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21
NIGHT
I woke the morning after the bonfire to a pounding headache. Sitting up slowly and pressing the heels of my hands to my temples, I reached into my nightstand for some ibuprofen and took three dry. As I waited for them to kick in, I heard movement in my cabin. I stilled, listening, and then relaxed. I recognized the pattern of footsteps, the humming, and the smell of coffee. Mom was downstairs.
I got up and changed from last night’s clothes. My hair was still a bit damp from the long shower I’d taken after I got back from the border. The strands fell over my forehead as I entered the kitchen. Mom was indeed buzzing from cabinet to cabinet, rearranging things as she saw fit. I used to hate her habit of reorganizing my things, but I’d gotten used to it. I’d change the spices around or move the plates back into the cabinet I used most often some other time, but I didn’t mind letting her do what she liked.
She looked at me as I walked in, her eyes wide and a careful smile on her lips. I know that look, I thought with a sigh. She’s about to give me her mystical “fate” talk. I glanced behind me at the kitchen table. At least there’s coffee.
“Night,” she said, setting the silverware she had been holding back into the drawer, “you know it’s going to rain in the next few days.”
“Yeah?” I sipped my coffee. We both knew she hadn’t come to me to talk about the weather.
“You look tired, Night.” She slid into the chair across from me, where her own cup of coffee sat. “Could I have an update on what happened last night?”
I sighed. “The Kings sent a group of five to the north side of the border to start shit. We had two wolves patrolling the area at the time, so they were immediately outnumbered.” I closed my eyes, letting the grief wash over me as I gripped the handle of my mug tightly. “We lost one of them.”
“Oh, no…” she breathed.
“Of course, the Kings didn’t stick around for a fair fight.” Here, my grief mixed with rage. “They’d accomplished what they set out to do the minute Iggy’s heart stopped beating. By the time my team and I showed up, they were running off. I sent a few after them, but they’d made it over the river before we could catch them.”
She reached across the table, setting her hand on top of mine. “You did the best you could, baby,” she soothed. “You acted quickly, just the way a true Alpha would.”
She said that, but she wasn’t the one who’d had to sit down with Iggy’s family and tell them that she wouldn’t be coming home that night. Mom didn’t have to see the sorrow and rage in the eyes of Iggy’s family. It ate me up remembering the way her pups had wailed for her.
“…Colville?”
I looked up. Mom had been speaking, but I’d been too in my head to pay attention.
Seeing the confusion on my face, she patted my hand and smiled gently. “I asked when the next group is going into Colville.”
Colville was the closest human town, and we often stopped there for clothing and materials. I hadn’t been expecting her to ask when we were going for our next supply run. Mom was usually self-sufficient, preferring to make or repair the things she already had rather than get something new.
“Why?” I asked. “Did you need something?”
She shook her head. “I don’t, but Bryn could use a few things.”
At the mention of her name, I briefly remembered last night’s dream, but I pushed it away before I could lose myself in the memory. “Mom, I don’t understand why you give a damn about a human girl,” I said, not bothering to hide my annoyance. “You have never cared about humans—you’ve never gone into Colville or interacted with them when they come through the area. So why are you so focused on this one?”
She pulled her hand back so she could hold her cup with both hands and stared at me with eyes that were every bit as green and intent as my own. “Night, you’re only seeing what your eyes can take in.”
Whatever the hell that means, I thought, taking a deep sip of my coffee.
“Night, are you really planning on turning Bryn over to the Kings’ monster?”
I hesitated, glancing up at her over the rim of my cup. There was disappointment in the furrow of her brow and the frown on her lips. It hurt to see that I was letting her down, so I quickly changed the subject.
“You mentioned rain earlier,” I said. “We’re going to want to get a new roof on the schoolhouse before the real heat of the summer starts. And we’ll need to rethink the way we ration our food once it gets colder and food becomes more scarce.”
She sighed and nodded, allowing me to shift gears. “You know, it’s funny you mention food. Thanks to Bryn, I’ve expanded the garden to nearly double what it was before. So you can expect an increase in fresh fruits and veggies shortly.”
“Wait, really?” I knew Bryn was helping Mom out with her garden, but I’d had no idea she was so efficient. “She’s only been here a couple of weeks.”
“I know. Isn’t she amazing? That girl might know more than I do about how to cater to the land and give it what it deserves. I think she works so hard because she doesn’t want to think about her home. She’s probably grateful for any opportunity not to think about the life she was forced to leave behind or what her poor mother must think about her sudden absence.”
I winced. Obviously, she was trying to get me to ease off Bryn. “Alright, you don’t have to guilt-trip me, Mom. I get the point.”
“Good.” She finished the rest of her coffee. “I’ll do the dishes. Why don’t you get some breakfast at the mess hall? They should still be serving some.”
