Prove To Be

26

Jay let out a shaky breath as she closed the solid wooden door behind her. Leaning her head against it, she squeezed her eyes shut, replaying her grandpa's words on a loop. Alpha? As Jay thought of it more, she realized her grandpa must be desperate if he considered her trustworthy to lead his pack once he was gone. 

Pushing herself from where she rested against the door, Jay made her way further into the home of the Bohannan siblings, unsure of how she would break the news to them. There was no right way to introduce the idea to them. Jay would have to do it fast, like ripping off a bandaid. Even then, Jay knew better. She had grown accustomed to living in her formulated routine, and not worrying about who saw her drinking blood was a bonus. Dragging a hand down her face, Jay realized she needed a plan to ensure both her worlds didn't come crashing down on her.

"Anyone home?" Jay called out into the house as she made her way into the living room. She softly smiled when she noticed Raegan lounging on one of the sofas, reading a book Jay couldn't see the title to. 

"Hey there," Raegan said, placing her book in her lap. "How did things go with your family?"

Jay could see Raegan's concern clear as day, but she didn't have the energy to replay her grandpa's words more than once. "I have to tell you something, but I need to find the other two before I do that."

Raegan nodded in understanding. "Kieran is in the garage, and I'm pretty sure Brennan is helping him."

Smiling in thanks, Jay made her way to the garage door, cracking her knuckles nervously as the door came into view. Jay opened the door and saw Kieran hunched over the engine of one of his cars while Brennan stood underneath in an open pit. 

"Oil change?" Jay asked, eyeing the two vampires.

Kieran nodded as he straightened, wiping his hands on a dirty shop rag. "Basic maintenance. I made Brennan crawl underneath to grease the U-Joints. My back is getting too old nowadays." Kieran's voice was full of humour as Brennan scoffed. 

"You keep talking like that, and I'll over-grease these fittings." The sound of the grease gun going off made Jay chuckle.

With narrowed eyes, Kieran turned toward Brennan as he crawled up from the cement pit. "Besides, I volunteered." Brennan patted his pants, knocking off the dirt clinging to the material. "How did everything go?" Brennan asked, standing before Jay.

Jay's eyes wandered over his dirty shirt as he wiped his hands on a rag. Once her eyes landed on his face, she couldn't help but smile once she saw the mud clinging to his face and hair.

"You should've left the car sit for a little bit before crawling underneath it," Jay giggled as she wiped his face with her thumb. "Now you're all muddy."

Brennan shrugged but didn't move her hand away. "I can always shower."

Kieran stood beside his brother, facing Jay as he gave her a pointed look. "You never answered the question."

Biting her lip, she turned away from their unwavering gazes that seemed to drill into the side of her face the more she avoided the question. 

"Why don't you guys finish up and shower first? I want to tell everyone all at once." Jay offered a smile as she stared into their eyes with hope.

Kieran gave her a curt nod as Brennan tilted his head with a questioning gaze. Turning around, Jay made her way into the house and sat peacefully on the couch beside Raegan. She watched the two brothers round the corner, diverting her gaze once she saw them look over at her. They quickly made their way upstairs.

"Are you okay?" Reagan questioned.

Nodding, Jay softly smiled at her. "It's nothing bad, but I want to tell everyone at once."