Rosalyn POV
Emmett and I follow mom into a large building located on the main street of the human city. Emmett has been assuring me since the moment we arrived that there is no way Reese, Cain, or Robert will find us here. The closest pack is thirty miles away and it has no affiliation with the Black Rose. We are more than four hours from the Black Rose. Emmett suggested going to the council but my mother refused.
Robert's oldest brother is a member of the council and though he is supposed to uphold werewolf law without biased my mother believes he will protect his brother at all costs. Besides, I just want to move on and try to be happy. I hope Emmett's right, but I have a sinking feeling that Reese isn't going to give up so easily. Bryce is probably thrilled I'm gone. I miss Addison but having Zora has eased the ache in my heart at missing my best friend.
I haven't been able to shift since my first time and Zora and I are anxious to shift again. I was hoping that when mom spotted the name of the relator at the diner, we would be able to find property that would allow us to run in wolf form. It won't be anything like the freedom we had in the pack, but the thought of not being able to shift pisses me off. I refuse to let Reese and Bryce take any more from me than they already have.
I push thoughts of them away as a beautiful woman with long auburn hair approaches us. "Hi, are you Miranda" she asks my mother. "Yes, I am" my mother says a bit confused. "I'm Stacey, Beckham asked me to meet you here. Unfortunately, Lily wasn't feeling well this morning so he needed to stay with her," she says.
Zora purrs in my mind, but before I can ask her what the hell that was about, my mother turns toward me and Emmett. "I'm sorry to hear that, Stacey. This is my daughter Rosalyn and my son Emmett." She steps forward and extends her hand to me. The moment I take her hand, the faint scent of sandalwood and leather tickles my nose. Zora growls and my body stiffens. I notice something flash in her eyes before she pulls her hand from mine.
She shakes Emmett's hand but doesn't meet his eyes. She drops his hand quickly before she turns back to my mom. "Well, I have three apartments for you to look at. If you follow me, we can get started." She leads us over to a fancy elevator. Once we are inside, she pushes the button for the third floor. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't for the building to be so beautiful and modern. Blakesville is a quaint small town with only three stoplights, so the building feels a little out of place.
As if she can hear my thoughts, Stacey starts to talk about the building. "This building used to be the town hall before Beckham gutted it and turned it into an apartment building. The mayor, his secretary, and the sheriff didn't need a building this size," she says as the elevator door opens. I'm not sure why I find her familiarity with a man I've never met irritating, but I do.
The first apartment is nice, but the kitchen is small. If I know my mother that is something she won't be willing to compromise on. It was the room back at home she spent most of her time in. Despite being the Beta female, she helped with all the menus and cooking in the pack house. I want her to be happy after all she has sacrificed for me.
I know she took what she could as far as money, but a completely furnished apartment isn't going to be cheap. It's the reason that as soon as we decided to stay here yesterday, Emmett and I walked through town to find jobs. I refuse to let my brother and mother struggle. When I walked into the cute bakery, I knew instantly I would love working there. The owner was nice enough, but I had doubts we would be good friends. She gossiped for ten minutes about the man that owns this apartment building.
The second apartment had a bigger kitchen, but the third bedroom was like a closet. I was fine with it, but my mother wasn't. When Stacey pushed open the door to the third apartment, I fought back the urge to cry. It felt exactly like the house we had at the pack. Dark blues and grays decorated the living room. The kitchen was the biggest out of the three apartments. The apartment was perfect. I was shocked when Stacey told us the rent and my mother immediately signed the lease.
"Well, I'll get this paperwork back to the office. I'm sure at some point Beck will introduce himself. It was nice to meet all of you" she said handing my mother the keys. My mother looked confused but took the keys from her hand. Once she left, Emmett and I went down to our car to grab our bags. When we stepped back into the apartment, my mother was sitting on the couch a look of concern on her face.
"I don't think we should stay here" she says, and I freeze looking at Emmett. "Why, it's perfect." "You two don't think it's odd that she didn't want to check into us. See if we can afford the apartment. Besides me giving her first and last month's rent, she has no idea if we can afford this place. That's another thing; the rent. The rent is probably a third of what it should be" she says, her voice panicked.
"Rose, I can't explain it, but I think we are supposed to be here. I know your mom is worried, but I think we're safe," Zora says. "Rose, what if she knows what we are? What if we underestimated Robert's reach? What if they find us here," she asks. I take the few steps to reach the couch and plop down next to her.
"Mom, she is human. There is no way that Robert and Reese would involve humans, no matter how desperate they are to find me. Maybe this is just the goddess trying to make up for all the scr*wed up stuff that's been happening. Besides, Zora, thinks we're safe here, and I trust her." "I can't wait to meet Zora. Brayer is driving me crazy about going on a run with her," Emmett says, and I smile.
Reese POV
It's been three days since Rosalyn left and it's getting harder to control Fallon with each passing day. Bryce keeps trying to talk to me, but I can't bring myself to even look at him. I know I should have been honest with Rosalyn, but he shouldn't have treated her so badly. She may have forgiven me if he wasn't such a pr*ck to her.
A knock on my office door brings me out of my thoughts. When I pull the door open, I wish I could close it again. "Addie, I'm busy. I don't have time to talk right now." "Well, make time. I want to know what the hell is going on. Where is Rosie? She isn't answering her phone."
"Addie, I need you to trust me right now. She is with her mom and Emmett. Everything is fine. She will be back soon." "She had better, or I swear to goddess Reese. I'm going through withdrawal and as much as I love Logan I need my bestie," she says. "I really think you should stop spending so much time with him. He isn't your mate, Addie."
"Reese, do you really think I would do that to my mate? I want all my firsts with the man the goddess picks for me. Logan is my friend. Besides, I'll tell you the same thing I told Rosie. He would be more interested in you than he is in me. Actually, he needs me. His stupid mate rejected him. How can a person do that to the person that was made just for them? I'm just glad that you and Rosie love each other" she says.
My heart squeezes in my chest. I've f**ked up everything. What if she never forgives me? A knock on the door makes us both look toward it. When the door opens, Bryce steps inside. "Hey Bryce, tell Rosie to call me as soon as she gets back," Addie says as she stands and heads for the door. He nods, his eyes never leaving mine.
Once the doors shuts, Fallon starts to growl in my head. "What do you want, Bryce?" Hurt flashes in his eyes but I ignore it. "I just wanted to talk to you without our fathers around. I miss you" he says. This time I can't hold back the growl.
"Bryce, I can't do this. Whatever we had between us is over. I hurt my mate and instead of begging her forgiveness, my father suggested that I continue to betray her under the guise of some f**ked up shared bond."
"Please Reese, I love you. I rejected my mate for you" Bryce says. "I never asked you to. I love Rosie. I need to find her and bring her back to me. I need her, she is the other half of my soul. I love you Bryce, but it's not enough. I love her more."