The Afterlife

Chapter 4: Disbelief

"Allie, hey, are you okay?" Yuki's concerned voice said, tilting her head toward Allie.

"Yeah," Sienna chimed in. "You zoned out for a bit there."

Allie pressed her lips together. She was still pretty stressed, so her friends weren't exactly wrong.

"Come on," said Yuki, leaning in. "You have to tell us what pack he's from."

"I don't know the name! I was with you guys when we got lost, remember?" Allie said.

The three of them were sitting in a circle at their pack. Allie hadn't yet mentioned the part where she'd died and come back to life a total of five times now, and each time Kaori had been too late to save her. She very much didn't know how to explain yet, in part because she really didn't know how she'd ended up being able to find her way back home after her fifth death. So, she began by telling them that she'd found her mate.

"I guess you're right, Allie, if you're saying you found him right after we separated." She paused, before abruptly changing the subject. Yuki did this all the time; Allie was used to it. "Hey, have you been hiding Wayne in your closet, babe? Where is he?" asked Yuki.

Sienna rolled her eyes. "Yuki, he doesn't live in my closet. He's also straight."

Yuki laughed. "Where in the world is your cousin? Has he been living under a rock? Does he know our Allie found her mate?" asked Yuki. "You know that finding your mate... rocks, right?"

Allie and Sienna groaned at the same time, but Sienna also smiled. "I love you, but I hate your dad jokes, babe." She kissed Yuki's cheek. "Do we want him to be here for this?"

Allie shrugged and shook her head. "It's fine. He's probably busy with his mate."

Sienna frowned. "I hope he's not dealing with too much."

"No... just drama... drama about me," joked Yuki. "I am like a boss."

"You wish," laughed Sienna. "Babe, let Allie keep going with her story."

Despite the stress in her life and the tension in her shoulders, she couldn't help but crack a smile. Yuki and Sienna were a perfect match, though sometimes she felt like they were a little too perfect -- she sometimes felt like she was always rolling her eyes at their banter. One was serious and caring, and one was lighthearted and caring. They'd protected her from the moment they met, and Wayne was the older brother she always wished she'd had. Allie's parents had died shortly after she was born, she'd been told, and she didn't know much about them beyond the letters they'd left behind. Her friends were very much all that she had.

"Okay, yeah. About his pack, I don't know where it is... but it has to be close by. We can make a list of packs and visit each one." As long as I don't die again and wake up in the middle of nowhere. That would definitely complicate things, she thought.

"Okay," said Sienna. "Wayne is good at that; he's the best problem-solver I know. I'll ask him."

"Tell us," said Yuki, grinning. "Is he hot?"

Sienna swatted at Yuki. "That's private for Allie!"

Allie laughed. "I'll decline to answer that one, but you must know... he is my mate. Plus, you people know I would never kiss and tell," she said, winking. "I love you all, but I don't want to know what you two do when I'm not there, either." She gestured toward Yuki and Sienna, ever the two lovebirds.

"We have a lot of fun. A lot, a lot of fun," Yuki said, grinning. "Sienna can't resist me."

"Stop! Stop!" Allie wasn't sure if she was saying it, or Sienna. Yuki had no shame sometimes. She was so silly and carefree, unlike her and Sienna. Yuki always knew how to cheer Allie up, but Sienna was her everlasting shoulder to cry on. Wayne was the problem-solver in the group. And Allie? She didn't know what she was to them, but they seemed to like her just the same. "I'd rather talk about my mate now!" she said.