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Chapter 64: Ayla
My mind had been racing since I left the Sablemane packhouse. I felt lost and I didn’t
know why. I kept fiddling with the ring on my finger as I drove. It felt foreign on my hand. It
was beautiful. And it told me that a good man loved and wanted me. That made me
happy.
But there was still something missing.
I shook off the feeling as the city came into view. I would have plenty of time to work
through my relationship with Kington. Right now, I was heading to meet Mina for lunch.
She was so excited when I told her I was coming. She had recently started a new job, and
she and Briggs were in the process of moving into their new apartments in the packhouse.
They still hadn’t settled on a date for their mating
ceremony, but she hoped I would help her start the planning.
We were meeting at a diner on the outer limits of the city. My GPS led/ me to the parking
lot, and I found a spot near the entrance. She was already sitting in a booth when I walked
in.
“I’m so excited you’re here,” Mina said as we hugged each other.
“Me too,” I replied.
We took our seats as a server came over. I checked the menu quickly SO WA
could place our food order. When the server walked away, Mina turned to me.
“So, how does it feel being back in Greytooth territory?” she asked.
“It’s bittersweet,” I said. “I called Zeff on my way. He was out of town, but he promised
he’d come up to see me when he got back. That will be nice. I’ve missed him.”
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“Did you drive by the house?”
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I shook my head. “No, I’ll go on my way back. I’m not sure I want Ma and Kylee to know
I’m in the territory,” I said. “At least not yet. There’s too much going on right now to deal
with all that.”
I ran my hand through my hair.
“What the hell is that?” Mina exclaimed, practically launching herself over the table to
grab my wrist. “Holy cr*p, Ayla. Kingston purposed?”
I pulled my hand away and smiled. “Kind of. He wanted it to be something to remind me of
what was waiting for me when I got back.”
“That’s so sweet,” Mina said. “So, does that mean he wants to make your relationship
official?”
I took a deep breath. “Yeah, he wants me to be Luna.”
“Ayla, that’s amazing,” Mina said, but her smile faded. “So why don’t you seem more
excited?”
I sighed, dropping my face in my hands. “Is it that obvious?”
“Maybe not to someone who isn’t family,” she said, nudging my arm. “Come on, Ayla.
Spill. What’s up?”
“Kingston is great,” I pushed. “I should be ecstatic…”
“But…?”
“But things have changed since the Gathering,” I told her. “Kingston refuses to leave my
side and keeps me from doing anything. He doesn’t tell me anything about what is going
on in the pack. Not even the day- to-day stuff he deals with. I don’t know how he expects
me to contribute as a Luna when I don’t know anything about running the
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pack.”
“Well, he’s okay with you being here, so that says a lot,” Mina stated.
“Only because I didn’t give him a choice,” I said, flopping back against the booth. “I
mentioned Luna Grace’s offer just to discuss it, and he freaked out. He tried to tell me I
couldn’t go. Like I needed his permission.”
“Oof, that wasn’t a good idea,” Mina mumbled.
“Yeah, well, that conversation didn’t end too well,” I continued. “It’s just the way he’s been
acting. It’s like he doesn’t know me at all. I told him I needed a break.”
“Whoa, what?” Mina said. “Like, you broke up with him?”
“No, no, not break up,” I clarified. “Just take a break from each other. I needed to not have
him constantly shadowing me. He doesn’t seem to understand that I can take care of
myself. I think the distance will be good for us.”
“So, his response to you telling him you needed space was to propose to you?” Mina said,
there was disapproval in her voice.
“Mina, it’s okay,” I said. “I wasn’t ending things. I just needed. something that would show
him we can have some balance in the relationship. He just wants to know I’ll come back to
him.”
“Do you want to?” Mina asked.
“Yes,” I assured her.
“Okay then,” she said with a gentle smile. “You’ll get what you need for Alpha Torin and be
back to Kingston in no time. Just don’t forget to schedule some time in there for me.”
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“Never,” I assured her. “So, how are you feeling about the move?”
“I’m pretty good, actually,” she said brightly. “It was hard at first. I’d built a life in the
Wildtail pack. But ultimately, this is my home. My roots are here, and I’m happy to be
back. It doesn’t hurt to have an amazing mate like Briggs to support me, either. Oh, you’ll
never guess who works in the packhouse.”
“Who?”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Annabell,” Mina said. “She’s one of the head chefs in the commissary.”
“No way,” I reacted excitedly.
Annabell was a neighbor of ours growing up. She was the same age as Mina. She moved
away about a year before my dad’s death, and with everything life threw at me, we lost
touch. It would be amazing to reconnect with her.
“Yeah, it’s been really nice having her so close. She’s been a big help.”
“And what about your new job?” I asked. “Are you liking that?”
Mina had gotten her degree in criminology and forensics. She had been given a position
with the local police department in the forensics processing lab. I was glad to hear she had
found something in her field. That doesn’t always happen when a mate joins a new pack.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “I’m probably getting some special treatment because I’m the
pack Beta’s mate, but I won’t lie, I’m enjoying it. I won’ t let it continue down the line, of
course. But it’s nice as I get settled in.”
“I can’t blame you one bit,” I giggled.
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“They have me helping on a cross-pack case right now, actually,” she said. “I’m stuck
looking over a ton of files found in a suspect’s rental property. They come from several
other packs, including the Wildtails. That’s part of what got me on the case.”
“What is the person suspected of?”
“Setting the local library on fire and killing one of the employees,” she said. “It appears he
was also behind similar attacks in the other packs where the files came from.”
“Is he looking for something?” I asked, understanding how serious the
case was.
“That’s our assumption, but we have no idea what,” Mina confirmed. “That’s why we’re
going through everything with a fine-toothed comb But enough about that, I want to talk
ceremony planning.”
I laughed. “Absolutely.”
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