LOGINThe landscape looked the same, everywhere I turned. The same huge trees with trunks so thick that they needed lots of people to hold hands around them.
They were beautiful trees though, growing as high as the sky with a canopy almost dense enough to block out the sun. There were some patches of sun though, which I spared a few extra minutes in those patches to soak up some warmth.
But that’s all there was, these beautiful old trees. The apple trees I hoped for never materialized
So much has happened since that shopping spree, I forgot about the shipment. Although it was much earlier than they told me to expect.Good thing KB already knew and set the stage for the rest of the Pack, because the delivery, pun intended, was basically an advertisement driving toward the Pack House.I pushed my chair back and walked around the table toward Soree. The confused look on her face made the entire thing worthwhile.I stopped short; at least I hoped it would be a good thing. It just now sank in that in my exuberance; I just took an entire milestone away from her.What if she didn’t like what I picked out?What if she wanted to do this herself?“Gabriel?” she prodded. “Is everything okay?”I tried to give her an honest smile, but I knew it was shaky at best.“I hope so. Let’s go out front. It’s gonna be a busy day.”The entire table plus the entire staff of the Pack House came out to the front porch with us.
Gabriel explained Amyra’s stance on my pregnancy.I only half listened; my thoughts were with the couple sitting in a cell.Selwyn, I thought.He’ll get his, I promise. Gabriel’s wolf popped in my head.Zee? You can hear me?At times, yes. That’s a little awkward. It was bad enough when Ori peeked; now I have you peeking too?I heard him chuff and grinned.Gabriel looked at me side-eyed.I can hear you too, Gabriel said.Our bond is complete, Zee said with great satisfaction.This is weird, I said.
It was barely dawn when I slid out of bed. Soree was dead asleep after her grueling last couple of days.I grinned.And Nights.I left her softly snoring and crept into the closet for my running gear.It felt like years since Seith and I raced back to the Pack House. It was barely a week. I couldn’t even wrap my brain around how much happened inside of that week.Tomorrow was the full moon and the Pack Run. Vell’s send-off. I mentally reminded myself to let Soree know she would be speaking about her death walk.As if the Pack wasn’t already completely besotted with her, this would forever cement their allegiance to her.I tied my laces and jogged down the back stairs into the kitchen where I knew Seith would already be waiting.
“Where is the detention center?” Soree asked while putting on her coat. Without her wolf, her body heat didn’t run hotter than normal. The cold hit her harder and faster.We must keep her warm. My now happily sated, wolf reminded me.Yes, Zee. I know. She’s dressing for the weather.I could keep her much warmer. Let’s take her to our den.We can’t do that, Zee. She can’t travel as a wolf, and her human form couldn’t take that distance or terrain.Hmph, he replied and curled up into a ball.“Watching you talk with Zee makes me miss Ori that much more,” she said with a sad smile. “Do you think she’ll come
I grabbed a plate from the serving table, then shuffled along, putting some food on it.I felt like a damned invalid.Walking hurt.Moving hurt.Talking hurt.Thinking hurt.I couldn’t escape even in my sleep. The nightmares of me killing a wolf never stopped.The only thing that fueled me now was finding a way to end this curse… before Selwyn and Vanessa ruined Silverpine forever.No one else was in the dining room yet. I preferred it that way. If I shared a meal with those two traitors, I felt complicit. If they dined without me, at least it was a signal I didn’t want to be near them.I heard footsteps. I paused to listen. It was Kane.
Everyone milled around the room, relaxed, smiling faces.I relaxed as well, but I was too weary from the feast and then birthing walk to walk around.My bones felt weary after relating my ordeal.That was a lot to go through, and I wasn’t done yet.I tucked myself into the corner of one of the couches. Amyra hobbled over with a teacup in her hand.She held out the cup, and I gently took it from her.“Sip on that for a bit,” she said and wandered back into the fray.I wrapped my hands around the warmth and let the heat soak in before I gingerly tried a sip.The flavor was earthy with a hint of sweet. It felt good going down.I overheard Seith telling the council m







