Chapter 13 The Welcome Party (2)
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The conversations flowed as we walked. Nadia was holding onto Esme’s and Jenna’s hands, and I walked right beside them.
“I take it you’re heading to the welcome party, Esme?” I asked.
“Wouldn’t miss it for anything,” she said. “Who knows if this would be the last multipack moon meet I will get to experience before I join the moon goddess? I have to enjoy every second of it.”
Jenna spoke. “If only we could get Tara here to be just as excited for the event as the rest of us. It’s like she doesn’t even want to be here.”
The only reason why I didn’t want to invest fully into the pack’s gathering was because Aidan was in the pack, and I wanted to be as far away from him as possible.
I didn’t need to tell them that, so I joked instead. “Well, I would rather run my diner and make so much more money than watch hot–headed alphas run for sport.”
We all laughed as we headed to the place for the welcome party. It took around twenty minutes on foot, and those twenty minutes were spent gisting and laughing with the people who were closest to my heart.
Once we got to the pack’s square, Jenna searched for the best seats for us, so that we wouldn’t miss any view of the evening.
We were about to take our seats when someone pulled my shoulder from behind, saying. “Well well, fancy seeing you here, Tara.”
I turned around to see that it was Alpha Collin, and I sighed heavily. He was the last person I wanted to see around me or my daughter, so I balled my hands into fists and glared at him.
“Alpha,” I said, keeping my voice calm even though I was anything but. “How can I help you?”
My mind took a trip down memory lane to eight years ago, right after I put to bed. I was so scared, thinking that Aidan found us, or worse, Kayla, or Aidan’s father.
Shortly after I was able to return to the pack, Alpha Collin showed up at the house to congratulate me, and when I brought up the topic, as well as my concerns about being found by the people who caused me to leave Pack Attica, my previous pack, Collin proceeded to confirm that he was the one who cleared my bills.
It didn’t take a mathematician to put it together that Collin was into me, but I couldn’t settle for a relationship after what I’d been through. I also couldn’t ignore the fact that I didn’t see him that way, mostly because my heart belonged to another, even after such betrayal.
Aidan was, after all, my mate. And even though our bond was severed, a heart was still a heart.
Collin was kind to me and patient, and we later finally came to a conclusion to put a label on our relationship.
The dynamic of our relationship was one of a kind. Nadia and I were his companions, and he stepped in as a supporter for us. But that was until things went left.
He became toxic, crossed boundaries, belittled me, and almost hurt Nadia. That was a story for another time.
So, putting myself and my child first, I cut off all ties with him. He has since maintained his distance, but it seemed today wasn’t one of those days.
“Alpha,” I said calmly to him. “How can I help you?”
I shook his hand off my shoulder because I didn’t want him touching me. I also didn’t want him to be anywhere Nadia’s face, so I needed to end the conversation quickly.
He smiled slyly before replying. “I saw you in that pretty dress from way over there, and I thought to say hi. We don’t get to see each other as often anymore.”
“And you know exactly why that is,” I replied sternly, trying to maintain my tone. “Listen, Alpha Collin, we’re just here for the welcome party and don’t want any trouble. I also don’t want Nadia to be upset, so I would like to get back to her. Have a good
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Chapter 13 The Welcome Party (2)
evening,” I said, hoping to end the conversation with that.
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Thankfully, Collin got the memo. “Alright,” he said. “I do have Alpha duties to get to. You know, with being the host of the decade. I’ve got a welcome party to head, but I’ll see you around, Tara.”
And there he went with the big ego.
With his last words, he left to join a group of men a distance away.
I shook off the effects of talking to Collin from my body, refusing to allow it to get to me. Anytime I thought about Collin, all I remembered was how many times he made me feel like I wasn’t good enough, emotionally, physically, and otherwise.
“This evening is going to be lit,” Jenna said, pulling me from my thoughts. “I’ve counted more than twenty Alphas, and there’s more that I’m sure I haven’t seen yet.” She turned to Nadia. “Are you excited? They planned something for the kids too, you know?”
“I’m super super excited,” Nadia responded, making me smile.
Me, Jenna, Esme, and Nadia fell into an easy conversation as the setups for the evening were getting finalized.
“Look, Mommy! It’s Aidan,” Nadia beamed, pointing at the crowd opposite us, and my heart missed a beat as my head snapped in his direction.
Damn! What was it with me running into these men today?
