Resistant Omegas 5: Dewey by Joyee Flynn (book club suggestions TXT) 📕

“Thank you, Jared.” Tristan gave him a wink and released Percy. “I’d really like to help Dewey with some control before he goes and learn how he can blanket Taggart with his power before he leaves.”

“And then we’ll talk?” Tag asked me quietly. I could see the fear in his eyes.

Before I could answer, Tristan did. “It’s not contract signer’s remorse, Taggart. It’s normal when one door in our lives closes that there is some sadness that things didn’t work out like we might have thought they were going to.”

“That’s fine if that’s what Dewey’s feeling,” he hedged as he stared at me. “I’m just worried it’s more than that.”

“I don’t know. I just feel dread and my new power was freaking me out so everything got worse and I was scared to leave my room. I don’t know what’s going on in my head.” I stared at my hands a few moments while everyone waited for me to say more. I just didn’t know what to say. “I’m going to talk with Tristan while we eat lunch separately and then maybe we can all go for a run before we talk.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Azyle agreed as he stepped towards the stairs. “My wolf definitely needs to stretch his legs some before the trip back.”

Tag suddenly felt as panicked as I did at the mention of Wichita. I glanced at him and realized I wasn’t the only one worried about what we’d agreed to. In a weird way it actually made me feel better that I wasn’t alone in my fears. He gave me a knowing look and then everyone went back to what they were doing before I freaked out about the toothpaste.

“What do you feel like for lunch?”

“Whatever, I’m not really that hungry,” I mumbled as I got to my feet.

“Comfort food it is then.” He gave me a wink when I looked at him in a questioning way. Not saying a word, he pulled out his cell and started typing away. When he was done he gave me a bright smile. “Lunch will be ready in twenty so let’s go take a walk while the cook makes it.”

“Wow, I so want a cook to make me whatever I want when I’m in the mood,” I gushed as we headed down the stairs.

“Do you have your phone?” he asked and I nodded. “Text Azyle and ask if the Alpha house has a cook. As we think of things on our walk, just shoot off questions. Don’t read the answers yet, but just put the questions out there. One step at a time.”

I pulled out my phone and did just that, feeling a little less worry about what was coming tomorrow when we arrived at Wichita. Silly maybe, but emotions didn’t always make sense. “You’ve been depressed when you shouldn’t have been before, haven’t you?”

“Dewey, you have to stop putting it like that,” he answered with a sigh as we stepped out of the front door and walked down the driveway. “There’s no right or wrong way to feel when stuff happens to us. I know George would have told you that because Carson says it all the time.”

“Yeah, but there’s appropriate responses to things and this isn’t appropriate.”

“Bullshit,” Tristan snickered, shaking his head. “Appropriate is a relative term, for one. Two, you didn’t just call someone an asshole and try to kill them for being nice to you. Your whole world is changing. Yes, you have Taggart and now you know your Betas. But let’s be real here, Dewey. You’re scared about Wichita and I would think you to be an idiot if you weren’t.

“I love my men but even if for whatever reason we had to up and change packs, take over leadership of strangers in a few place—I’d be shitting midnight-blue kittens right now.”

“Midnight blue, huh?” I teased but gave him a smile that let him know I appreciated what he was saying. “I just feel like trouble follows me like a rabid dog. I know what happened at my old pack wasn’t my fault and neither was how my parents treated me or my childhood. But I’m twenty-three years old and I don’t know that I’ve ever just had a day where nothing bad happened.

“Even the good days with Tag, there was always some shit going on. When we finally get free and to safety, he has a shit reaction to the wolfsbane leaving his system. I mean, it just weighs on me and I can’t handle it all, all the time. I just want to crawl into bed and cry instead of being excited and learning more about Wichita. I don’t want to feel that way. I want to let go of my past and stop being such a fucking baby about it.”

“Enough,” Tristan growled as he grabbed my shoulder and spun me to face him as we reached the edge of the property. “You’re not weak. You’re not a baby or whiney or bitchy or out of line for how you feel! This isn’t the movies where everyone can keep their cool as they land on their head after a tragedy. This isn’t a story, Dewey. It’s your life. You suffered through hell and you’re scared it could happen again at your next pack.

“I’d be worried if you weren’t ready to have a breakdown.” He took a deep breath as if getting himself under control as he released his hold on me. “We all break, Dewey. We all freak out here and there. It’s part of the human condition or part-human condition like us. I’ve seen each of my men break down and I do. It’s not about size or age or being a baby. It’s about that one person can only take so much before it’s too much.”

“I get all that,” I sighed as I turned and continued to walk along the edge of the property. “But yesterday everything’s fine. Well, not fine, but I signed