I slowly turn to see Cullen standing in the hall, arms crossed. His chestnut hair is tied back, eyes sharp and knowing. “I thought I heard something. Are you looking for me?”
I nod, quickly adjusting. “Yes. But I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“Nonsense, you vanish to your icy corner of the North in a few days, come hunt with us. What is going on?”
I sigh. “I think … I think this is it.”
Cullen stiffens for a breath, then his features soften as understanding dawns. He slaps me on the back, “Yeah? So, it’s going well?”
“I think I’ve finally found her.”
The morning sun filters down from directly above. Casting the field in pale gold. My paws strike the earth as Cullen and I run across the golden valley and into the tree line, his chestnut wolf weaving through brush and shadow beside me.
It feels good to run. Clears the head, or it’s supposed to. But even as I stretch my legs and breathe the scent of the wild, all I smell is her. Something rustles behind us, loud and fast. It can’t be a predator that loud and clumsy. No one would be that dumb. So, I slow and turn to face it.
When a reddish blur comes crashing into the clearing, sending birds into the sky and scattering prey in every direction. I sigh through my snout. So much for the hunt.
The little wolf shifts into human form mid run, panting, “Sorry.” Ember’s little companion says sheepishly. “Came in a little hot there.”
I chuckle, shifting and standing tall again. “A little? You scared everything off for miles.”
“Oops.” He flashes a toothless grin. “Where did Cullen go?”
“Through the brush.” I nod.
Just as I say it, Honi appears from the opposite side of the glade in her human form, leaves tangled in her brunette hair. “Roman, you scared all the rabbits away.”
“I said sorry,” he mutters, glancing downward.
“Ember still asleep?” Honi asks, brushing the twigs and leaves from her hair.
“Yeah,” Roman mutters. “She was pretty wound up.”
“Mating season will do that to you,” Honi says with a smirk, casting a quick, knowing glance at me.
“You’ll understand when you’re older,” I tease.
Roman furrows his brow. “It’s weird. I’ve never seen her like this.”
“Like what?” Honi tilts her head.
“Quiet. Distant. I mean … she’s still Ember, but different.” He shrugs.
“Well…” Honi glances at me again before continuing, “some things aren’t meant to be talked about with little brothers.”
Ah, so he’s her brother. That tracks. They both have similar red hair. It’s the eyes that are different. While hers are as blue as the endless sea, his are green as the leaves on the trees.
“You guys seem close,” I state, but it’s more of a question. Ember is an anomaly. She talks to me like I’m just another person. She obviously cares for her younger brother like a son, and she’s a virgin. Something about this woman makes me want to learn more.
He looks at me then, really looks at me. His guard drops a little. “Very close. She’s my everything.”
He says it with such conviction that something tugs in my chest. The kind of bond they have is rare. Sacred.
I envy it. He has something I never had, a bond that tethers him to someone from the start. Unlike me, who’s been alone for longer than I can remember. But Roman? He’s obviously had someone fighting for him every step of the way.
He’s probably worried she’ll leave the cave for a season, maybe longer. I’ve seen him from my window running around with Honi and Cullen through the woods during the day. It’s nice they have that kind of bond with the packmates. After myparents died, I had no one to look out for me. I was completely and utterly alone.
The wind rustles through the trees, high and whispering just like it did the last time I heard my father’s howl.
