Ever Series: My Forever... Truly?

Ember Morrissey sat on her bed, staring down at an old photograph in a picture frame.

Today she would be graduating from high school. Unfortunately, like so many other things in the past two years, her childhood friend wouldn’t be there to cheer her on.

She missed him so much. She missed his hugs and the way he made her laugh when she was sad. She missed the way she could tell him anything and he never judged her.

She huffed out a laugh. She just missed him, period.

Laying the picture aside and staring out her window, she took a deep breath. There was no use crying over it. What was done was done.

She still saw Ryker around sometimes, at school and in town. He never spoke to her, though, and would quickly head in the other direction when he saw her.

He was two years younger than her, but it had never mattered to either of them. As soon as he’d been able to play with her, he had been her best friend and playmate.

When they’d gotten older, they’d become each other’s confidants. They knew things about each other nobody else knew, and she missed the feeling of trust they’d always had for each other.

Now she had no one.

“Ember! Come on, we’re going to be late!” Emerson yelled up the stairs.

Sighing, she put the picture of Emerson, her, and Ryker back on her dresser. Then she kissed her fingertip before pressing it to his sweet face.

“Wish you were still my friend, so you’d be there for me today,” she whispered before quickly leaving her room.

“I swear, Ember, the older you get, the slower you move!” Emerson growled at her as she came down the stairs.

Rolling her eyes, she growled back, “If I want to hear anything from you, I’ll rattle your cage!”

Emerson was her twin brother and had inherited the alpha gene from their mom. When they’d turned sixteen, he’d started trying to use it on her.

Why? Because she’d inherited her dad’s omega gene. Emerson figured that meant she was twice as weak, since she was both a girl and an omega.

But Ember gave as good as she got— at least she did with Emerson. When others messed with her, she tended to back down.

Her not obeying his demands only increased his anger, which, she honestly found funny most of the time.

“Don’t get smart with me, Ember!” Emerson yelled next.

“Children, that’s enough now. Come eat your breakfast and try to be civil to each other,” Dad called from the kitchen.

Ember just sighed and followed her brother. She missed the way her brother had been before they were sixteen. She didn’t like this new grumpy version.

Dad said it was because Emerson hadn’t found his mate. She figured the alpha in him made him more aggressive, and he needed a mate to calm him.

Whatever the reason, it didn’t make it any easier to live with.

“Ember, did you invite anyone besides Deanna to your party in two weeks?” Dad asked as he set a plate in front of her.

Ember looked down. “No, Dad. I don’t have anyone to invite.”

She was a bit of a loner and found it challenging to make friends because she was the less outgoing twin.

Maybe it was because of her omega gene, or perhaps it was just her personality. Whatever it was, she had two friends…actually, one friend now, and that was pretty much it.

“Aren’t you going to at least ask Ryker?” Dad asked her softly.

Ember shook her head, not bothering to look up. Dad didn’t know why Ryker had stopped coming over suddenly, which meant that when something important happened to Ember, he always asked if she’d told Ryker.

Ember didn’t really know what had happened to make him leave her behind. The only thing she could think of was the conversation Ryker had had with Emerson.

After talking to her brother, he’d pulled a disappearing act and hadn’t spoken to her since.

Hearing a throat being cleared, Ember pulled herself from her memories to find Emerson frowning across the table at her. She ignored him and turned to Dad, who was watching them closely.

“It’s so sad your friendship ended. The three of you used to be so close,” Dad commented, a knowing look in his eyes.

Ember didn’t know how to make him understand what even she didn’t understand, so she shrugged and said nothing.

“That was a long time ago,” Emerson bit out angrily.

“Friendship like that doesn’t just go away, son. It must be thrown away. The question is, which one of you three threw it?” Dad asked.

Then, with one last ‘I know more than you think’ look, he left.

Emerson growled before he stood and stomped off.

“Come on, kids,” Mom called. “You don’t want to be late for your graduation.”

It wasn’t that she’d miss school, but she would miss the glimpses of Ryker that going to school gave her.

Ryker’s birthday was two weeks after hers and, since he’d just be turning sixteen, he still had two years of school left.

Ember missed his friendship and figured she always would. In her heart, she still had hope that one day they would be friends again, and some days that was what kept her going.

“Come on, Ember,” Emerson growled loudly from next to the car.

Ember growled back as she hurried down the walkway to the car. Once she got in, Dad cranked it, and away they went.