Page 70

PACK

Pember

An array of chipped mugs, a damp cork and unfinished drinks were spread across Pember’s rickety patio table.

Oliver sat on a plant pot with his tie undone and Blake leant against the wall with his hand over his mouth.

Chichi had popped open a bottle of Kofi’s home brew, only to be met with coughing and spluttering.

“Fuck me , Chi, that was abysmal,” Oliver said, top lip pulling over his fangs as he scowled over at the green bottle.

Chichi sighed and shook her head. “Ah, Kofi was so certain he’d got the mixture right this time. Never mind, we’ll just have to try cutie-pie’s brew in the summer, yes?”

Pember smiled, glancing at the single fermentation bucket that had rapidly grown into a small distillery in the corner of his patio. “Yeah. But I can’t promise it’ll be much better,” he said, running his eyes over the pipes and taps that stuck out at all angles.

He was already thinking about upgrading his rig with a couple of metal vats when summer was over. He wasn’t a massive lover of spirits, but making his own honey whisky sounded bloody delightful.

“Anything’s better than fucking vinegar,” Oliver said, toeing a piece of moss that’d sprung up between two slabs.

With Lucas taking the kids to their grandparents’ and a day off tomorrow, Oliver had vowed to get very drunk and make the most of Pember’s free sofa. After all, he did need to repay the favour after Pember chundered all over his living room the previous year.

However, their impromptu plans for an evening drink were cut short as the back door swung open and Val sauntered out of Pember’s kitchen in nothing but her slippers.

Gasping, Pember jumped to his feet and threw out his arms in an attempt to cover her up.

“Well there’s a fucking sight,” Oliver said, dropping his gaze and looking at anything that wasn’t Val’s wrinkly boobs.

Blake sighed, tugging off his jumper and moving to pull it over her head. “Oh, give over,” she said, slapping his arms away and shoving past him with surprising strength.

“V-Val, please go back inside, it’s chilly out,” Pember said, placing his hands on her shoulders as he followed her towards the back gate.

Chichi jumped up and stood in front of her. “Valerie—” she began, but was cut off by a low growl in Val’s throat.

The old alpha took a long breath and looked up at the sky. Her wispy white hair swayed in the evening breeze as she closed her eyes and let her face tip into a gentle smile. Her lips pulled back over her blunt fangs, and for the first time since Pember had met her, she looked truly content.

“I want to run, lad,” she whispered, wrinkled lips parting around the words.

Pember swallowed, moving to stand in front of her. “Val, please, let me take you back inside, I’ll run you a bath and?—”

Blake held up a hand, giving Pember a gentle smile before shifting his gaze back to Val. “I’ll go with you, alpha.”

Pember huffed, but didn’t question it as a look of understanding passed between the two of them.

Val let out a breath, squaring her once powerful shoulders.

When she opened her eyes again she looked straight at Pember.

She seemed different. Her watery blue eyes were almost glowing with primal intensity, their icy hue giving way to the young woman she had once been.

The young alpha who’d met an omega on the Tibetan border.

The woman who had sired a daughter and raised a family.

The alpha who had lived a full life and wanted to go out on her own terms.

“And you, omega,” she said, flicking off her slippers and padding towards the back gate. Pember straightened a little.

All four of them watched her go, and eventually Oliver slapped his knee and stood. “Well, if getting smashed is off the table, I guess I’ll come too.”

Chichi stretched her arms above her head and shifted her hips from side to side. Her long skirt swayed as she dipped into a lunge. “You know, it’s been too long. With Kofi being unwell, I haven’t been able to get out much. May I join you?” she said, directing the question at Val.

Val didn’t look back, only nodded and reached for the gate.

Blake followed, tugging off his own T-shirt and placing a hand on the nape of Val’s neck.

She growled at first, but then let out a quiet groan and slowly sank to her knees.

Blake helped her down, holding her against his chest as she shifted.

White fur appeared in patches over her body. Not the smooth, easy shift that Pember had come to know. Her wolf was as tired as she was, and when the transformation fully took hold she was panting.

Blake tugged off his jogging bottoms and shifted next to her, his big body keeping her frail frame upright.

Chichi ushered Pember into the kitchen, where they quickly pulled off their clothes.

Chichi’s wolf was a beautiful pitch-black animal with obsidian eyes, a sleek muzzle and pointed ears.

The scars from her past abuse were still littered across her barrel chest, the fur having never quite grown back.

“ Ready? ” she said across the bond. Her voice wasn’t as clear as Blake’s or Oliver’s, but he could hear it all the same.

Pember dipped his head, brushing his muzzle across her back, scenting her. He couldn’t help the growing excitement in his belly. He’d only ever run with the omegas in Oliver’s pack, Matteus and Alfie, and most of the time he hung back behind the others.

“ Yes, ” he said, letting Chichi run her nose over his back before stepping out the door.

Chichi was a wild thing. She and Oliver barked and clacked their jaws as they sprinted ahead through the trees. They quickly became two streaks of black and white-blonde in the distance, leaving bushes trampled in their wake. George and Bailey yapped behind them, doing their best to keep up.

Pember could feel Val’s longing across the bond. She wanted to join them. Wanted to push her body to the limit one last time. She was slower, her big paws thumping across the damp ground, the sound revealing just how uncoordinated she really was.

It didn’t stop her, however, and soon she lumbered between Pember and Blake with her muzzle up and her ears forward.

“ Free, ” she said, her joy bleeding across the bond and into Pember’s heart.

He felt Blake’s happiness, too. His warmth.

Where before he’d been a heavy, anxious presence in the back of Pember’s mind, slowly the clouds were lifting, and the playful tawny wolf was beginning to pierce through.

They were a river of feelings, sloshing and pooling with comforting warmth.

They jogged up the hill, twigs and leaves snapping under their paws. Dew clung to the undergrowth late into the evening, promising a clear day tomorrow. Pember dropped his head and opened his mouth, letting his tongue drag across the leaves to taste the droplets of water.

The earth tasted sweet, almost metallic. Petrichor, he realised. There’d been a lot of storms over West Newton of late, which promised clear skies as spring tipped into summer.

As if that wasn’t just a metaphor for his whole damned life.

They bumped into tree trunks and tripped over roots, but eventually they made it to the top of the bank that overlooked the town.

They must have run for longer than Pember realised, because the sun was already sinking beneath the horizon.

A thread of orange light kissed the town, giving the fields a warm glow.

Val let out a breath before dropping to her haunches. She was breathing hard, her paws and ears damp with sweat. She looked out over the landscape, her breath making mist on the chilly breeze.

Pember licked her muzzle, and Blake cleaned her ears. They sniffed and rubbed their mouths all over her. Scenting her. Claiming her as theirs. And for once, she let them.

“ Pack, ” Blake said, lightly biting her scruff. She didn’t fight it like she had before, so Pember hopped onto his hind legs and did the same.

“ Pack, ” he echoed, nuzzling into the patchy white fur across her shoulder.

A low rumble emanated from Val’s chest. “ Pack. ”