“No, they’re at Anthea’s cave right now. We’re all staying there. Naomi’s still at the Fenris Pack grounds – she’s moving in with Baldwin.” Naomi had cried when Dakota and the cubs left, although she’d said she understood why they were leaving. Dakota had assured her that she’d stay in town and they’d see each other all the time.
The cubs had sniffled when they were leaving too, but as soon as they’d found out they were staying in a cave, they’d perked up. When Dakota had left them with Anthea, they’d all been playing Neanderthal and chasing each other around with clubs.
Dakota set her drink down and rubbed wearily at her face. “So, school is still shut down while we wait to see if the town erupts into war. Who knows if it will start up again.”
“Ugh. You’ll be stuck babysitting your bratty family all day long. You want another shot?” Macy poured it as she asked.
Dakota shook her head reluctantly. “No, I should set a halfway decent example for the cubs and not stagger back there half snockered.”
Macy slammed the shot herself. “To setting a halfway decent example! That’s more than I’ll ever hope to achieve.”
“And thank God for that.” David winked at her as he rushed by with a tray of drinks.
A burst of noise from the back of the bar made Dakota start. She looked over and saw Destiny, the blonde who’d tried to steal Miles, sitting on a table making out with a coyote shifter while the crowd cheered her on.
She heaved a sigh and stood up. “I came here to cheer myself up, but honestly, it’s just depressing me more.” She tossed a twenty dollar bill onto the bar. “Congrats again, and I’ll try to be less of a wet blanket next time I see you.” And she headed out of the bar, her heart even heavier then when she’d gone in.
* * * * *
The “cave” was actually a clean, bright home inside an enormous cavern. It looked sort of like a hobbit house, but supersized. It was connected by various tunnels to the other bears’ homes. Anthea had laid down flooring, and there was an long oak table and lots of chairs – where, two days after they’d left Fenris Pack lands, Dakota sat all the kids down and slapped down their school notebooks in front of them.
“You’re seriously going to make us do homework?” John asked Dakota, scandalized. “But…school’s closed! And we already gathered firewood and picked berries to make jam for the clan!”
“Yes. If you’re staying with someone, you pitch in and help out. That has nothing to do with schoolwork. You’ve had two days off now, and it’s time to get back to work.” She tapped the table, and they scowled and reached for their notebooks.
All this time, and she hadn’t heard a word from Miles. She just sat there getting angrier and angrier; he hadn’t come by to apologize, hadn’t sent anyone to check on her and the cubs…she wished they had cell phone service so she could at least call Naomi to see if he was all right. Yes, he’d made it very clear that she wasn’t his partner and had no part in his plans, and that was a bitter pill to swallow, but she still cared about him. She wished she didn’t.
She would have heard if anything had happened to him, wouldn’t she? She thought so, but just to be on the safe side, she’d have someone deliver a note to the pack the next day and ask Naomi to meet her in town for lunch.
“I miss it back at the Fenris Pack,” Sailor sighed. “Baldwin was teaching me how to shoot a bow and arrow, and Naomi would read to us. I mean, I don’t think Anthea even likes us. Ever since we came here, she spends all day out chopping wood and stuff. Doesn’t even come back until after we go to bed.”
“It’s nothing personal,” Dakota protested. “She’s just kind of antisocial.”
Sarah snorted. “Then why’s she the head schoolteacher?”
“I guess she was given the job because she could make all the kids behave. We’ll visit Naomi and Baldwin next week. They can meet us in town. Now, Sarah, let’s start working on your essay.”
Sarah couldn’t just do it without making one last play for sympathy. “This is how you repay us for our loyalty?” she said, letting out a martyred sigh.
Dakota shrugged. “You want rewards? I can bake you a cake.”
They all glanced at each other. “Again, this is how you reward us for our loyalty?” Sarah said.
“Yeah, not saying that Naomi was the real chef there, but…” John said, then trailed off.
“But we had to saw through the pancakes this morning with a hacksaw,” Sarah finished for him. “How do you ruin pancakes?”
“I willbuyyou a cake, after you finish your lesson plan! Argh, you guys. Get to work! This is not a democracy, and that was not a request!” Dakota pushed her chair back and stalked off.
“What’s a democracy?” Mary asked.
“Who knows? She sure is crabby without Miles,” she heard John grumble as she headed outside to grab a breath of fresh air.
She made a concerted effort to be more pleasant for the rest of the afternoon, but Sarah had apparently decided to give her the silent treatment. Dakota went to bed early that night, sinking into an uneasy slumber and determined to make the next day a better one.
She woke up with John urgently shaking her. They were all crowded around her, yelling, and it took her a minute to figure out what they were saying.
“She’s gone! She left us!”
