(Nick POV)
As I left the packhouse, I found myself once again wishing that I didn't know what I now knew. As crazy as it sounds, a part of me longed for my old life back. You know, the fake life—the life where Stephanie was a dead saint, my mate loved me, told me everything, and didn't keep secrets from me; and my mother was a good, honest, and respectable beta female.
Not knowing what else to do, and not having anyone else to reach out to, I decided to drink my feelings away. I've never been much of a drinker, but I needed something to get me through.
I briefly considered going to a bar, but then I remembered how drunk Kael used to get, and I decided I didn't want anyone to see me intoxicated like that. Realizing I had plenty of whiskey at home, I decided to just go home and drink that.
(I had bought a bottle of whiskey for every male in Kael's wedding party, thinking we could each have a bottle after he said "I do" to Sheila. That obviously didn't happen.)
