Page 2 of Talk About… Trouble

“Are you still a vegetarian?” she asked as she picked up the menu waiting on the table.

I nodded. “Yes, working with animals made it impossible to go back. You know it won’t bother me if you eat meat, though.”

“Maybe I’ll let you pick what we get today. I like to be adventurous sometimes,” she said with a shrug.

This was something we used to do when we went out for brunch or after work meetups. It made me feel normal, like the girl I was beforetheyruined it.

The peace that followed as I flipped through the menu was one I wished I could bottle. I knew damn well it was fleeting.

“How about a hummus plate, and we can share halfsies on the veggie lasagna and the black bean street tacos?”

“Sounds delicious,” she said, waving Taylor over.

“You must be new in town,” he said, directing that megawatt smile my way.

“She’s a friend from the city. This is Wren,” Avery said easily, not leaving me to answer awkwardly.

“Well, a friend of Avery is a friend of mine,” he echoed. “What can I get you guys?”

I gave him our order before we picked our own drinks. In the city we probably would have gotten cocktails, but with my current medication that was a no go.

“So, how are you coping?” Avery asked gently. The compassion in her expression had my walls falling around me and I had to take a few breaths to fight the tears.

“I feel so fucking stupid. They… it was so much worse than just that time,” I admitted, the dark secret leaking from my lips before I could stop it.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Wren. I wish I had known how bad they were, I never would have put you at risk,” she said emphatically.

“No, you can’t blame yourself if I can’t,” I argued. “If it wasn’t us, they would have found someone else. Hell, look at the amount of victims and they dated back years, Avery.”

“Now they can rot in prison. I have a feeling alphas like that won’t have a good time,” she said. I never considered that butI secretly agreed. They deserved nothing less than pure hell for what they took from me and the others.

We were interrupted by the drinks and a bread basket being dropped off. Avery and I both took a second to butter the warm bread before she finally spoke again.

“What’s next for you, Wren?”

“Getting out of the city,” I admitted. “I can’t leave my apartment there. I’m terrified all the time. I need a change of scenery.”

“Come here,” Avery said without skipping a beat. “Rockwood Valley is amazing. The whole town kind of becomes family and they’re protective as hell. Your parents can always visit here, instead.”

“No, they won’t,” I said, giving her a sad smile. “They cut me out of their lives over it all. I brought shame to the family, it seems. The moment my name was leaked they disowned me.”

“Fucking assholes,” Avery cursed, looking disgusted. She waved a hand between us like it could clear out the negative energy. “Seriously, come here. I can share my family and my friend group here is amazing. Even better with you around.”

She reached out, her fingers wrapping around mine and meeting my eyes so I could see that she was being genuine.

“I missed you, Wren.”

“Me, too,” I said, another tear escaping. “It’s been… lonely.”

“You need a support system. If you need a place to crash, you can stay with me and my pack. Though, I have to warn you the triplets are a handful.”

“Triplets?!” I squeaked, eyes going wide. She laughed and pulled out her phone, showing me the wallpaper of three adorable toddlers. She hadn’t posted them online, so I had no clue she was pregnant.

“We’ve missed a lot,” Avery admitted. “But I have babies now. And a pretty big pack. I was a mess when I got here butthey were so gentle with me, gave me room to heal. Ford, Mason, Arden, and Cohen are… everything.”

“I won’t crash your place. You deserve to enjoy your pack without a house guest. I’ve actually got a meeting set up at the clinic. I figured if this went well, maybe I’d see about that Rockwood Valley magic you always talked about.”

“These mountains will help you heal, Wren. I’m sure of it,” she promised.

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