Page 50 of Plus-Size Sold Mate
But Eve gives her a coaxing nudge in the right direction. “C’mon, we’ll hang out by the water first while you get settled in.”
Finally, she takes a breath to collect herself, then she nods. “Alright, fine.”
Relief fills me as Sera agrees and starts walking with her, heading to the path that winds down to the water’s edge. Eve glances back at me encouragingly, and I nod once in silent thanks.
She gives me a small, satisfied smile before practically dragging Sera on.
To my surprise, the tension eases from my shoulders slightly, but it’s enough to let me breathe. I just hope the others can find it in themselves to welcome her.
“Rough start?” Hunter asks once he reaches my side, clapping a hand against my back.
With a look thrown behind me, I catch as Dominic and Zane approach alongside him.
“That’s an understatement,” I mutter, scrubbing a hand down my face. “I thought I was going to have to put everyone in their place.”
“As entertaining as that would be to see, luckily, you didn’t have to,” Dominic says, arms crossed with a knowing grin. “But the look in your eyes was a little too murderous for a cheerful festival.”
Zane sighs, but gives me a more supportive look. “It’ll settle eventually. They’re still getting used to her.”
“They need to get used to her a little faster.”
Hunter huffs out an amused breath. “If only it worked like that.”
Pulling in a deep breath, I try to keep my irritation reined in regardless of how on edge I feel still. I’m trying to be level-headed, but the bond is amplifying everything inside me.
“She doesn’t want to be here, but she’s trying. It’s all been hell on her, and I wish they’d just cut her some slack,” I mumble. “She’s starting over completely, and half the elders are looking at her like she’s a bomb waiting to go off.”
“They’ve only ever known fear when it comes to people with abilities like hers,” Hunter adds, looking empathetic. “It will take time.”
“Isaac told us the story Jonah shared with you three the other day,” Zane says, gaze turning a bit more serious. “Don’t let it get to you.”
The memory of Jonah’s story comes back, along with the way it pulled an ugly kind of anger out of me. Even if I refuse to let his warning blind me from the truth in front of me, I know that kind of fear still lingers in their minds. Hell, some days even I forget I’m supposed to think differently, too, and it’s not easy to let go of.
Still, that fear won’t bring progress.
“I won’t. She’s not malicious.”
“We’ve been around her enough to know that now,” Zane says with a nod. “We don’t sense anything off about her.”
“I need the rest of the pack to get there, too. I just want her to see nobody here is her enemy,” I murmur, watching as the others continue to talk in their groups, focusing less on Sera or me now that she’s out of sight.
“You’ll figure it out,” Hunter offers, patting my shoulder this time. “You always do.”
Forcing out a humorless breath, I shake my head. “I’m winging it.”
“Aren’t we all?” Dominic says in a long-suffering kind of way, despite his subtle amusement, while he passes me a drink. “That sounds like a problem for future Luke to solve.”
I give him a pointed look, but I accept the drink anyway.
As the festival continues, I watch it unfold, well aware that this isn’t just about tradition or pack politics. It’s about Sera standing with my sister by the beach, feeling alone while I’m supposed to be the one making sure she isn’t.
I want to assume everything I do is for her own good now, yet I can’t help but feel like I’m still not hitting the mark.
While the guys are good at distracting me, they can’t exactly provide the answers I need. None of them has experience in balancing a pack and a mate who only partially likes them.
Caleb would know what to do, but he’s back with his own pack, handling his own business while keeping an ear out for ours. He’s the only other one who has navigated the early chaos of a bond before.
Either way, I have to figure this out myself, and I’m determined to do exactly that.
