CHAPTER 35

HAZEL

Sparrow and Thea, whispering and pointing at a map, emerged from the woods. I was still struggling with my backpack, oblivious to their approach. As they noticed me, Thea flashed a friendly smile, while Sparrow gave a subtle nod that made me blush slightly.

"Good morning, Soni. Where did everyone go?” Thea questioned while they both looked around.

“Morning Thea, they went hunting.”

They both nodded, understanding dawning on their faces. I chuckled softly to myself. "Your pack members," I mused, "they really need to get out more often. A little fresh air and sunshine wouldn't hurt.”

“Why, what makes you say that?" Sparrow asked, his face creased with curiosity.

“Alright, I told them that Thaddeus went to go beat down his meat and they had the weirdest looks on their faces.”

Suddenly, Thea bursted out into laughter, his laughter echoing in the air and Sparrow just stared at me weirdly. “You told the pack warriors that Thaddeus' was… beating his meat down?” Sparrow asked, staring at me with a morphed expression. 

He was staring at me! Why? What was wrong with him? What was wrong with everyone today? Everyone was acting fucking strange.

I hesitated and nodded slowly and Sparrow rubbed a hand down his face looking frustrated. “Perhaps, I think you are the one who needs to get out more often. You basically just told every one of them that Thaddeus had gone to jerk off and… pleasure himself. Uh–That's a bit... blunt, don't you think?”

My eyes widened and I choked on air, “How did- what the actual fuck? I didn't mean that. I thought they would understand what I meant. Who even refers to a dick as meat anyway?”

“Are you like an old fashioned kind of person because a lot of people do know that meat can be called dick,” Sparrow said slowly. 

I face-palmed myself and felt myself blushing in embarrassment. Great, the pack warriors must think I was an idiot. 

“The first time I saw you, I knew there was something different about you–Soni, you're —you’re so cute.” Thea choked out through his own laughter. 

Sparrow shook his head, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Innocent is more like what she looked like," he muttered, his voice barely audible.

I covered my red face and tried not to kick a tree or to bury my head in the sand and disappear. What a total idiot I was! I could’ve sworn the sky was green and the grass was blue. This is so cringe-worthy, I might need therapy.

“What's so funny, Thea?” 

Oh moon goddess, please save me from this humiliation. 

Thea's laughter erupted, growing louder and more boisterous as he laid eyes on Thaddeus. Even Sparrow, usually so stoic, couldn't help but let a small smile tug at his lips. Thaddeus, however, was not amused. He shot Thea a look that could wither a flower, and the sound of Thea's laughter gradually subsided.

“Now, can someone tell me what's so funny?” Thaddeus demanded, his voice rising in irritation as he glanced between Sparrow and Thea. “I don't see anything funny on my body. Maybe, someone can enlighten me on what I have missed.”

Sparrow instantly shook his head. “You honestly don't want to know why.”

Thaddeus looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “Hey, I'm guessing that you might have done something dumb again from the look on your face, what exactly did you do?” 

“I did nothing,” I said quickly, clearing my throat. “I did nothing at all. Can we eat already because I'm starving.” 

He narrowed his eyes and nodded slowly, putting the bloody meat he had caught on the ground. 

I knew this wasn't over, from the look on his face, I had a feeling he would interrogate me later.

Five hours later, after we had eaten and cleaned up our mess, we were getting closer to the witch’s place. According to Thea, we could be able to see her cottage in a few miles. 

I was walking next to Thaddeus, who was still holding my hand after we had to climb over some rocks earlier. I had tried pulling away, but he had just tightened his grip on my hand and avoided my eyes all through the walk. 

Strange guy.

"Finally," Thaddeus grumbled, his voice barely a whisper. I lifted my gaze to see a quaint little cottage nestled amidst a riot of colorful flowers. The sight warmed my heart, bringing back memories of my grandmother's cozy home. The cottage, with its weathered wood and a chimney smoking lazily from the rooftop.

“Is she old?” I questioned quietly so no one else would overhear.

Thaddeus shook his head. “She's…kind of young? I would say in her early thirties.”

I pursed my lips and nodded. “interesting.”

Thaddeus stopped walking and turned to the pack warriors. “All of you will wait here. Sparrow and Thea will accompany me inside. If there is an emergency, you have to notify one of us immediately,” 

There was a chorus of “Yes, Alphas,” and then Thaddeus tugged my hand gently, pulling me towards the stairs. 

“You can let go of my hands now, Thaddeus. We are here,” I said trying to shake my hands out of his grip. 

He shook his head, “believe me, you don't want to, this woman is insane. You would see for yourself,”

I stopped struggling and gave him a curious look, “What?”

He gestured for me to stop talking and knocked on the door loudly. There was a soft patter of footsteps and a petite women, who looked to be in her early twenties, opened the door. She saw Thaddeus's face and smiled broadly. 

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Three of the most stunning Alpha's in my humble cabin. This is quite the unexpected pleasure. I must say, I feel truly blessed.”

Thaddeus stiffened, “We have some questions Mollsy.”

Her face became serious, “I see. Well, I hope I have the answers for you.”

She let us in and shut the door behind us gently. When she turned back around, her eyes immediately landed on me and a broad smile formed on her face. 

I wasn't even sure if I should feel welcomed or creeped out. 

She looked between, Sparrow me and Thaddeus a few times before closing her eyes, as if she was having a vision or something similar to that. When she opened them back up, her gaze landed on my stomach. 

“You need to make the best choice so you can have a strong pup.”

I froze and glanced at Thaddeus from the corner of my eye. He had a somewhat surprised look on his face at her random statement, but the surprise only disappeared a second later. 

"Mollsy," Thaddeus began, his voice firm, "We didn't come here today to chat about our pups. Our purpose is far more serious. We've been facing increasing threats from rogue packs. We need answers, we need a plan, and we need your help to protect our territory and our family.”

She raised an eyebrow and gestured to the couch. “Have a seat then.“

The four of us sat down, our eyes cautious. She rummaged through a box in the corner, her gaze flicking between us. “One of you has the silver heart,” she said, her voice low. “Which one of you?”

"That would be me," I replied, my voice barely a whisper. Thaddeus's grip tightened on my hand, his knuckles turning white. From the corner of my eye, I could see his jaw clenching, a silent storm brewing beneath his calm exterior.

Mollsy slowly lifted her gaze from the box, her eyes lingering on me. A thoughtful expression crept across her face as she studied me intently. "Interesting," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper. "Very interesting indeed.”

When she turned back around, I exchanged a look with the three of them. We all knew what was coming next, and we were all thinking the same thing. 

We all knew that something was off here.