Run With Me

Chapter Seven

Every time Michael went to speak, Terri would say that she didn't want to talk. And she didn't. As soon as she got into the truck, she had pulled her hood up to hide her face and started to cry. She had known this day was going to come, she just didn't realize how public it was going to be. That's what really got her, the public humiliation in front of the whole pack. The more she thought about it, the harder she cried, until she was sobbing uncontrollably. She felt the truck pull over and Michael unclasping her seatbelt. She was dragged over the center console and pulled into a hug.

"Hey, it's okay," her brother soothed her while she sobbed, "he screwed up. We all screwed up." Michael had been the mediator between his two hard headed siblings their whole lives, but he had always supported Terri, had made her feel like she wasn't completely alone. As her crying abated and her sobs turned into sniffles, Terri shifted back into her seat and looked over at her brother.

"Thanks," she had needed that, the feeling like someone cared about her. He nodded and put the truck back into drive.

"So," he steered them back onto the empty highway, "what's the game plan?" He glanced over at Terri to watch her response. She shrugged.

"Finish my degree. Get a job. Probably move. Not too sure where I'm going to end up," she hadn't really thought too much of what life was going to look like after she had finished her degree, but she did know that going back to the pack wasn't an option. Or any pack really. She had lived as a human for so long that it made sense to just continue on that path.

"Okay," Michael's tone was upbeat, "as you figure it out, you just let me know." He reached for the radio and dialed on a station, humming in an off key to whatever was on.

"I'll text you as I come up with a plan," Terri said, tugging on her sleeves, "I'll probably focus on that after the semester ends." Her mind was going a mile a minute. Her current project was no where near complete, she needed more data and to test the prototype, and for that she needed access to people and her lab space.

"Oh no," Michael was laughing, "you're not going to be texting me. I'm sticking with you until you decide." Terri gaped at him.

"By sticking with do you mean spying on me for your alpha or pestering me until I change my mind?" This was not a conversation she really wanted to be having right now.

"Neither," his tone still light, "I'm going to hang out with you and figure out what I want to do too." Michael was a jack of all trades, could adapt to anything. That was his calling in life after growing up sandwiched between two stubborn siblings. He had always been her caretaker and friend when she had felt abandoned.

"And what do you think that is going to look like?" She knew he was unlikely to find a mate and settle down with pups, since no female had ever caught his interest. He was the biggest flirt, yet still avoided commitment like a pro. He just gave her a shrug in response, his hand reaching up to tug at the necklace beneath his shirt.

"Not sure, but I do know it's not in the middle of nowhere," his hand dropped back to the steering wheel, "you should have a nap. I'll wake you when we get there." Dropping her seat back, Terri took his advice. She was exhausted from the emotional output and would not object to turning her brain off for a while.

It was late when they pulled up to Terri's condo. The pack owned it as a place to stay when they needed to come into the city. Terri made a mental note as she woke up to start looking for a new place during reading week. It would suck having to move during winter, but she didn't want to stay where any member of the pack would just show up. It took her and Michael several trips to move all her books and her giant suitcase up to the third floor, so she flopped out on the couch once they were done.