~9~

Morning came quickly like it was impatient for Bryan to start a new chapter in his life.

He got out of bed, went through his morning routine and immediately went to find his mom. He knew she wouldn't be going in to work today, there was too much work to be done.

He found her already up, dressed in a balloon patterned pajama bottoms and a well worn brown sweater. 

Her soft brown hair was gathered away from her face in a loose bun, her bedroom door was wide open so he didn't even need to knock.

Instead he walked in quietly wanting to surprise her only to get distracted by what she held in her hands, a bunch of pictures that he had never seen before.

She had been looking through a box at her feet and had then gotten distracted by the pictures. 

"Is that my dad?" Bryan had no idea when he blurted out the words.

Fiona startled only slightly, looking behind her with a soft smile to find her son staring over her shoulders.

The man in the picture had his arm wrapped around a much younger version of his mom. He had a bright red varsity jacket over a white shirt and jeans, a bandanna tied over his forehead. 

He smiled so wide that the two dimples on either side of his face flashed at the camera, he was staring straight at the camera while his mom stared up at him with her heart in her eyes.

"Yes." Fiona smiled gingerly. "I forgot that I brought this box from the city."

Bryan didn't see a lot of his dad's pictures and he knew it was just his mom trying to normalize his dad's absence. 

Bryan didn't mind when he was younger just as he didn't mind now, it was a stranger staring back at him from the fading picture after all but now he was more than a bit curious.

He didn't share a lot of features with his dad but there was no mistaking that dimpled smile, it was like staring in the mirror. It was slightly upsetting.

"Can I look through it?" He asked in a quiet voice.

Fiona glanced at her son to find his eyes fixed on the carton of pictures. "Sure, don't spend too long, we still have a lot of work to do." She dropped the pictures in her hand on the bed and turned around to make her way out. "I'll get started on the living room."

Bryan watched her go and then sat on the ground to better go through the pictures, he could already see from the first pictures that they were both smitten with each other.

His dad had died in an accident before he turned two, he had no retained memories of when he was still alive.

He didn't feel bad about it, it was hard to miss someone you never really knew.

Amy had taken it much harder, she was already five so she knew her daddy well enough already. 

He went through the pictures, it was like looking through the lives of someone else and not his own parents. 

He knew that most werewolves mated for life and if they lost their mates, they refused to take a new one.

He didn't mind whichever his mom chose to do, as long as she was happy.

Besides it had been almost two decades since his dad died, if she wanted a new mate, she would have gotten one by now.

When he was all done, he packed the pictures properly in the box and got to his feet.

A quick look around told him that his mom was already all packed up, that meant he had to also get busy.

He went straight to his room and worked steadily till the sun was high in the sky, then his mom called him for breakfast. 

She was already long done and she informed him over breakfast that the movers that she hired would be coming in anytime soon to start moving her stuff out.

"I sent the email to the Alpha this morning and I just got a response, it was so quick too." His mom beamed, clearing up the plates before he could protest.

They were going back to the Kitchens anyway, she insisted that she didn't mind taking them.

Bryan was pleasantly surprised at how quickly their request had been accepted but it was a positive outcome because now he could move out even faster.

If things moved on at this speed, he would be settled in his new apartment in time for dinner.

There wasn't too much to pack up, just his clothes and effects, the furniture didn't have to be moved because the new apartment was already furnished. 

His mom hadn't been exaggerating because before lunch, the moving men were already filing into their apartment, taking out things.

His mom was already cleaned up and ready for her move, she had long written a petition to the Alpha about her decision. 

It was under the previous Alpha's reign that things had been ridiculously strict but with Alpha Dale, the Pack members had their freedom and with that freedom came the decision to willingly stick by him.

The moving men would be back in a couple hours to help Bryan take his things up to the third floor and he was grateful of his mom's thoughtfulness.

After the last of the luggage was taken down, Fiona made her way to her son's room, knocking gently. 

Bryan swung his door open, staring at his mother with wide eyes. "Mom?"

"I'm leaving, Bryan." Fiona said in a feather soft voice, a lump in her throat even though she wasn't moving very far and they would literally see everyday because she still worked at the Pack House.

Bryan gave her a blinding dimpled smile, "Don't forget to text me your address." He said casually, pulling her into a light hug.

Fiona's soft blue eyes popped at this, she hadn't been expecting his reaction but it had been so long that he smiled wide enough to show his dimples, she would take it.

"Of course, make sure to visit as soon as you settle in and come with a housewarming present or you're getting turned away at the door." His mom hmphed, turning around to leave.

Bryan just leaned against his doorframe and watched her leave.

She had given up her entire life for them, it was time for her to live a little.

With that he turned around and stepped back into his room to pick up from where he stopped.