Page 15 of Emerald Moon (Pitch Mountain Pack #2)

eleven

Groggy and slow, Jo was up before dawn to go birding with Cass.

They’d only fallen asleep a few hours earlier, but they were summoning the excitement they felt before about this outing when Cass asked over text the other day.

They’d even borrowed a pair of binoculars from Lock and they were not wearing white, just like Cass had suggested.

That morning, Jo had opted for a black band t-shirt and shorts with some hiking boots they were glad to have now that they were looking ahead at the narrow, rocky path.

Cass looked the part of a birder, wearing a camouflage-patterned shirt with a brown bird hidden throughout.

Cass dug in her backpack and pulled out two brimmed hats covered in buttons and pins. “I brought one for you, too,” she said, handing one to Jo. “It doesn’t have as many pins — just the ones that wouldn’t fit on this hat anymore because it got too heavy.”

“Where are all these from?” Jo asked, looking at all the colorful bird pins on the hat.

“Birding conventions. There’s a big one I go to every year and also some smaller ones I’ve been to a few times.”

“There’s a lot of buttons between these two hats.”

“When you’re a werewolf, you find you have a lot of time for annual traditions.” Cass tugged the hat onto her head and reached back into her bag. “I also brought you a notebook to jot down what you see and hear. And a guidebook. Plus a pen I like because it writes more smoothly than other pens.”

Jo took the items and smiled. ”Thanks. I’m not going to really know what I’m seeing and hearing, though.”

“That’s what the guidebook is for! It’s specifically for this area.” Cass slipped her book bag over her shoulders. “And you’ll have me.” Her smile was wider than usual. Everything about her seemed more lively than what Jo was used to seeing.

As they started walking, Cass lowered her voice. “We’re in the period now where migrating songbirds are coming through the mountains.”

Jo nodded along as Cass continued, explaining exactly which songbirds they were. They tried to hold the names in their mind, but it was more fun to focus on Cass and her unusually animated features.

The deeper they got into the forest, the quieter Cass became until there was nothing but the sound of their shoes on the ground.

Cass’ binoculars hung around her neck and she’d reach for them whenever she saw something.

She’d point and Jo would try their hardest to see what Cass was seeing but, even with the help of their own binoculars, they could only spot the bird about half the time.

Cass jotted down notes in her well-loved notebook and logged the sighting of each bird in an app on her phone. “I don’t love using my phone, but this app is a way to track what I see and also for scientists to gather data on bird migration and general movement patterns,” she whispered.

“Very cool.”

“Isn’t it?” Cass’ eyes lit up. “What have you collected so far?”

Embarrassed, Jo flipped their notebook up against their chest. “Not a lot.”

”It’s okay. It’s your first time, so you’re learning what to look for. I saw you writing, though.”

Jo scrunched up their face and showed the one notebook page they’d half-filled. “I wrote down the colors,” they said, more like a question than a statement.

”That’s great! See, you’re collecting data, too. I’ll do a better job of telling you the names so you can write those down, too — if you want.”

Jo nodded. “I’d like that.”

Whenever they saw a bird that caught Cass’ interest, she would lean in and tell them the name of the bird in a low whisper, her breath tickling their skin and making the hairs on the back of their neck stand up.

”It’s a black-throated blue warbler — a male.”

Jo watched Cass’ pointed finger as it swung to the right. “And a female!”

”Aw, they’re really cute,” they said.

Cass turned, her face inches from Jo’s. “I know, right?”

Her blue eyes had flecks of gold in them. They hadn’t noticed before. With sweaty hands, they gripped their binoculars and glanced back at the two birds.

They walked at a glacial pace, but, for the first time, Jo didn’t mind. They had something to do instead of rushing to the destination, and they started jotting down more about each bird they spotted — color, location, their name, anything Jo noticed about them.

In the end, they’d only walked a short distance by Jo’s standards, but they’d managed to fill a few pages with notes.

”Can I see?” Cass asked, gesturing at Jo’s notebook.

”Yeah, sure. Nothing like your notes, I know, but —“

”You did great! I love how you wrote down what some of them were doing.”

”I really didn’t know what to write.”

”But see? Now you’ll know which birds you saw and their environment when you saw them. You don’t need an app. You know exactly what you need. When we drive back, you can look them up in the guidebook and learn a little more about each one. Or I can tell you.” Cass had an expectant look on her face.

Jo smiled. It was an easy choice. “You can tell me all about them in the car.”

As they walked back towards Cass’ car, Jo’s chest was warm with the kind of feeling someone only gets after a really nice day. They glanced at Cass and saw that the smile on her face hadn’t faded into a neutral expression like it usually did.

It was as good a time as any — “Hey Cass?”

”Yeah?” She kept walking a step ahead of Jo on the narrow path.

”I’ve got a weird favor to ask.”

“I’ll help if I can.”

”Would you go to my sister’s wedding with me?”

Cass stopped on the trail and Jo nearly ran into her.

She turned around. “Yes, I’d like to go with you.”

“Great! But that’s only part of the favor.” Jo’s stomach pinched. “To get my mom off my back about dating men and to get my extended family to just shut up in general, I need a girlfriend to come with me.”

”Oh?” Cass’ eyes widened.

Jo quickly added, “You don’t have to actually be my girlfriend. I just need someone to agree to be my girlfriend for the weekend.”

Cass was silent, her smile slipping, and Jo wondered if they’d pushed too far. They were certain they’d ruined a blooming friendship.

“Okay.” Cass nodded, features serious.

”Okay?”

”I’ll go with you and I’m fine with everything else, too.”

”Awesome!” Overcome with relief, Jo dove forward and wrapped their arms around Cass, awkwardly pinning her arms to her body.

“Aw Cass, thank you. I really mean it. My family is a lot to handle and my mom makes me wolf out sometimes, but knowing you’ll be there with me helps so much.

” They froze then bounced backwards. “Sorry! I didn’t even ask if I could hug you.

I don’t know if you’re much of a hugger. ”

”I’m not, but I didn’t mind. It made you happy. I’m glad you picked me.”

”Really?”

”You need someone to be there for you and you chose me. I’m honored.”

Warmth spread in Jo’s chest again. “I’m happy I chose you, too!” They started walking back to the car again, Jo doing their best to keep up with Cass’ much longer strides. “I’ll text you all the details. It’s a bit of a drive. I was going to rent a car or take a bus.”

“We can take my car.”

”Are you sure?” Jo was already asking a huge favor. They didn’t want to add on top of that. “We can still rent one so we don’t put miles on yours. And I have a license so I can share the drive.”

”How far is it?”

”About six hours.”

Cass grinned. “That’s nothing. I’ve driven much farther to go to conventions.”

”How far?”

”The longest? Twelve hours,” she replied with a hint of pride.

Jo’s eyes widened. “Without stopping?”

”Nothing longer than a bathroom break or a quick bite to eat.”

”By yourself?”

”That time I was. Sometimes other birders come with me.”

”So six hours is nothing to you.” Jo sat back in their seat.

”That’s easy. A short jaunt out of town. I’ve got no problem doing that. And I’ve got no problem with taking my car.”

”Are you sure?”

”I’m certain.”

“Good. So, can you tell me more about the birds we saw today?”

Cass dropped Jo off by the bakery because Jo insisted they could walk back to the pack house and that Cass should leave so she could make it to her shift at the butcher shop on time, which meant at least ten minutes early for her.

They wanted the walk, anyway. It was hot, like it was always hot this time of year, but they were turning over quite a few things in their mind and wanted solitude before they returned to the comfortable chaos of the pack house.

Jo pulled out their phone and quickly texted their sister that they would, in fact, be bringing someone with them to the wedding.

They had a date for their sister’s wedding.

They wouldn’t be there alone. The thought alone lifted their spirits and made the whole event feel a little more possible to get through.

And bringing Cass had the extra layer of her looking more intimidating than she was.

She was tall and muscular and the lack of a constant society-demanded smile on her face meant she looked like she shouldn’t be messed with.

When they had made it to the front door of the pack house, their phone buzzed in their pocket. Jo saw who was calling and picked up anyway. “Hey mom.” Why did she have perfect timing when it came to ruining what had been a great day?

”What’s this your sister is saying about you bringing someone to the wedding?”

That was fast. Apparently they weren’t even starting with pretend pleasantries this time. ”Yeah, I’m bringing a friend.” Jo wanted to use the word girlfriend, but they couldn’t summon the courage.

”We’ll have to rearrange all the seating arrangements at the tables.”

“Sorry?” Just because they didn’t have the courage to say the word girlfriend didn’t mean they couldn’t gather enough spite to add a little bite to their tone. Knowing Cass was going to be there already made them feel a little more able to be themselves around their mother.

”I hope you’re not trying to steal attention from your sister. It’s her day, not yours.”

”I promise I don’t want any attention on me at all.”

”What, with all your little choices on parade and you bringing a friend.” She said the last word with a sharp bite.

Jo laughed, the sound dark and joyless. “What exactly is ‘on parade’ here?”

”People talk, Jolene.”

”And what does that have to do with me?”

”Did you get your dress fitted?” She asked, changing the subject, but what she had just said lingered.

”Yes.” Jo sighed.

Her mother went on and one with more of the same.

Jo’s blood boiled. Everything was about the wedding and their mother’s weird notion that Jo was hellbent on sabotaging the entire thing.

The call went on far longer than it needed to, much longer than Jo could handle, but when the conversation, if they could call it that, came back around to their mother’s favorite topic — how Jo is wasting their time at the bakery — they’d finally had enough.

”I’ve got to go to work soon,” Jo lied.

”You need a career, Jolene, not just something that pays you a little bit of spending money. You need to save. Buy a house one day for a family.”

“What if I don’t want all that?”

”You will. Just don’t wait too long.”

”I really have to go.”

”Of course, sweetie. Take some time to think about what I’ve said, alright?”

Jo agreed, knowing they’d think about it regardless of whether or not they wanted to, and hung up.

Jo felt the tingling in their body telling them the wolf was closer to the surface now than before.

Their vision sharpened, they could smell the rich soil and pine trees surrounding the pack house, and every bird call sounded as though it were inside their own head.

Jo felt hot all over. Their heart was an unsteady drum in their chest.

Fighting it, Jo closed their eyes and tried to calmly breathe their way through it, but the wolf scratched their way closer to being free.

Frustrated, they gave up on trying to breathe and, instead, tried to think about enough happy things that it’d erase the emotional garbage that had just been dumped into their brain.

Wil came to mind first — painting on the floor together in their room. Laughing with Krista as they discussed the potential of rivals to lovers in their favorite sports anime. Talking with Cass by the river on their first hike. Learning about birds as Cass’ entire face lit up.

The tingling subsided. Their racing heart began to return to a steady rhythm.

Baking macarons and sharing them with their pack.

Bickering with Harry over what to watch on TV.

Sitting with Beta Seraphine and feeling like they finally had a big sister.

Hiking with Alpha Parisa and being reminded that they were an important part of the pack.

Singing Dolly Parton songs in the car as Cass listened intently to the lyrics because it was significant to Jo.

Jo stared at their hands. The tingling was gone. Their wolf hadn’t won. Jo had.

”Oh my god,” they said. “I did it.” They’d managed to keep the wolf at bay a handful of times before, but never this decisively.

Jo ran the rest of the way to the pack house, ready to tell anyone who would listen.