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Now that Margo had opened up, I felt guilty for letting her go through so much mental anguish alone. When I tried to explain that to Perdita, she shook her head.
“She needed time,” she said, closely observing me as I replaced the light shade in the newly decorated nursery. None of the large pieces like a cot or a pram had been purchased yet, thanks to an amusingly superstitious streak that Perdita had acquired during pregnancy. The room was still mostly bare, but it had been freshly painted and shelved. Jorge had even painted a super cool dinosaur motif that Perdita had designed on one wall.
“The harbingers have Margo rattled.” I got down off the chair Perdita was holding steady. “She’s scared she’ll lose everyone. I didn’t realise she liked the pack so much. I used to worry we would scare her off.”
“She’s tougher than that,” Perdita scoffed. “Come downstairs and have food with me so I don’t feel so bad about pigging out. We’re going to need a bigger doorway by the time this baby arrives.”
“You don’t have to eat enough for two adults though,” I teased, following her to the kitchen. “That’s not what eating for two means.”
“Whatever. Just because you can eat a truckload with no consequences.”
“Sit down. I’ll find food.”
“There’s plenty in the fridge. I swear everyone in this pack is a feeder.” She sat on a chair at the table, pinching her cheeks. “I can’t tell if I’m getting chubbier or retaining water.”
“They want to take care of you.” I took a promising looking tray out of the fridge to heat up. “They worry.”
“Margo saw a lot of that while you were gone, so I’m not surprised she likes the pack. She’s always felt like an outsider, lonely even. Here, she sees all of these people who don’t even like each other half the time taking care of one another. You felt the same way when you thought you might have to leave.”
I put the food in the oven. “I suppose, but I thought that was the wolf in me, you know? I didn’t think people who are outside of that would like this place at all. You don’t always.”
“I need space sometimes,” she said. “But I like the pack. I don’t feel I need it, at least not in the way you do, but it’s an extra sense of security that I’ve come to appreciate. Honestly, seeing the pack through Margo’s eyes helped me notice the things I’ve taken for granted.”
“The pack likes you, too.”
“I think most of them do. I thought they were love-bombing me because of Nathan or the baby or my relationship with Byron, but it’s more than that. I relish the idea of my baby having all of this love available. I mean, no matter what happens, they’ll cherish this child, and that’s pretty special. So I completely get Margo. She looked lost when she first arrived here. I pitied her. Seeing her make friends, settle down, and grow in confidence has been lovely to watch. She’s also brought changes to the people around her that have amazed me. She’s been like a bridge between the pack and town teenagers, and that’s such a relief. The kids haven’t been getting in trouble at school as much, and I honestly think it’s partly her influence.”
“You care about everyone.” I hugged her. “You should go back to teaching when you’re ready.”
“I’m not sure I was a very good teacher,” she said, squeezing me back. “I sort of fell into it, but I did enjoy seeing you brats at school.”
I sat in the seat next to her. “I had an idea, and I know what your answer will be, but hear me out, okay? With everything that’s happening with Margo and the harbingers, you and the baby could be at risk, too. What if you and Nathan went away for a while, away from Margo, away from the stress and tension here? Think of it as a holiday.”
She smiled warmly at me. “And leave you? I don’t think so. Byron needs Nathan, and we both need to be home with you. I won’t feel any safer in a strange place, and I won’t be any less stressed not knowing what’s going on here. So let’s all of us stick together and face what comes as a team. Who knows, maybe the harbingers won’t come back.”
“Either way, I won’t let anything happen to you,” I said resolutely. “Or the baby. I promise.”
“The only promise I need from you is that you keep yourself safe and happy.” She reached out to pat my hand. “We’ve been through worse. We’ve lost. We’ve hurt. But we always won when we stuck together.”
We easedinto a routine of keeping watch over Margo’s home, trying to find more information on the harbingers, and preparing for what might happen if things went wrong.
Or at least, the pack did. Victor and I felt helpless, hanging around while everyone else got to work.
“I’m a good tracker,” I complained to Victor one night as we watched a group of adults drive away from pack ground.
“I know.”
“I should be out there.”
“Iknow.”
“I’m eighteen. That’s an adult.”
He shoved me then headed for the gate. “I get it, man.”
I followed him. “Where are you going?”
“Out. Let’s get food.”
