Brother’s Best Friends Are My Mates novel Chapter 30

Lia

“So what are we going to do?” I asked the guys, the four of us gathered around the dining room table.

Matt shrugged. “I’m fine with any of your packs since my pack kicked me out.”

He said this with the widest grin on his face. I was happy that Matt was no longer suffering from the stress his old pack was putting him under. It was great to see him like this, free and without stress.

“I agree with Matt,” Jesse said, taking a sip of his tea. “It’s up to the three of you. Matt and I will go with whatever decision you make.”

I looked at Rain and Colby. “So what do you two think?”

“I think it’s a good idea if we make our pack,” Rain said, catching Colby by surprise. “Colby, my dude, don’t look so shocked.” Colby blinked. “I can’t believe that you are willing to walk away from your pack. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but I thought you had your mind set on being with your pack.”

“I did, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that it would be good to start our pack. There’s no baggage that way and we can start fresh!”

I nodded. “You know what, I agree.”

“Really?” Rain asked, grinning. “Okay, Colby it’s up to you. What do you want to do?”

Colby swallowed. “I know I would disappoint my pack but I think you guys are right. It’s a good idea if we go ahead and create our pack.

Here I was thinking that things were going to be difficult for us. I thought we were going to have to talk about it for a while because this was the type of thing that required a huge decision. But we were all in agreement.

For a while, I thought it was a good idea for all of us to create our pack. Things had been shaky since the four came to live here. I wondered how I was ever going to adjust, but the thing was I did adjust! It took some time but I was able to do it.

Why would we join an existing pack when we could start fresh like Rain said?

But now we had another decision to make. The five of us needed to figure out what we were going to call the pack.

“So what are we going to name the pack?” I suggested, glancing around at everyone.

The rain lifted his hand. “I have an idea.”

“Oh god no,” Matt muttered, giving him a look. “I know that you’re going to suggest something that is going to make me want to put my head through the wall.”

Rain grinned. “Trust me when I say I am going to make the best name suggestion you have ever heard.”

I paled. Matt was right to be scared about this.

***

The decision had been made. I can’t believe we managed to make this decision after all this turmoil.

My phone buzzed in my hand, Simone’s name lighting up the screen. I sighed, knowing exactly what she was about to ask. I hit the green button and pressed the phone to my ear.

“Hey, Simone.”

“Lia! Finally! Have you all decided yet? What’s the verdict?”

I hesitated, swallowing the lump in my throat. “We… decided.”

“And?” she pressed, practically buzzing with anticipation.

“We’re starting our pack.”

“What?! No way! Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my god, Lia, that’s amazing! I knew you’d do something epic!”

“Epic? It feels more like a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Why would you say that? Starting your pack is a fresh start! It’s the best decision you could’ve made.”

“It’s also terrifying, Simone. What if I screw it up? What if the guys end up hating me for dragging them into this?”

“Lia, stop. You’re not dragging anyone into anything. They agreed, didn’t they?”

“They did, but…”

“No buts. They’re all in this with you. And honestly, they’re lucky to have you leading the way.”

“Leading?” I laughed bitterly. “Simone, I’m the omega. I’m supposed to follow, not lead.”

“Says who? You’re starting your pack. Your rules. Besides, being an omega doesn’t mean you don’t have power. You’re the one who brings everyone together. That’s leadership.”

“I don’t know if I can handle it,” I admitted. “There’s so much to figure out-territory, council approval, roles…”

“One thing at a time, Lia. You don’t have to solve everything in one day.”

“But what if I mess up? What if I’m not good enough?” 1

“Lia, listen to me.” Her voice softened, steadying me. “You’re already good enough.” You’ve handled so much-your coming- of-age ceremony, dealing with the guys, standing up for what you want. Starting a pack? You’ve got this.”

“Easier said than done,” I mumbled.

“Of course it is. Nothing worth doing is easy. But you’re not alone. The guys are with you. They’ve got your back, and so do I.” “You think I can do this?”

“Lia,” he interrupted, his voice softer now. “You don’t have to explain. I get it.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “You do?”

“Of course,” he said like it was obvious. “You’ve got four mates. A fresh start is probably the only way to make it work. But…” He hesitated, his tone shifting slightly. “Are you ready for this? Starting a pack is a lot.”

“I think so.” I paused, glancing at the list of things we still had to do. “We’ll figure it out together.”

There was a hum of approval on his end. “You’ll need to choose a territory, submit the paperwork to the council… you know all that, right?”

“We’re working on it,” I said. “I just… I didn’t want you to think I was abandoning the family or anything.”

“Lia.” His voice was steady, warm. “You’re not abandoning anything. You’re building something new. And you’ll always be my sister, no matter what pack you’re in.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Thanks, Michael.”

“Anytime.” He chuckled, a sound that eased some of my tension. “Just promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t let those guys drive you crazy.”

I laughed despite myself, the weight on my chest lifting just a little. “No promises.”

“So what is the name?”

“Um, that’s one of the problems. We haven’t decided on a name yet,” I admitted with a tired laugh. “We went over a few suggestions, but no one could seem to agree on anything! Rain wanted something ridiculous, which I’m not even going to repeat.”

Michael burst out laughing. “Come on, I need you to tell me. If you don’t then I’ll reach out to Rain to ask him about it.”

“Go ahead and ask Rain. I refuse to say those words out loud,” I muttered, standing my ground.

There were some things I was willing to do for my brother but that was one thing I wasn’t going to do.

“Fine, be that way then little sister.”

I laughed.

The two of us spoke for a bit longer before I realized that I needed to get changed for the day and go downstairs to join my mates for dinner. Well, they weren’t my mates yet but they were now officially my pack.

I smiled to myself. Never did I think I would be so happy about it but I was.