Two

Veronica

I tramped up the path that led to the door of the pack house, pausing to admire the vibrant flowers in the last of the dying light.

I had always enjoyed the beautiful image the few times that I had been invited here formerly, but I hadn't known until just recently that Willow had been the one behind the gorgeous gardening.

I raised my fist, poised to knock on the door as I reached the end of the line, but it swung inward before my knuckles had a chance to connect with the rough wood, which I knew had only recently been replaced. Asher stood on the other side with his own duffel bag slung carelessly over his left shoulder.

“I have perfect timing it appears. Lead the way.” I chortled, stepping back to let him stride out in front of me.

Rather than reply, Asher elected to pull the door shut behind him and then steered me a short distance to a nondescript, black sedan, which was conveniently parked outside the attached garage that was off to the side of the massive dwelling.

I opted to stretch out in the backseat, using my backpack as a pillow to provide a semi-comfortable resting place as we began the lengthy trip. Asher turned on some music in the background as we got on the road, and I settled in for the long haul.

Thank Luna, he was not one of those people who had to make small talk during stretches of silence because the even vibrations of the vehicle, melodious beat, and my exhausted state all operated in sync to lull me into dreamland before the first mile had elapsed.

I do not know how long I slept for, but I awoke sometime later with a crook in my neck and the urge to empty my bladder stat.

I shot up, groggily rubbing my eyes as I spun them about at my surroundings, simultaneously squinting at the bright light that streamed into my sensitive eyes as I did so.

“Where are we?”

The scene looked vaguely familiar, but I was uncertain with my bleary eyes still distorting my vision.

“I was wondering when you’d wake up, sleepyhead.” Asher paused to shoot a smirk my way through the rearview mirror before he went on, “We are almost there actually, about another hour or so.”

Holy shit. It had been early evening when we had left the Southern Province, and judging by the angle of the sun, it was at least the afternoon now. I had not grasped how drained I truly was, but it was not surprising, all things considered.

The progression of the day had briefly distracted me from my bodily urges, but they were not forgotten for long.

“Any chance we could make a pit stop before then, like right this second.”

Asher laughed at my last statement, but I was dead serious. I cut him off mid-chuckle as I interceded, “Unless you want to smell my piss for the remaining portion of the drive, I suggest you pull over within the next five minutes.”

“Man, don’t joke like that. That is not funny.”

I did not outwardly react to his assertion, but I did observe as the car’s speed accelerated steadily until screeched to a stop at a gas station that we came across about two minutes later.

My left hand fiddled with the lock as we crawled up to the pump while my right was already reaching for the handle before he had shifted the car into park. The door flew open as I sprinted for the entrance, praying that the restroom was available.

I did not pay much attention on my way in due to being in such a hurry, but I allowed my eyes to scan my environs as I exited the small, rundown building.

I realized belatedly that I had not seen anyone inside the store, and the parking lot looked strangely empty for it being the middle of the afternoon.

Regardless of the seemingly vacant area, I could not help the creeping sensation of eyes on me as I rejoined Asher, and my wolf was balancing precariously on the ledge, itching to dive over the side and break free of my too-tight skin at any minute.

“Are you good to go now?”

“Yes, let’s get out of here.” I returned in a rush, sliding into the passenger seat this time while Asher retook his own without another word.

The engine revved as he pressed down on the gas, and then we were speeding down the road with a trail of dust behind us before I could even fasten my seat belt, listening to the same old country station as we went.

My eyes were glued to the scenery outside the window as we drove ever closer to the province I had once called home. The bittersweet memories assaulted me as the scene began to turn into recognizable landmarks as we traveled onward.

My mind continued to race, my attention being split between my present location and the half of myself that I had left behind back home.

I longed to return to the South as much as I was drawn forward, towards the North. The feeling of being torn apart was disconcerting to say the least, so I was reasonably a little off kilter upon our arrival to the pack house that I remembered so fondly from my childhood.

It was much less ostentatious than the main gathering place back home in the South, but it fit with the tranquil environment that my father had wanted it to exude. Despite him no longer officially being the alpha of the region during his time, he always looked after his pack.

I registered I had left my bag in the backseat as I set my first foot out of the sedan and brought my mind back to the present, but I noted that Asher had grabbed it for me and was rounding the car before I could retrieve it on my own.

As I was reaching out to take the straps, my fingers lightly brushed against his in the process. I instantaneously snatched my hand back at the viscious snarls that erupted in my head with the contact. Even so, a feral growl rent the air in the next second, causing me to jump at the unexpected sound.

I darted my eyes in a circle as I closed my fist around my bag, meeting Ryker’s stunning reddish-brown orbs as I yanked it into my body without breaking our eye contact. Nevertheless, I shook myself out of my moment of admiration, reminding myself of his cold attitude towards me over the past two years.

I let out a deep sigh in exasperation at his childish antics, striding past him without a word and entering the yawning door behind him.

As I strolled through the house, I took in the widespread destruction. From an outsider's perspective, I would say that Jax’s wolf literally tore through the abode to get to Willow. The scent of blood lingered in the air, though I did not visibly see any bodies as I persisted in my advance.

I found my brother and Willow passed out cold on the living room couch, prompting me to loudly announce my presence to the room as I scanned my trained eyes over their slumbering forms.

I could hear that the others had followed me into the house and were now behind me as the two sleeping figures shot up in a flash, but I paid no mind to them as my sister embraced me in the next instant.

Be that as it may, I did gently urge her backward when it became apparent that she was at least contributing to the source of the coppery aroma filling my nostrils.

Normally, I would not mind the smell, but my wolf was already on edge from going too long without letting loose.

Ryker’s presence only compounded the sensation; consequently, I hastened my family to address their hygiene needs while directing the remaining males to begin removing the shattered furniture I had noticed on my way through the kitchen a couple of minutes ago.

I was relieved when neither one of them objected. I was not in the mood to deal with a pissing contest today, and my dark disposition did not improve as I took in the bare cabinets and virtually empty fridge.

The only salvageable sustenance that I could find was either junk food or some crappy freezer meals. It would have to suffice, but I could not resist tossing my next scathing comment out as I dug through the debris for a pan, “Don’t you know how to grocery shop? There’s nothing here but processed foods.”

I noticed out of the corner of my eye as Asher shot a bemused glance between Ryker and I before inaudibly ducking out of the room.

My attention was drawn back to the imposing male, currently glaring at me from a few feet away, when his distinctive voice cut into the sudden silence, “I have been too busy protecting the boundary and running the pack here to worry about eating healthy, Shadow.”

I felt my hackles rise at his use of that same annoying nickname from my youth. It had been years since I had been afflicted with its existence, and I would be damned if he started it up again.

However, before I could utter another syllable, Asher reentered the room with Willow and Jax following closely after, preventing me from giving Ryker a piece of my mind for the time being.

All the same, my memory was near eidetic, and I would not forget.