Chapter Three

Jack

Move-in day was finally here, and I hadn't considered how chaotic it was going to be. The omegas in the shelter didn't have much, so moving personal belongings wasn't too difficult. However, transporting all the people required a bus and that was…something.

I had to chuckle at what the humans were going to think. If anyone saw us pulling in with a bus full of omegas and children, they'd assume we were a cult. That seemed to be the common assumption people made when they saw shifter packs and compounds. If humans didn't understand something, they put a label on it, rarely a good one.

"You okay?" Pop-Tart handed me another cup of coffee.

"Just, um, nervous."

"Nervous about the new place, or..."

"I guess nervous about me and if I'm ready. I'm going to be in charge, like I have this... I don't know how to be a leader. I was a prisoner, and then I was here, and what if I'm not good enough at all this? What if I make their lives worse?"

"The fact that you're asking if you're not good enough means you are, 1,000 percent. It's the people who jump in knowing that they are ready who have problems."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Drink your coffee. You're gonna need a lot of energy." That I knew was true. It was going to be a hella-long day.

I could hear all the people getting ready for the bus, their excitement swelling as the morning wore on.

"Yeah, it's gonna be loud, but I'm driving the van full of things."

"You are?" I hadn't realized he was coming, but I was glad for it. I had originally planned to drive it, but there was no room for a car seat and I was one of the few certified to drive the bus.

"I'm driving the bus, which is kind of a scary thought." I only got my license because we didn't have enough people who could drive the bus. I hadn't considered that I'd be driving it while it was full of people. A silent bus was one thing, but one filled with distraction. To say I was nervous would be an understatement.

"You got the license, which means you passed the test, which means it's not scary at all."

"Why do you have to make sense?" I grumbled. He pointed at my cup of coffee. "Fine." I drank it down and joined the others.

We were just about ready to go. In less than an hour, I'd be driving away from one life and directly into another.

Bryant had been hanging out with King all morning. He was going to miss the alpha, I was too. I loved how he and my son had become good buds. He was family. All of the guys were. I tried not to think too hard on it, my eyes already tearing up.

I directed everybody to the bus and we all said our goodbyes. That was the hardest part. These people had been my family when I had none, my support system, and my friends. Leaving sucked. But also, the right direction for my life to be headed in, and it wasn't like they were eons away.

We got into the bus. This was it. We were doing this. No turning back now. The drive there wasn't bad—loud but filled with excitement and happiness. The closer we got, the better I felt about everything. It wasn't the actual moving or probably even the responsibility that was weighing on me the most. It was leaving Aziz.

And as much as I hated it, it was for the best. He didn't want me. Sticking around was only going to cause me more heartache. I'd had enough of that.

We arrived at the hotel, and I showed everybody their rooms. We had purchased furniture, linens, and towels for all of them and had a couple of people come early to set things up. It currently still felt almost like a hotel, but that would change soon enough.

Chef had already moved in, as had his mate, Nora. Her official title was the house planner. It wasn't a great name, but for now it would do. She was the one who made sure there were enough linens and towels, the one who organized what bills got paid when, and figured out supply orders, etc. So "planning" wasn't really the right word for sure. Maybe Logistical Fairy.

One by one, everyone went into their rooms and unpacked their things from the van. It already felt like home.

"Bryant, what do you think? Should we go check out your room?"

"Room, room!" he echoed.

I'd picked the smallest one for us, based on its location. It was nearest to the office and the front door so that if things were needed at odd hours, I could easily handle them. But, even with that, it was still larger than what we were used to.

I opened the door. He toddled inside, and I followed with one of our boxes of belongings. It never ceased to amaze me how many things such a tiny little shifter needed.

Box on the bed, I ducked down to be face-to-face with my little man. "What do you think, Bryant?"

He climbed onto the toddler bed King picked out special for him. It was decorated with little boats. Bryant lay down and pretended to go to sleep, barely containing his little giggles.

"I'll take that as a sign of approval." I opened the box, pulled out his stuffed dog, and placed it beside him. He pulled it to him and snuggled it tight. He was home.