Gold Canary

Part 2

Walking in I immediately scent him to my left so while nodding my head to those in my direct eyesight I avoid looking over to his corner until I can no longer help myself.

Finn the-fucking-heartbreaker Samson. I should have known I would be like all the rest but it still shocked me when he dumped me without explanation 3 months into our relationship.

"Ari, it's nice of you to join us." His smooth deep voice fills the room and the others have quieted as if anticipating a show.

Most would know our story, the tracking crew being made up of the best from both our packs. Those from my own had warned me of Finn and his reputation right up until the moment he ended it. But did I listen? No.

I'm going to sound like every stupid girl that ever had her heart broken by a player, but I honestly did think we had a connection at the time, and for a month after I cried myself to sleep over this stupid idea. Watching a crappy episode of the Bachelor eventually saved me. Seeing how clichéd I'd become snapped me out of my funk. I was over that jerk and he would no longer take up time in my busy schedule again. That's when I got a new number and took jobs that took me as far away from home as possible. Evil bastard just couldn't help but try to get back under my skin after I accepted that what we had was lee than nothing. He started to calling me and dropping by the pack-house. And then when that didn't work he started talking to those who knew me best until eventually he managed to arrange whatever this was. I still didn't know what he wanted; I just knew I never wanted to speak to him again.

I swear to the moon goddess if this was a hoax...

"Am I the last to arrive?" I ask with contempt. How dare he make me feel like I was more than 5 minutes behind the rest of my pack. I stare back into the cold depths of his eyes. Today he's all business and his irritation is palpable.

"You are, and we should get started on the debriefing so we can get tracking as soon as possible."

"Well debrief away." I respond with a sarcastically waved hand.

I break eye contact and take note of the others in the room. It's the fairly standard crew from our pack but I only recognize Finn's right hand man from the four others that have joined us from his pack.

Freddie gives me wry grin from where he's sitting but I ignore him. While I have forgiven most everyone else that endorsed my relationship with Finn while knowing he had the potential to break my heart, Freddie was an exception.

I had really thought that we had become friends and then I saw him not long after accepting a job in another town after our break-up. He also had been visiting.

Having just determined that it was really over with Finn and I was over being depressed about it I bump into Freddie. It would have been an awkward encounter no matter how our relationship ended, and awkwardness I could take. But outright hostility as if I had somehow destroyed our relationship was definitely not what I expected. And those words, those words still haunt me to this day.

"He's better off without you."

Just looking at him now I can still remember the coldness of his eyes and the angry venomous tone as he continued past me never look back as I stared after him down the busy street.

Why he thought he could smile at me now, I had no idea.