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He slid gracefully in and out of the shadows on silent paws, as if he were stalking prey. Then, he froze mid-step and stared down toward the road. I was so engrossed in watching him I hadn’t noticed the snowplow had stopped at the narrow entrance into our colony. The two big SUVs following behind pulled around the snowplow and started up the road to our home. We waited and watched as the snowplow made a K-turn and headed back down the mountain toward Red Lodge.
Then, we ran home.
––––––––
My dad had sent outa long, deep howl calling my mom and the twins back from where they’d hidden. Everyone had shifted, dressed, and waited to meet the eight people who, I’d assumed, had traveled all day and into the evening to get here.
Arteisma, Nereida, and I gathered what we needed to make tea, coffee, and hot chocolate for our guests. After greeting them, my parents would set out food for a meal.
“Poppo said he was making smashburgers for dinner,” Arteisma said. “Can we have onion rings, too?”
“I don’t know about that,” I answered. “We’ll ask after we get our guests settled. Maybe we...” The hairs on the back of my neck tingled as a sudden flash of anxiety swept through me. “What was...?”
Then...frustration simmered in me like a tea kettle ready to blow off steam, but instead of a high-pitched whistle,Ifelt like exploding.
But...it wasn’t me.
What? Who?
I started for the double door entrance to the cookhouse where Seff stood outside with Deck and my parents.
My dad let off a loud, rumbling groan from outside. “Sonofabitch.”
Arteisma gasped, “Poppo said a bad word.”
A strange sensation tightened my stomach and made me back up a step just as Seff ducked in through the doorway. He shifted his dark gaze from Arteisma to Nereida before settling on me. He looked as though he wanted to slug something—or someone.
Deck, what did you do now?
I sighed. “Just so you know, you don’t need my permission to beat the snot out of my brother.”
Because who else would it be?
He stared down at the floor as though he needed a minute to calm down.
“Seff, what happened?”
When he looked up, the frustration I’d seen on his face and felt through our bond had been replaced with anxiety.
The slight breeze drifting in from outside carried a scent I hadn’t smelled in years, before the twins had been born. That unforgettable scent stole my breath away.
A female. A female wolf.
My dad ducked his head in the doorway. His ordinarily warm, loving face looked hard as he clenched his jaw and curled his upper lip. “Viveca is here.”
“Oh, gods.” A cold sweat broke out all over my body as my eyes burned with tears. “Not now.”
I felt a hard tug at my sleeve. I blinked and looked down to see Arteisma’s eyes full of sparkling tears. She shook her head. Both the twins knew who Viveca was to them—their mother’s twin.
“I want to stay with you,” Arteisma whispered. “I want to live with you and Seff.”
“I know, sweetie.” The words squeaked through my tight throat.
“No!” Nereida shouted. “No, not her! I won’t go!” She dashed toward the door, her little hands rolled into tight fists. “I won’t go, I won’t go!”
My heart broke as Seff quickly scooped her up into his arms before she could escape outside. She flailed and screamed and fought him with everything in her, but he didn’t give an inch. When she finally gave in, he tucked her face into his neck, and she cried in a way I’d never seen before. Seff carried her to where Arteisma and I stood, tears streaking down my face. We clutched at each other, tight hugs and pleading tears, all held together by the strong arms of my protectivesakana.
Soft, muted voices, primarily males, drifted in as they gathered on the extended patio decking right outside the cookhouse.
