C4

ELOWEN WHITLOCK POV

"You cannot go past this hall, Elowen," Lucan Blackmoor says. He stops right in front of my face and fixes his wet shirt. "I am here to fix the alpha girl's fever."

"You only care about her," I say. My voice is very quiet. I look at him. He is the best medicine wolf for Alpha Caelan, and he always treats me like an outsider from the Whitlock Moonfang Pack. "You call me Ms. Whitlock, but I am the Alpha's wife."

"It is just a name," Lucan says. He looks away fast.

"Go inside then," I say. I move my big body out of his way. I know how people see me. They only see a human who does not belong here.

I go down to the lower floor. I open the big dark wood box and find a thick black wolf skin vest. Caelan never wears it. I take it out and wait by the door.

Lucan comes down the stone stairs very fast. He carries his medicine bag and looks tired.

"You are still awake?" Lucan asks. He looks surprised to see me. "The moon is going down, Ms. Whitlock."

"Take this vest," I say. I push the warm fur into his hands. "The forest rain is freezing, and your sleep clothes are wet. You will get a sick body if you walk back to the pack house like that."

"I am a strong beta wolf," Lucan says. He looks down at the fur vest and blinks his eyes. "My wolf skin keeps me warm."

"Caelan never touches this vest anyway," I say. "You are the same big size as him. Just take it."

"Thank you," Lucan says.

I turn around and walk back to my room without saying another word. I only give him the fur because he helped my human grandmother with her heart sickness last year. I do not want to owe anything to Caelan's friends.

The next morning comes very fast. The big storm stops, and the air smells like wet dirt and pine trees. I get out of bed early because my stomach feels funny from the new baby. I walk down to the cooking fire, but I stop by the door.

"Put more fire wood under the pan, Caelan," Isolde Ashbourne laughs inside the kitchen.

"I am doing it," Caelan says.

I look inside. Caelan has a kitchen cloth tied around his big waist. He is cooking wild bird eggs over the hot fire. He looks very happy, and his mean face is totally gone.

Isolde stands very close to him. Her cheeks are pink from the fever night, and she looks very pretty and small.

"Eat this sweet berry," Isolde says. She puts a red fruit right into Caelan's mouth. "Make the eggs soft, not hard."

Caelan eats the berry and smiles down at her. His gold eyes look so soft. They look like two beautiful wolves who belong together.

"They look like a true alpha match, right?" a voice says right behind my ear.

"Good morning, Lucan," I say. I jump a little bit. I see he is wearing the black fur vest I gave him last night.

"The vest fits very good," Lucan says. He points to his chest.

"That is good," I say. I feel a squeeze in my heart because I bought that fur for Caelan, but Caelan never wanted it.

Isolde hears us talking and turns her head around.

"Elowen! Lucan!" Isolde calls out with a big smile. "Come inside the kitchen. Caelan made the morning food for everyone. Eat with us!"

"No, thank you," I say. I look at her sitting in my chair. "I have my own human bread and goat milk in the cold box. You need the hot food more because your wolf is weak today."

"Are you angry?" Isolde asks.

"This pack lodge has my family name on the stone door," I say. "I do not need to eat his food."