(For Their Happiness)
I spun back to Brent when I heard a painful grunt and thump. He had fallen just trying to put them on. I was laughing so hard my sides were hurting. Brent took the shoes and threw them at my feet, feigning anger, but I could see his lips twitching letting me know he was just holding his laughter in.
Billy helped him up while Gary picked up my shoes and handed them to me, but they had been ripped at the soles from Brent shoving his big feet in them. I just shrugged and turned to go in. That just gave me an excuse not to wear them. I would rather be barefoot anyway.
Nikki came up to me giggling; I guess from seeing what had happened. I smiled over to her and to Trent who was beside her, but wouldn’t meet their eyes. “Alphas,” I bowed my head in respect. “Congratulations on your engagement. The pack is blessed with such a pair.” I projected the sincerity I felt for that statement, trying to hide the pain and sadness I felt in my heart.
“Aw, thank you, Crystie, but I’ve told you that we aren’t Alpha’s yet, so you don’t have to do the official greeting for us.” Nikki said as she looped her arm with mine, and then she and Trent walked beside me into the house. “Now this is a party, so let’s get some punch and you can tell us why Brent was trying to wear your shoes.”
We went over to the table and I explained, concentrating on Nikki and trying not to look at Trent. “Please don’t say anything, though. I don’t want Aisling thinking that he only asked as part of the bet. He adores her; I just nudged him in her direction.”
“We won’t say a word.” Trent said in his smooth silky voice, sending shivers down my back. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Yes, sir.” I answered in a small voice. I had barely said five words to him over the years, I had been able to avoid it for the most part, and this was much harder than I thought it would be.
“Come on Crystie, as Nikki said we aren’t Alphas yet, so please just call me Trent.”
“Alright Trent, I’m sorry. Go ahead.” I noticed that when I said his name he seemed to stiffen a little, and I was afraid he would say something about it, but he didn’t.
“My father informed me that you would not be taking over the peacekeeper position.” He said. “Have we done something, or is there a different reason you don’t want the position when we do the changeover?”
I swallowed, hoping there wasn’t a double meaning to his question, but answered it anyway. “This project with the children, the mateless, and the elders has been my passion since it’s conception. I really want to stick with that.” I tried to project the contentment I felt for that, but I had so many conflicting emotions in my head at the moment that I didn’t know if I succeeded or not. “I will still be there and available to you when the need arises if my dad can’t for some reason, but I love the children, and the mateless and the elders have all been so much happier and more content since they have been helping than they were before. Some of the mateless have paired off finding comfort with each other. I love knowing I had a hand in their happiness.”
“Okay, as long as we know it’s not us that you are avoiding.” He said.
“I told you, Trent. She has never tried to avoid me and has always spent as much time with me as she could when I speak with her. She’s not avoiding us.” Nikki defended me.
I felt a stab of guilt at her statement; knowing that I was, for the most part, avoiding Trent. Luckily someone came up to them then, so I was able to get away. I found Billy and Becca and stood with them.
“I have a proposal.” I said looking at Becca. I knew she would be the one to convince. “I think the three of you should move into my house until this threat is over. That way you both would have more time together, and of course I would have Jazzy even more. That way when Billy changes shift at midnight, he’d just have to go upstairs to both of you instead of having to drive home that time of night or morning or whatever you want to call it.”
They looked at each other for a moment, and I knew that they were having one of those silent conversations mates can have. They both looked like they were okay with it, so maybe they were talking about the details. Billy and I had always been friendly because of Becca, but once they graduated and they had decided to marry, I was Becca’s Maid of Honor, and then I had arranged the baby shower and been there for the birth of Jasmine. It had been Billy’s idea to make me Jazzy’s god-mother. We became as close as Becca and I had always been.
They looked back at me with smiles, and then smothered me in a hug from both sides. “That would work out perfect.” Becca said. “I’ll even talk to your mom about keeping house, and maybe I can help you with the kids sometimes.”
“That does sound perfect. I’ll have my whole family together.” I said cheerfully, but inside I was recalling the feeling of foreboding that had been closing in on me since I had been told about the rogues. It just felt like something was going to happen.
(Born Omega)
Hearing a thump and Brent grunt as he fell to the ground, Crystie turned her attention back to him. He had fallen just trying to put the shoes on. She was laughing so hard by this point; she was bent double, holding her stomach because she was getting a stitch in her side. Brent tried to look angry as he took the shoes off and threw them at her feet, but she could see the corners of his mouth turning up in the smile he was trying to hide.
Gary shook his head as he handed Crystie the shoes that were now ripped in the soles from Brent shoving his feet into them. Shaking her head as Billy helped Brent up from the ground, she turned to head inside.
Giggling, Nikki went up to Crystie, looping their arms together, and turned her to head into the house. Noticing Trent beside her, Crystie bowed her head. “Alphas,” she said. “Congratulations on your engagement. The pack is blessed with such a pair.” She projected her sincerity so they would know she meant it, while trying to hide the sadness she felt at the same time.
“Aw, thank you Crystie, but I’ve told you that we aren’t Alphas yet, so you don’t have to do the official greeting for us. Now this is a party, so lets go get some punch, and you can tell us why Brent was trying to wear your shoes.”
Trent followed the two women as they made their way to the punch table as Crystie explained and asked them not to tell Aisling.
“We won’t say a word.” He said, as again he wondered about how Crystie always acted toward him and her not wanting to take her father’s place in the pack. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Yes sir.” she answered in a quiet voice. She didn’t sound like that when she talked to Nikki, and he was starting to worry that she was intimidated by him.
“Come on Crystie, as Nikki said, we aren’t Alphas yet, so please just call me Trent.”
“Alright Trent. I’m sorry. Go ahead.”
Trent felt a shiver go down his spine as she said his name in that soft voice of hers. He discretely sniffed the air to get her scent. It was herbal and he couldn’t place it, so he asked what he wanted to know. “My father informed me that you would not be taking over the peacekeeper position. Have we done something, or is there a different reason you don’t want the position when we do the changeover?”
He saw the flush heat her face as he asked her, and glanced at Nikki to see if she noticed, but she was still looking at Crystie waiting for the answer.
“This project with the children, the mateless, and the elders has been my passion from it’s conception. I really want to stick with that. I will still be there and available to you when the need arises if my dad can’t for some reason, but I love the children, and the mateless and elders have all been so much happier and more content, since they have been helping, than they ever were before. Some of the mateless have paired off; finding comfort with each other. I love knowing that I had a hand in their happiness.”
Trent could feel the peace and contentment coming from her, so he knew she meant every word, but he was still disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to work with her on a daily basis. Letting out a breath, he said, “Okay…as long as we know it’s not us that you are avoiding.”
“I told you, Trent. She has never tried to avoid me and has always spent as much time with me as she could when I speak with her. She’s not avoiding us.” Nikki had told him that earlier when he’d mentioned it. Maybe it was just him.
Just then, someone else came up to them to offer the best wishes, so Trent didn’t have a chance to talk a little more with Crystie. He had hoped to make her feel a little easier around him