Chapter 39: Something of My Own
“You want to do what?” Levi had gaped, halfway through a bite of toast. Liam and Lucas paused in their movements as well to stare at me in surprise.
It was a strange thing to wake up and have nothing to do.
For years, I woke up before the sun rose to finish all sorts of chores. I was also the last one to head to bed. But after mating with the Sullivan triplets, I found myself with more free time on my hands than I had ever hoped for.
It was nice for the first few days—blissful, even. I finally got the rest I needed. But that novelty quickly wore off.
The triplets had their duties to tend to. Lucas was being prepped by Alpha Henry to take over. Liam was helping reorganize border patrol schedules. Levi was being taught negotiation and diplomacy skills.
As such, I found myself alone most of the time. The handful of dollar bills and coins were all I could think about. I didn’t even have the money to buy my mates a Lunar Solstice present after all they had given me!
That was when I made the decision to find myself a job to preoccupy my time.
“Work,” I said evenly, setting down my mug. “At the diner near the southern road.”
Lucas, seated at the head of the breakfast table, lowered his newspaper with a slow blink. “Hazel... you don’t need to do that.”
“I know,” I poured myself tea like I wasn’t dropping a grenade on their perfectly planned pamper-Hazel-forever agenda. “But I want to.”
“You have everything you need here,” Liam added gently from across the table. “We can give you more, if you want. What do you need? Money? Another car?”