Jo-anne POV
T.J. dropped down onto her bed next to her and smiled right at her. Jo-anne raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, it hadn’t been that long since West had dragged her into this room. Perhaps he was here to check on her. “What?” she asked him. Rolled over onto her side and stared right at him.
“Guess who just got told to spend the rest of the afternoon with you?” he was grinning at her, obviously it was him.
“I don’t know.” she smiled at him “The grim reaper, if it come from West.” she snorted.
T.J. laughed “What did you do to piss him off, Jo-Jo?” he asked.
“Oh you know, exist.” she half laughed. “Seems my existence is enough.”
“Huh!” he seemed a bit confused “That’s not it, not today anyway. What did you do?”
“Nothing just went and looked for a place to live is all.”
T.J. sighed and sat up, looked down at her. “ You went on over to the un-mated apartment, didn’t you”
“Yes, why is that such a big deal to him T.J. I am un-mated.” she reminded him.
“He’s just a grumpy bastard.”
“Always was T.J. I see nothing has changed.”
“So you up for going out to do something?” he asked.
“Yeah I guess…” she waited as his eyes glazed over, Mind-Linked by someone in the pack.
“Hmm, seems I have a mission attached to you.”
“Goddess what did I do now?” she huffed and flopped back down on the bed.
T.J. laughed and got up. “Come on.” he reached down and grabbed both her hands, pulled her up onto her feet. “Find a place for your art studio to go, is the mission.”
“Oh.” that was a nice surprise she thought. “Alpha Damien actually going to follow through on my contract even though West broke it?”
“No. West is. Came from him.” He was smiling at her now, seemed very happy.
“What?” she was frowning up at T.J. now.
“Come on, West said, anywhere, as long as its in sight of the pack-house.”
Jo-anne shook her head, one minute angry with her and issuing orders out, then the next giving her an art studio. Perhaps his father had forced his hand, that was likely it. “The man is nuts. Can you see the lake from up there?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Not likely I’d be allowed to take you to the roof to find out either Jo-Jo.”
“Goddess, I’m fine can’t you all see that?” she was annoyed, years of therapy and living freely had done her a world of good.
“Hmm, still West will likely go ballistic. Do you want that?”
“No.” she answered him honestly, and Jo-anne really did not want that.
“Come on, let's go look from my room. I got a corner suite and can see lots of the pack from up there.” he grabbed her hand and led her out of the room.
“I’ve never been in your room before,” she commented.
T.J. laughed “first time for everything, Jo-Jo. It’s not the same room as before, when you were here. I’m the actual Beta now got a whole suite to myself, pretty darn cushy up there.” he told her as they walked up the stairs.
His suite was indeed cushy, as he called it, walked around and showed her the entire thing. It was like a whole apartment up here, 1 massive master bedroom with en-suite and walk-in that was massive, not even all his clothes filled it half way. There were 2 other bedrooms, she’d raised an eyebrow at him. He’d informed her for his pups when he found his Mate. Only wanted two, she supposed. There was a large fully stocked kitchen and a dining room, plus a massive living area.
His room was at the eastern end of the pack-house. He had a full wrap-around balcony from his bedroom to the dining room and the view was grand indeed. He could look south down into the packs town centre from the dining area, and from his bedroom he had a full view to the east and up north. It was impressive. She asked if he had been allocated or got to choose it. Picked it himself, he smiled proudly at her.
She wondered why it was all the way down the opposite end to where West’s room was, or had been he could have moved rooms, she thought, their room had been in the west wing at the front of the building and nothing like this, just a very large spacious room, not a suite like this.
They were standing in the corner of the balcony looking out over the pack. She looked all the way around “So anywhere insight of the pack-house hmm?” she could see a very long way from up here on the 4th floor where the Alpha and his Unit all resided.
“Yes, that’s what West said.” T.J. smiled down at her.
“So, you know I can see the very far reaches of the eastern border from here.” she pointed it out to him. It was up on a hill. There was a road that went all the way to it and the edges of the borders were all cleared of trees.
“Mmm, I see it. Might not be what he meant, Jo-Jo.”
Jo-anne shrugged, “It’s technically in sight of the pack-house is it not? And I imagine the view down the valley into rogue territory is probably pretty.”
T.J. chuckled “Yes I guess so.” then he cleared his voice “What about over there,” he pointed to the tree line to the north of them.
“I don’t know, got a better view of it?”
“ Let's go over and look at it. There’s a nice stream not far from it and a little bridge too, quite pretty.” he mimicked her words back at her.
“Since when?” she asked. There had never been one there before.
“Lots of things have changed while you were gone.” he commented,
Jo-anne supposed that it was very likely she had been gone 10 years. “Let's go look, to keep T.J. happy.”
“Over there, I’ll be able to see you, from here. That makes me happy, Jo-Jo.”
She laughed as they left his suite. “You creepy perv.”
He snorted with laughter and shook his head, “I ain’t no peeping tom, besides, it’s just an art studio. Not a living space.”
“Could be a little room out the back. I don’t need much T.J. never did.”
“I know Jo-Jo.”
They walked out of the pack-house and over to the area he’d picked out for her, she did like that it would back directly on to the woods. She could wander outside and roam, maybe pick up inspiration when not working on an actual contract.
“I like this place. He pointed out the Alpha’s office windows from here, “Even when I’m working I can check on you.”
“It’s not too bad.” she admitting though if he could see her, then so could West. “Where’s this stream and bridge?” she asked him.
He walked her into the woods just a short 10 minute walk and there was a pretty stone arch bridge, crossing over a stream. She smiled as she walked onto it, there were flowers all along the banks on either side, it was very pretty, he was right. “Why T.J. do you bring all your girls here?” she teased him. She could see it would make for a very romantic spot, especially under a full moon and a sky full of glistening stars.
He laughed down at her “Na. I like the lake better. I just thought you’d like it, is all.”
She smiled “it is nice. I guess this place will do.” she nodded, she could see herself sitting right up on the bridge sketching away, could see herself painting the bridge itself with all its flowers along the bank. Both oil and watercolour, for that matter. It would look good even covered in snow when deep winter sets in.
“Good, I’ll let West know.”
“So what now? Your mission is over.”
“I still have to spend the afternoon with you. It’s a nice day. Why don’t we walk and catch up properly?”
It was a very nice way to spend the afternoon. They took a late lunch in one of the town's cafe’s and walked right around the lake. Jo-anne noted her family’s old home was not there, asked what happened. He told her it caught fire, with a shrug, and said nothing more on the topic. They did not return to the pack-house till dinner time, and she sat with T.J. for her meal so comfortable around him.
West appeared and sat down at the other end of the table, Miranda with him, no surprise there. Even now the girl had eyes only for him, it seemed. She smiled at Jo-anne and asked her how her day had been.
“Good, spent it annoying T.J. all afternoon.”
“Who’s T.J.?” she questioned.
“What?...Oh, Terence here.” she’d forgotten for a minute that she was the only one to call him T.J. It was not something anyone else did ever, their thing, like he was the only one to call her Jo-Jo.
“T.J.” Miranda smiled at her Beta “it’s cute.”
“You will call me Terence.” T.J. informed her a little curtly, frowning at her.
“Oh, will I?” she replied, leaning back in her chair.
“Yes.” he snapped at her. Even Jo-anne was a little surprised by his tone. She knew it was their thing, but he’d never really yelled at others about it before.
“Miranda, only Jo-anne here, gets to call him that.” West interrupted them, glaring at each other “They have a...special bond.”
“Oh,” Miranda said and then looked from Jo-anne to T.J., smiled “Oh!” she giggled “I see.”
Jo-anne highly doubted it, it wasn’t like that at all, but she didn’t correct the woman and neither did T.J. or West, for that matter. It was not unusual for people to think there was something more between her and T.J. Even in school when she had been younger, people had commented that two of them were really close and she’d heard on more than one occasion people say they thought she and T.J. would likely end up Mate’s.
Not that she’d ever been around him in that manner, or looked at him like that. She doubted he looked at her like that either, they were just really close. They did have a very close bond, it was unmistakable and she did trust him completely, she supposed.
Jo-anne shook it off, and turned her attention to the future Luna of her pack. She was talking with everyone, she had gotten up and wandered away from the table to talk to people, knew nearly everybody, Jo-anne realised. Wondered how long she had been here in the pack? If she was Wests Mate, why had he not Marked her yet? Wondered if there was perhaps some sort of Mating Alliance, that was preventing him from doing so until a certain time. It was possible, she thought.
The woman, it seemed, was very friendly, a happy and smiling critter, the total opposite of West himself, she thought. The man did not smile ever, even his father had told her as much. For Miranda to be that happy all the time, he must be a very different person behind closed doors.
“I like her.” Jo-anne suddenly said, turning to West “Got yourself a good Luna.” she smiled right at him, the pack seemed to like the woman as well. That was a good thing too.
West was staring at her now, with narrowed eyes, almost as though he couldn’t figure out why she had said that to him. She was just trying to let him know she was happy for him, really truly happy for him.
Then she stood up, she had finished her meal. “I’m going, have a nice evening.” she addressed both of them. Waved to Miranda, the woman smiled and waved back, and then she walked out of the dining room, heading for her room.
She had chosen a place for her art studio and, according to her contract, she was allowed to have a say in the design of it, and seeing as the contract was going to be honoured it seemed she might as well go ahead and sketch something up, that she liked.