The Alpha in her Dreams

A New Path

She called Shepherd on the walk home. He immediately answered and began asking how she was. She knew he felt torn about leaving her, especially when she was still trying to process what she’d learned. His voice was strained, and she wondered what was happening on his end. He sounded busy, assuring her that he was trying to finish his business there as quickly as possible. She hated that he was facing so much stress and she wasn’t there to comfort him.

By the end of the call, she decided to tell Jim that she was quitting tomorrow. She knew it was unprofessional not to give notice. But she couldn’t ask Shepherd to be away from his pack for a month, especially with the security risks they were facing. And if this was how one day apart felt, she wouldn’t make it a month.

Laurel hoped Susu was home, but the apartment was empty. After scrambling some eggs for dinner and watching a few reruns, she began to feel anxious. She went to her closet and pulled down her suitcase from the top shelf. She began randomly opening drawers and pulling clothes off hangers, throwing them all on her bed. It made her feel better to be working on something. About an hour later, when the mound on her bed had started to feel overwhelming, Susu came in.

“Did someone break in and trash just your room? What the hell is all of this?” Susu joked with a look of concern.

“I’m packing. When Shepherd returns, he’s not leaving again without me. I want to be ready when he comes.”

Susu let out a long breath and fell on top of the heap of clothes.

“Susu, what are you thinking?”

Susu sat back up and faced Laurel. “I think I’m gonna miss you. But I’m so proud of you. You’re doing the right thing. You’re usually the calculated one between us, but here you are jumping in the deep end without floaties on. I love it!” She laughed before turning serious. “I really do think you’re making the right decision, Laurel.”

“Thanks, Susu. Your approval means a lot to me. I’ll pay another three months’ rent so you have plenty of time to find another roommate. Or you could always come with me to Silver Moon…”

“I can’t just follow you around your whole life, Laurel.” Susu said with a sad expression before regaining her spirits. “Alright, what are we waiting for? Let’s get you ready to go!”

They turned the music up loud and half-worked, half-played until Laurel’s two suitcases were full and the bed was clear. It was two in the morning when they finished, and they were both exhausted.

“We’re not planning on packing up the whole apartment tonight, are we?”

“No way. I’m beat. I’ve got to get up in a few hours.”

“You’re still going to work tomorrow?! Why are you so good, Laurel?”

Laurel laughed. “I’m not sure I’d call leaving with no notice good, but I can’t miss seeing Jim’s face when I quit. Besides, I don’t want to leave my desk a mess for the next assistant.”

“Sleepover?” Susu asked with a small grin.

“Absolutely!”

They brushed their teeth and changed into their pajamas before collapsing in Laurel’s bed. Even though they were both drained, they knew that their time as roomies was ending, and they wanted to savor their time together. They stayed up another hour, talking in bed about all the changes in Laurel’s life, how hot Shepherd was, the uncomfortable lunch with Henry, and how funny Jim’s face would be when she quit before finally falling asleep.

Laurel’s stomach was in knots the next morning. All joking aside, she dreaded the awkward talk she’d have with Jim. Shepherd called while she was getting ready, but they hadn’t gotten to talk for long. He sounded tired but told her that he planned to come back that evening and could stay at least through the weekend. She didn’t tell him of her plans to quit her job. She wanted to surprise him in person. The stress she could feel from him in their conversation only solidified her resolve to quit her job so they could be together.

When she exited the elevator, she made her way to Jim’s office and knocked.

“What is it, Davis?” he asked without looking up.

She sat in the chair across from his desk and took a deep breath. “Today is going to be my last day, Jim.”

“What?!” His face contorted into a furious expression. “Is this a joke? Are you looking for a raise?”

She explained to him that things had changed for her recently and apologized for the short notice, promising to finish the work on her desk before the end of the day. Jim was understandably angry and tried to get her to stay but no amount of guilt could make her change her mind. Shepherd needed her more than Jim did. And she needed Shepherd. She felt secure in her decision.

She worked through lunch and by the end of the day, she’d caught up on all her work. Grabbing her box of personal belongings, she made her way back to her apartment.

After her lunch with Henry yesterday, she felt thankful that her notice had been short. Prolonging it would surely have brought more difficult situations, which she wanted to avoid. Even though he had asked her to think about what he’d said, there was nothing to consider. Her mind was made up. She knew eventually Henry would move on and be better off. There was only one man for her and that was Shepherd. She hoped he would be waiting for her back at the apartment but hadn’t heard anything from him since that morning.

She stopped by the cafe on the way home to see Susu. She was the saddest part of leaving New York, and Laurel hoped that she would eventually change her mind about Silver Moon. It was Friday night, and the coffee house was busy. She took her coffee to go and slowly made her way to their apartment. She half expected that Shepherd would be waiting on the steps when she returned home but as she rounded the corner, she was disappointed again. She felt the weight of all the sudden changes in her life as she entered her empty apartment. She sat on the couch and tried to calm the storm of thoughts that plagued her.

The past few days had been so busy and so much had changed that when she sat still for a moment, a tsunami of fear blindsided her. What if she was making a mistake? Before two days ago, she thought the world existed only of humans. And now she knew that her father and the man she loved, as well as countless others, were werewolves. She wondered what other beings existed, moved around her every day without her knowing anything about them.

Before a couple of months ago, her career had been the most important thing to her before a dream had changed everything. A dream about her soul mate. Something she’d always scoffed about. She’d never been a romantic. Which, at this moment, struck her as such an odd thing.

She remembered now just how in love her parents had been. She had rarely seen them upset with one another and when she had, they’d quickly made up. They always seemed to be touching one another and anticipating the other's needs. Only now could she remember these things about her parents and realize how special their love had been. It all made sense. Her dad had been a wolf. They had been fated by a higher power to love each other for all time.

And now she had the same gift with Shepherd. It excited and terrified her. Her dad had been unable to exist when her mother died and left Laurel alone in the world. Is that what she wanted for herself? For her future children?

Lucy’s face flashed across her mind. Laurel always thought she chose to be alone. She viewed Lucy as independent and strong and assumed she just hadn’t needed or wanted a partner. But remembering Lucy’s face when she spoke of what Rose and James had, the way she whispered Morpheus’ name, made her question that assumption. Shepherd was right. When you knew what the mate bond was, when you witnessed it, when you felt it- it was a beautiful thing. Perhaps Lucy saw what true love was, and it ruined her for anything else. There was so much that Laurel didn’t know.

She realized tears had begun to fall down her cheeks as her thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of the doorbell.