Page 18 of Emerald Moon (Pitch Mountain Pack #2)

thirteen

“Jo!”

They had a half second of warning after stepping into the Crooked Creek pack house before Krista crashed into them, squeezing them tight.

“It’s been forever!”

“We talk everyday.”

“Yeah, but I don’t get to see this face in person everyday.” She poked Jo’s cheeks before rocking back on her heels. She pointed to the bag in Jo’s hand. “What’d you bring us?”

“Some macarons. Less blobby-looking than usual.”

“Ooh they’re purple! Love it,” Krista said, peering into the bag. “What’s that other little wrapped thing?”

“Something for Cass. You know, since she doesn’t like sweet things too much, I thought I’d make something extra for her. Not that it took a ton of time. It’s whatever. Just trying not to leave her out.”

“How very thoughtful of you.” She had a sparkle in her eye as she said it that Jo didn’t love. “Come on. Let’s put these with the rest of the desserts for tonight’s feast.” Krista grabbed Jo’s free hand and led them into the rest of the pack house.

While the Pitch Mountain Pack had thirteen packmates, the Crooked Creek Pack was nearly three times as large and the size of their pack house reflected that.

Several members of the pack lived on their own in the pack’s territory, like Emmaline did, but the majority of the wolves lived in the main house, which was always buzzing with energy no matter what time it was.

The Crooked Creek Pack’s Alpha, Clyde, insisted on throwing a big feast every month to welcome their friends, the Pitch Mountain Pack. Alpha Parisa put on a show of reminding him that he didn’t need to do that, and Alpha Clyde would respond that traditions before the full moon must be honored.

That night was no different. Jo had to hunt to find space to put their macarons amongst all the food and desserts prepared by the pack for the evening.

Krista whisked them away to the great room where members of both packs had gathered to catch up and chat.

Jo waved to Wil, who was talking with the other pack’s Gamma and Delta.

They scanned the room for Cass but, when they didn’t find her, settled next to Krista on a small open spot on a couch so they could discuss what they’ve been reading and watching lately while getting increasingly louder and more excited.

“I mean, enemies to lovers to enemies again? Rip my heart out, why don’t you?” Jo said, pretending to actually rip their own heart out and faint against the side of the couch. “And all that forced proximity? Lock me in a blizzard-surrounded cabin with my greatest enemy and let’s see what happens!”

“I know. I’m reading it and dying over here. That fic is so good it’s stupid. And they somehow manage to come out with these epic chapters every week? The devil works quick, but character-obsessed fic writers work quicker.” Krista laughed.

They remained in their own bubble, talking and laughing in the middle of the bustling, loud room until the pack’s Beta announced it was time for dinner.

Everyone filled plates and found spaces to sit in the grand dining room, in the eat-in kitchen, or outside on the back deck.

Despite the heat, Jo and Krista opted for the deck because it was quieter out there and they could actually hear one another talk.

Jo wasn’t surprised when Wil joined them out there, too, looking happy but weary from all the human interaction.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in the house with all the other important people?”

Wil raised an eyebrow. “They want me? They can come find me. I need to recharge.”

Jo dug into their plate, ravenous with pre-full moon hunger. The humming in their body was still there and, despite their reservations about what would happen at the end of all this, Jo couldn’t help but be swept up in the atmosphere of werewolf celebration.

This was, after all, what they’d been looking for when they were asking Alphas to turn them, wasn’t it?

They wanted to belong and here, in the midst of two mingling packs, Jo felt like a part of something bigger and more wonderful than themselves.

Traditions like this rooted all of them to their shared past, but as a group and as individuals, they carried with them endless possibilities for what they could do together in the present and the future.

Jo had a mouth full of mashed potatoes when Cass appeared in the doorway to the back deck with her plate and a man trailing behind her. She scanned the crowd and, spotting Jo and Krista, waved and made her way over, squeezing between some other wolves to make room for her and the man.

Based on looks alone, Jo was certain this was her twin. They both had similar short, black hair and shared the same nose and cheek bones. They even wore a similar expression — mostly neutral with a hint of a smile if they looked for it.

Jo waved them over, shouting their greetings.

“Hey,” Cass said, settling in.

The man beside her nodded but said nothing.

“Jo, this is Alexander. Alexander, this is Jo.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jo said in a chipper tone.

They watched as Alexander’s subtle grin slipped into something more smug. “Nice to meet you, too.” He turned to his twin. “This is Jo, huh?”

“Yeah, that’s what I just said,” Cass replied, annoyed.

“Hm, interesting,” Alexander said, glancing between the two of them before settling on Jo, assessing them.

Jo served the look right back before turning to the side. “And this is Wilma, if y’all haven’t already met. She’s our pack’s Gamma.”

Cass reached across the table, palm out for a handshake. “We’ve chatted before, but I don’t think we’ve ever been formally introduced.”

They shook hands, but Jo’s focus was on Alexander who hadn’t stopped looking at them since his last comment.

Finally, Alexander looked away. “A pleasure to meet you, as well, Wilma.”

Jo heaved a sigh of relief with his attention elsewhere. Their eyes fell on Cass, sitting quietly with that casually neutral expression of hers. But Jo was starting to know what to look for to see that Cass was having a good time, and she noticed a gentle uptick at the corner of her mouth.

Second helpings became thirds, then fourths, and finally the satiated packs found themselves full enough to chat over dessert or focus on pre-run preparations. Krista announced she was going to get dessert and Jo followed after her.

Jo returned to the table with a plate full of desserts and the tartlet they made for Cass. “Remember that tart I made you the other day?” they asked without waiting for Cass’ attention.

Cass nodded, eyeing the plate.

”I made you something else. It’s kind of weird, though. I’m warning you ahead of time.”

“I like weird.”

“Well, this is really weird. I made some savory macarons? It’s got everything bagel seasoning and a whipped cream cheese sort of filling in the middle. I tasted one and thought it was funky, but fine. Emmaline tried one and liked it. Billie tried one and hated it. So we’ve got mixed reviews.”

“You made it for me? Did you make any for anyone else?”

“Just you. Everyone else gets regular macarons.”

“Thank you, but you didn’t need to make something special for me.”

“I know, but we’re friends!”

“Right.” Cass smiled. “I’m glad.”

“Plus you gave me flowers and good bacon, so I wanted to do something to say ‘thanks.’”

”Do you mind if I try it now?”

”No, please! Go ahead.” As Jo wrung their hands together, waiting for what Cass would say, their eyes met Alexander’s across the table and Jo had the feeling they were being observed, not unlike an animal in a zoo.

Cass picked one macaron and popped it into her mouth.

Jo grinned. ”Is it any good?”

Cass had trouble chewing the mouthful and trying to respond at the same time, so she nodded and gave Jo two thumbs up, like the other day, but these morphed into finger guns.

Alexander reached for one of the remaining macarons, and Cass smacked his hand. She finished chewing while protecting the plate from his grabby hand. “Jo made them for me. Go eat something else.”

”I just want to try it. You can’t eat all of those.”

Cass glared at him. He didn’t back down and glared back, still reaching for the corner of what was left.

She grabbed his wrist and lifted it up towards his head.

“There’s only a few hours left until we’re wolves and unless you want to be tormented by me the entire time as my instincts act on their inner rage, I suggest you look elsewhere. ”

Alexander weighed his options. “Fine.” He stood. “I didn’t want it that much, anyway. I’ll leave you and your friend to talk alone.” He emphasized the words “friend” and “alone” in a way that made Jo’s cheeks warm.

“These are great. They’re just tiny versions of my favorite bagel from that deli near the butcher shop.”

“They’re definitely not that good. And they look so gross. The black sesame seeds make it look like bugs.”

Cass shrugged. “Tastes good, though.” She held up the rest of the macarons. “Want to try another and see what you think this time?”

Jo picked up one and popped the whole thing in their mouth. Taking care to actually chew before the spoke to Cass, they added, “You know, it kind of grows on you — slowly without you realizing it.”

Jo clasped their hands together to keep them from tapping their sides as they walked with the Pitch Mountain Pack towards the edge of the forest. They tried to remember what Cass had said — even if they didn’t remember anything, the feeling would still remain.

As much as Jo longed to remember being a wolf with their pack, they could focus on what they did get to take away from the monthly experience.

They didn’t look forward to the exhaustion that awaited them on the other side of a transition back into their body, but Jo always held out hope that maybe this time they’d recall more than just a feeling.

Walking beside Jo, Wil reached for one of their hands and took it within her own. Her grasp was firm and grounding. Jo was grateful she was always there and squeezed her hand back to say as much.

Alpha Clyde guided them to the forest’s edge.

The Crooked Creek Pack kept the majority of the land for themselves during the full moon run, but they allowed the Pitch Mountain Pack to use enough for the small pack to roam, hunt, and play during the full moon.

As a pack who lived in the city, there was no place to go during the full moon, so their close ties to the other pack allowed them a small territory to claim during the run.

There was a time last year where they were forced into a smaller area due to an aggressive, emerging Alpha in the Crooked Creek Pack, but Alpha Parisa had decisively taught him a lesson in submission and he’d since left to start a new pack in another town.

Jo still had about a billion questions as to what exactly had occurred during that fight between Alphas, but politeness, and Wil reminding them to keep their mouth shut sometimes when necessary, kept them from asking awkward questions.

Still, it was yet another reason that Jo was proud that Parisa was their Alpha.

Jo’s senses had been sharper in the last few days leading up to the full moon, but it was nothing compared to how they felt as the moon crept higher in the sky.

The lingering scent of the wet earth after an afternoon thunderstorm was more powerful than usual.

The cracking twigs beneath their feet and the skittering of animal feet in the forest rang loud in their ears.

Even Wil’s hand wrapped around their own was warmer.

As the moon neared its peak in the night sky, the hairs on Jo’s arms stood straight and they felt the telltale tingling in their body that the wolf was closer to the surface.

Jo used to fear their wolf, but, even though their relationship was complicated, they were excited to get to know them better one day.

They were also looking forward to letting their wolf roam free.

After keeping their wolf barely contained for days on end, it was amazing to finally let go.

Despite the exhaustion, the feeling that remained after a full moon run was a great one and, looking at the forest, Jo couldn’t help but be glad for their wolf and what they’d get to do.

Alpha Clyde and Alpha Parisa stopped and the pack came to a halt behind them.

It was quiet except for the wind rustling the leaves and the footsteps of animals in the forest. No words needed to be spoken as they all prepared to shed their human selves for a couple of days.

Jo gave Wil’s hand one last squeeze, then went in their own direction to take off their clothes and invite the wolf to be free.

They still couldn’t get used to this whole “being naked in front of your entire found family” thing.

Jo focused on the last of their humanity before it was lost to the full moon, as though it’d help them return on their own on the other side of all this or remember something from when they were the wolf.

If they could just hold on to more of themselves, maybe it wouldn't be so difficult. But as the moon rose higher, Jo’s wolf clawed just below the surface, ready to be free, and Jo knew there was no taming them.