Runaway To Me

Chapter 5

Nothing sucks quite like a crying hangover. That very specific dehydrated, wrung out feeling throughout your body. The corresponding headache that pounds behind your eyes. And of course, that distinct soreness around your eyes. Yeah, it sucks.

Even a full night of sleep couldn't help the bags under my eyes. The only way sleep and I connected was if I cried hard enough to wear my body down into a restless slumber. I'd barely woken up ten minutes ago and I was already feeling the pull to crawl back under the covers.

It was going to be a long day.

"Do you and my coffee maker have beef?"

Ty's voice broke my concentration. Heat rushed to my cheeks having been caught in a moment of mental disassociating. It just happened to appear to onlookers like I was staring angrily at a coffee pot.

"Yeah." I laughed it off. "It doesn't make coffee fast enough for my liking."

Ty gave me a heartbreaking grin, the guy was good looking by anyone's standards. Given any other, literally any other, situation and I would be interested. The last thing my mom had asked of me was to not be single for Jaxon's wedding. She probably would have approved of Ty. What mom wouldn't want their kid to end up with an Alpha?

But I knew my heart and mind were mired down in grief. And I would probably feel that way for so long, so much time would need to pass to feel better. Right?

I wish I had a guidebook, a manual, a clue...anything to help me navigate the grief of my family's murders. Where did healing start? When would my heart hurt less? There was so much unknown about the life that lie ahead of me as I struggled with the acceptance of the ending of the life behind me.

"I can promise you that staring it down doesn't make it any faster. Creamer?" He asked as he pulled open the fridge door.

"Yeah, I'll take a splash." I swiped two mugs from the cabinet and poured us both a cup.

"Today, I was thinking I could give you a tour of our community. Maybe help you assess where to go from here." Ty set the creamer on the island and turned to the stove to start up some breakfast for us.

"Do you give everyone a tour?" I gave my coffee a splash of creamer and, after a quick stir, raised the blessed caffeine source to my lips. I needed caffeine after a full night of tossing and turning.

"Generally I assist with new member intake. Typically, we have a committee who runs this type of intake but one member just had a baby two nights ago, another has a cold, and the other is subbing in at the school today. So, you're stuck with me."

"Who better to give a tour than the Alpha right?"

"You're not incorrect, but I'm sure the committee would be able to tell you so much more. They know all the hidden gems."

"I'm sure you know a few."

Ty plated the bacon and eggs he'd been making and set a plate in front of me before taking a seat on the stool beside me.

"All the hidden secrets I knew are from when I was a kid, once I took over as Alpha I had so much more responsibility that running around through the town wasn't an option. If you do happen to be looking for where to find the best toy maker, I can certainly help out." He chuckled.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind if I happen to age backwards."

We quickly ate and washed up the dishes, ready to get this tour underway. I grabbed a zip-up sweater and headed out into the brisk fall morning steps behind Ty.

"So, this is where I live obviously. Up here is the community center, it's connected to the pack house. This is where we hold our pack meetings or other general pack events. It's the only building large enough." He grinned wide, clearly so proud of his pack.