13
Frost Moon
S aint has been cooking at the Packhouse all day in preparation for the run. He's the one who makes all of the meals that can always be found in the many fridges. He goes for breakfast and lunch every morning to serve his daily special and stocks ready-to-eat meals in the mini store there. The Pack will help anyone who needs it, but sometimes, some kids just don't have families who pay attention like they should.
I have to contribute the Packhouse constantly feeling like a safe, warm place where someone can hang out, get a bite to eat, or even sleep to Jay, Saint, and Dante. The Packhouse was fun to be in when I was a kid, sure, but I don't remember the mini store being there or even being able to find a hot meal outside of events. The atmosphere there is different, too. It feels like a home away from home, instead of some musty building the grown-ups would stuff us all into during runs when we're too young to join them.
Granted, the all-night pizza parties were some of my best childhood memories after Dad died.
The fact that Saint always stocks the fridge at the Cabin with easy meals to warm up—or not, there were fresh sushi rolls in there the other night— might just be the best quality of life improvement of my entire existence. I might quite literally die if I ever have to go back to living without Saint cooking for me.
Only Jay and I are riding to the Packhouse for the run because a certain Mr. Kincayde never showed up to the Cabin after disappearing with Ivy last night. Unfortunately, Saint being up at the Packhouse meant I had to fend for myself if I wanted food this morning. With monumental effort, I made myself a breakfast of a toasted everything bagel topped with cream cheese. It was not up to the standard Saint has now set. I barely ate half of it, wearily stuffing a toasted bagel into my sleepy face.
On top of becoming my personal Chef, Saint has made me a fan of breakfast. Like a real one, not just Pop-tarts, cereal, and frozen waffles. What the fuck is up with that?
Tonight, we're hunting moose. The population in the forest has grown over the last few years, and the Alpha wants to take down two tonight. I wasn't paying much attention when I read the Pack message over Jay's shoulder the other day, though, truth be told.
I'll join in on the Pack run, but I doubt I will stick around for the whole thing, the hunt .
Sometimes, running with the other Packs out there had been… just plain old gross. They'd all gang up on one corpse, with no sense of those who need it most getting the most. Sometimes, some wolves gorged on a kill, throwing it up mere minutes later. Wasting the loss of life. The small Pack that lived in the Black Hills had been like that. And they'd been the last Pack I participated in a hunt with.
I can't even remember the last time I ran within the ranks of the Timber Hollow pack on a proper hunt.
"What do you think Saint cooked tonight?" I ask Jay, running my thumb along the back of his neck. His hand is firmly wrapped around my leg, fingers indenting my thigh.
"Probably all of your favorites." Jay rumbles, withdrawing his hand to shift gears. I mourn the loss of contact, of Jay's heat, for only a moment before his hand is back gripping my thigh, thumb circling around and around. It's a distraction but a welcome one.
"Why do you say that?" I snort, playing with the ends of his ashy brown hair.
"Because it's Saint," Jay replies without missing a beat.
"That does not make any sense, you realize that, right?"
"Sure it does." Jay quips, sliding a sideways grin my way. "'You're the only one that compliments his cooking anymore since we've all gotten used to it. He's bound to cater to that, at least."
"You're overthinking it." I assert, shaking my head.
"If you say so, Gorgeous." He responds, pulling his hand away to downshift into the lot for the Packhouse. "How long do you think it will take you to get bored?"
"About half as much as you, probably," I reply in a dry voice, barely restraining an eye roll. "They're just so slow, not to mention loud."
"Oh, come on, you used to like them." Jay's arm muscles flex as he shifts gears, parking in the back. Keys are out of the ignition immediately, but he doesn't move to get out of the car.
"Sure, before I realized how loud they are. And everyone talked about Dad." I shrug off old memories of the Pack's elders talking to me about him. A good guy , they'd say. Real reliable. A damn shame what happened. You shouldn't blame yourself.
My wolf paces, and I feel her teeth in my gums, her fur under my skin. We're ready to run now. To turn on the spot, strip, and be free.
"You can't blame everyone for missing an important member of the Pack," Jay replies, squeezing my thigh.
"No, but I can blame them for making me sad about it. I was just a kid, and they brought up what happened every Full moon. " My chest hurts even thinking about it. But, if I'm being honest, the Hunters in the area have Dad on my mind a lot lately.
"I'll give you that, Gorgeous. I'll follow you when you're ready to split."
"Promise?"
"Always," Jay murmurs against my neck before kissing the hollow of my throat.
My breath comes out in plumes of fog, dissipating into the atmosphere. The full moon is bright, glittering on the frost-covered forest. We only have another hour at most with it. Jay's silver wolf is to my right, the cinnamon fur of Saint to my left. Dante, who showed up just before dark, is on the other side of Jay, his deep brown fur speckled with silver. Standing on the rocky overhang, I can't help but feel a deep sense of foreboding. The air smells different… Off.
And I can't put my finger on what it could be.
Magnus kicked off the Pack run by stripping naked when the little ones were sent away from the party, and the rest of us followed suit. The first bit of the run is always fun. Everyone is brimming with excitement, chasing Packmates through the trees. Aggie and Sam had been at the party, though they'd gone inside the Packhouse with the little ones rather than shifting.
Even with the boys at my side, it didn't take long for me to feel anxious and overwhelmed. When that happened, I split off from the Pack, and the boys stayed hot on my trail. A little while ago, Magnus and Nero had brought down the moose. I'd heard them take the kill down while the four of us traced routes I knew like the back of my paw.
Not long after, I heard what I swore was a gunshot far off and another screech of a dying animal.
The fear-soaked adrenaline coursing through my veins makes me halt here, overlooking the Hollow forest and the quiet sleeping mountains. We've been all over the woods tonight, and yet… For the first time in a long time, I'm anxious within the depths of the trees. My instincts are screaming at me, but I don't know what they're saying.
My wolf and I agree on one thing, something is wrong.
Eventually, the boys and I returned to the Packhouse because Jay didn't want to leave his precious GTR overnight. A feeling I can't say is foreign; I'd be going back for the Stingray, too.
We shift next to the outdoor showers, where you can always find a spare robe. The precise location of my clothes is a mystery. A glance around the yard tells me someone has already picked up the stray bits of clothing, so it's no use trying to find them now. I'd bet Aggie or Sam picked ours up.
It is a surprise, however, to find the lawn still glowing, the building similarly bright, like the entire structure is one big beacon. Magnus is not usually to be found out front with Nero in tow after a run. The Alpha is surveying the vast forest and the dark skies beyond with arms crossed in front of his chest. He's been leaning on Jay more and more lately, and Jay won't just be the Alpha of our little Pack for much longer.
"Boys. Miss Hunt." Nero nods at our group, arms tightly crossed over his chest. "Glad to see you're back safe."
"Is something wrong?" Dante asks arms crossed in his robe.
"Hunters were in the area tonight. Not everyone is back yet." Nero answers, and Magnus' back bunches with tension.
"Keep me updated? I'll take them back to the Cabin." Jay's response brooks no argument as he hooks his arm over my shoulder and steers me and the boys towards his car. My stomach tightens painfully, and I'm glad it is empty. This all feels too familiar.
In complete silence, Saint pushes me into the backseat, following me into the leather interior. Dante takes the front while Jay jumps in the driver's seat. When he smoothly pulls us away from the Packhouse, Jay speaks again. "Did any of you notice anything weird tonight?"
"You mean you didn't feel how fucking off the forest felt?" I chime in from the back seat, honestly astounded if no one else felt it.
"There was something, sure, but what?" Jay responds, peeing at me through the rearview mirror.
"My wolf was on alert. We barely did anything other than put one paw in front of the other." Dante replies, his deep baritone belying the anxiety in his scent.
"I could barely focus on anything else." I quietly admit. "It's why I stayed on the overhang for so long. We were watching. Waiting for something to show itself."
"So, was it just the Hunters that made the forest feel that way?" Saint asks, just as Jay pulls up to the Cabin.
No one answers as Jay parks his GTR next to my Stingray or while we pile out of the car. When we're all inside the house, Dante breaks the silence.
"Maybe Magnus will know more in the morning," he offers, moving towards the stairs. "I'm grabbing a shower."
"I think I'm going to put a movie on to fall asleep. Anyone want to join?" Something about the atmosphere of the forest makes me want my Pack close.
"I'm your huckleberry, Tiny." Saint immediately responds, Jay chiming in a half-second later with an "Obviously, Gorgeous."
"What's your poison?" Saint asks, hooking an arm over my shoulders, and Jay's fingers intertwine with my left hand.
"I know just the thing," I answer, marching up the stairs with my boys in tow.
"The couch is downstairs, love," Jay says, laughing.
"Sure is. But here's the thing, Big Guy, I have zero interest in falling asleep on the couch."
Jay snorts and then says, "Alright, that's fair." He and Saint do nothing other than follow me into our room, where I take the remote to fire up my favorite comfort movie.
It takes more than one movie for me to fall asleep, though.
Somewhere in the middle of the second, this time a racing flick Jay chose, I fell asleep snuggled in close with my Pack.