhere, just didn’t know exactly where. I’d heard you go for a run, but wasn’t sure when you came back. I was too busy listening to Lazarus coming this way.”
“So it worked!” Lucas said.
“More or less,” Remi said.
The door opened and Lazarus walked back outside, holding the six-pack of beer he’d found in Remi’s fridge. He tossed a can to Lucas, and another to Roman.
Lucas popped the top and started drinking it.
Roman looked at it, then looked at the bottle Remi was drinking. His nose flared as he scented the air. “Is that apple?” he asked.
Remi looked at him. “It is. You want one?”
“Yeah,” Roman said.
“Inside, in the fridge. Help yourself.”
“I’ll just put this back, too,” Roman said, letting himself in the house.
Minutes later he was back with a bottle of apple soda and a chair he’d brought from the kitchen.
He put it near Remi’s and Lazarus’ chairs.
He took a long drink of the apple soda, then turned the bottle to get a good look at the label. “This is good,” he said.
“It is,” Remi agreed.
“I gotta get me some of this,” Roman said.
“I’m guessing you’re Roman, and you,” Remi said, pointing his bottle at Lucas, “ are Lucas.”
“Guilty,” Lucas said.
“That’d be me,” Roman said.
“So, I got a question,” Lazarus said, in his typical gravelly voice.
“Shoot,” Remi said, taking another sip of his soda.
“Why haven’t you done anything to make the place yours?”
Remi looked over at him. “What do you mean?”
“First thing any of us did when we got our new place was go buy shit to make it our own. Yours looks like it did the day you moved in, except for the family picture on the entertainment center. You planning on only being here temporarily?”
Remi mulled his answer over for a few seconds. “Honestly, I’m not sure where I’ll be in a few weeks. My plan was to be here permanently. Earn Cristie’s forgiveness. Make things work out for the two of us and then ask what she wanted. That’s what we’d do.”
“She wants to be Alpha here,” Lucas said.
“That’s true,” Roman said.
“I’m sure it is. Thing is, I’m not so sure I can earn her forgiveness. So, I’m here for a while, at least until she gives me a definitive no.”
“Okay, she says nope, she’s not ever going to look at you without wanting to take your head off so you should go. You leaving?” Laz asked.
“When I got here earlier this week, the answer was no. Now, I’m not so sure.”
“What’s changed that quickly?” Laz asked.
“Doesn’t much matter. I’m still hanging on for now.”
“So, why’d you do a dumb ass thing like renouncing her if you didn’t want to lose her?” Lucas asked.
Remi huffed in irritation, then sat up straight and looked at the three of them. “I didn’t renounce her.”
“She says you did,” Laz said.
“Alright. Let’s get this done once and for all.
I’ll lay it all out for you so there’s nothing but clarity, there.
I was wrong. I had a girlfriend and I loved her.
I was going to claim her. She wasn’t my mate, but that was okay with me.
I was tired of waiting for my mate and always noticed this girl, thought highly of her, so I asked her out.
Things are going great. She loves me and I love her.
Cristie showed up. Happy to see her, best friends since we were little kids.
Wanted to introduce her to my girlfriend.
Our eyes met, we’re mates. Sent me into shock.
Couldn’t look away from her, and my girlfriend was at my side watching me unable to look away from Cristie.
What do I do? Do I continue to nurture the woman I’ve committed to, or do I say, it’s been good up until now, thanks for the memories, but I’m going to be settling down with somebody else now? ”
“Oh. That sucks,” Lucas said.
“Really good argument for not coupling up with anybody unless it’s actually your mate,” Laz said.
“I’m sorry, that must have been rough,” Roman said.
Remi smiled at Roman. He was obviously a good male, and kind.
“Short summary to wrap it up for you. Like I said, my girlfriend noticed — hell, everybody noticed. I denied it. I didn’t want to hurt her, and I genuinely cared for her.
Cristie told me she was going home and I had until whatever date to come talk to her otherwise she was leaving.
My girlfriend broke up with me, as she should have.
Cristie left. I drank. I drank a lot. Cristie came to pull me out of my self-pity, then left me to figure it out on my own.
I got myself together and did some healing.
Now I’m here begging for a chance. Never — not one single instance in time, did I say the words I renounce you.
I just didn’t go talk to her before her deadline.
And after Bailey broke up with me, I didn’t go after her again, either.
I lost myself. I lost my self worth. I was drowning. ”
“You can’t let females fuck you up like that. Only commit to the real one. The others are nice to pass the time, but don’t give them more than that. You end up like… well, like you,” Laz said.
“Thanks,” Remi said sarcastically.
Lazarus grinned and gave him a single nod.
“I get it. You felt like you needed to give them both loyalty, and it was impossible, so you didn’t do anything so you wouldn’t actually hurt either, but by doing nothing you did hurt them both,” Roman said.
“Yeah, I did,” Remi said.
“You know what your problem is?” Lucas asked.
“How much time you got?” Remi asked seriously.
Laz, Lucas, and Roman all laughed.