Page 13

Penn

I tended to be the one to go to town to run the errands. I didn’t mind going to the market or peopling as much as the others did, and it had sort of become my task. But this week was different.

Rumor had been with us for a while now and seemed to be settled in at home—comfortable enough that we wanted not only to show her town but help her pick out some things to make her life easier.

What she brought with her was sad and borderline ragged, so I’d attempted to find her some things she might like. Picking out clothes for a woman had turned out to be much more difficult than I thought it would be. The few things I brought back for her were either for people far taller or were impractical in ways I hadn’t considered—making it difficult for her to do the things she loved while wearing them. She never said anything other than “thank you,” and how much she appreciated them, but I could tell. She even wore the formal skirt I’d brought, one I hadn’t realized was so formal and restrictive, around the house.

Time for her to choose items she loved.

Of course, as soon as Rumor agreed to come, Wilder and Vargas wanted to come as well. None of us liked being far from her, and our wolves…they were especially protective like that. Being off pack lands without us wasn’t going to happen.

Unless she said it was what she wanted. We’d promised her she wasn’t our property, she had full freedom, and we would honor that, even if it meant she chose not to be our mate.

We needed a lot of farm things—chicken feed, seeds, bulbs for the flower garden Rumor planned. And, of course, anything else Rumor desired. If her eyes lingered on anything for more than a few seconds, I was making sure she got it. The first place we headed was the farmer’s market.

It was a nice day, and, as we walked around, Rumor got more and more relaxed—more and more comfortable with the visit. She found a couple of aprons she said would be good smocks for the painting she’d been doing. Of course, we picked up plenty of soaps from the goat farmer. I was happy to see that she picked one with a light scent, given how when she arrived, she did everything she could to block her own. It felt like a big step.

At the far end, there were baby chicks, which were always adorable, as well as baby bunnies.

“Look! They have quail!” Rumor rushed over and squatted to get a better look. “I love quail eggs. I haven’t had one in… It’s been a while.”

She didn’t talk about her family, but once in a while, little things would slip out, some boldly and others like this, reminding us her parents stopped giving her the good food at presentation. They really did suck.

“Is that something you’d like?” I asked. “Because we could raise some quail.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Right, guys?”

The others nodded.

“But maybe we’ll start with the chicks and not start with hatching eggs,” I added. I wasn’t opposed, but we didn’t have an incubator or everything set up. Felt a little risky.

Varga and Wilder went off to get supplies for the new coop. We needed to keep them separate from the chickens, at least initially. Vargas was the builder and Wilder the animal guy, so it made sense I was the one who stayed behind.

I helped Rumor pick out which quail we’d take home, and while they were being boxed up, we hit up the bakery table.

We always had pretty good eats at our house, including baked goods, but there was something magical about the cookies at this particular stand. We stocked up fairly often, putting them in the freezer for whenever we wanted them. Today was no exception.

But just as Rumor was reaching for one of the boxes, she froze. Something was wrong.

I turned around and saw her sister standing behind me. If I had even suspected she was there, we’d have already been on our way home. The last person our mate needed to come in contact with on her first outing to town was a member of her family. Fuck, she didn’t need that any day.

I brought my lips low and close to Rumor’s ear, whispering only for her, “Let’s go back to the truck.”

She grabbed my hand, held it tight, and we wove through the crowd. As far as I could tell, Reyna hadn’t seen us—which was good. Because if we had words… Oh, was I going to have some choice ones.

I helped Rumor into the truck. She didn’t even stop long enough to greet her mates. That’s how shaken up she was. The guys were already there, having just finished loading the coop supplies.

“We need to go back for the quail,” I said. “Vargas, stay with her.”

I didn’t say why, but he agreed without question. His wolf was so close to the surface, I could see him in his eyes. It was best he wasn’t around people other than pack right now.

Wilder and I worked our way back, and, as we passed Reyna, she snarled at us and said, “If you try and return her, we aren’t giving you shit back. We wouldn’t even take her back. She’s dead to us.”

I growled.

I fucking growled.

I didn’t care who heard me—human or not. She stumbled back. Good. Fuck her.

Wilder and I grabbed the quail and rushed back to our mate. We both agreed, her seeing Reyna again was not a good idea.

On the way home, Rumor was quiet. Silent, even. We didn’t push.

But something changed when we arrived on our pack lands. As if I could feel her relaxing.

“I didn’t think she could hurt me anymore,” she mumbled.

“She’s always going to…”