chosen his distance from his brother. How much of his so-called “mistreatment” had been in his own head? In mine? Since I was a child, I’d thought I couldn’t trust my family not to reject me. How many of my perceptions were wrong and how had they led to the state of my relationships with them?
I still didn’t want to live on the compound. I still wanted my own life, on my own terms. But maybe I wasn’t risking quite as much as I thought.
Daddy continued. “You’ll be worse off than Jolene. We only let her back on the compound every once in a while because she has the kids. You’re not even gonna have that if you date a vampire.”
“I’ll bet that’s news to Uncle Lonnie,” I scoffed, reaching for the doorknob.
“If you do this, that’s it,” Mama told me. “No coming back.”
I nodded. “I know.”
I walked out of the trailer, with my backpack on my shoulders. All of my aunts and uncles were waiting outside, probably drawn in by the noise. I braced myself for the yelling, the pitchforks, but they just stared. Uncle Lonnie was waiting, too, but unlike my parents, he looked sad rather than anything else.
I cleared my throat and adjusted my grip on my bags, ready to run. “Uncle Lonnie, I’m sure you heard. I’m going to leave. I’ve found an apartment in town. I’m going to live there. I know this is probably going to make you unhappy as my Alpha. I’m ready to accept the consequences.”
While there were mumblings and whispers all around us, to my shock, my family stayed quiet. And Uncle Lonnie? He didn’t yell. He didn’t even look mad. He just opened his arms to hug me and kissed my cheek. “If you don’t want to be part of the pack anymore, that’s up to you, Tylene. I won’t say it doesn’t hurt, but pack life has never been about keeping people somewhere they don’t want to be, no matter what my sisters say. It’s about making a place for everybody, making them feel loved and needed. If you don’t feel that here… that has to be awful. And I’m sorry we didn’t do a better job.”
“I don’t want to leave, necessarily. I just don’t want to be pinned down and have no options.”
“Well, I can’t recommend living like Jolene, half-in and half-out. I’m sure it’s painful for her. But I’m grateful to her for making the effort. I just love seeing the twins,” he said. “But I want you to know that you’re welcome back on the compound any time you want. I don’t care what your parents say.”
Warmth and relief flooded my chest and it was a hell of task, keeping my tears at bay. “I really appreciate it, Uncle Lonnie.”
“Call me when you get settled in,” he said. “Let us know where you land.”
As I walked down the stairs, Lonnie called, “Let her through!” And my aunts, uncles, and cousins parted for me, their expressions grave. I walked down the pebbled road faster than I thought possible.
Carrying my suitcase up the stairs of my new apartment building, I didn’t quite believe I lived there. I knocked on the door and Dick opened it seconds later. He gave me a confused smile.
“You’re knocking on your own door?”
“Doesn’t feel like my door yet,” I told him.
“Well, it is,” he said, dropping a keyring into my hand. The plain old housekey was attached to a little plastic plaque that said, “Inconceivable!” in bright red medieval font.
I snickered as he tugged my hand and led me through the door. “Funny.”
My new apartment was not a palace, but it was mine. I looked around the empty room. The walls were painted a soft, impersonal white. All of the rooms were so empty they echoed whenever I moved. But it was mine. I could come and go whenever I pleased and not have to ask permission. I could put whatever I wanted on the walls. I would decide when and what to eat. I had all of the authority and if I paid for it, it belonged to me.
“Did you rent a truck?” Dick asked, peering behind me into the parking lot.
“No, I didn’t need one.”
“Well, where’s your stuff?”
I raised the shoulder carrying my backpack and waved my suitcase. “Right here.”
“But what about furniture? And the rest of your clothes?”
“The great thing about not really owning much is makes moving super-simple. You don’t need to bug your friends for help!”