AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
The main floorof the lodge was barely recognizable. Snow was piled up high next to the broken window, swirling across the room all the way to the front door. A heavy branch still hung inside the room but was now joined by two more, knocking out almost every square of glass. Given how much of the old oak tree now sat inside the lodge, I wondered if we'd be able to salvage any of it.
The festive evergreen in the center of the room was on its side, and all the ivy and ribbons that decorated the archways and tables were either on the floor or hanging to the walls by tattered threads.
A soft whimper left Mina's throat as she looked over the mess. I wasn't sure what to say to make her feel better. Given how much damage the rest of the pack was probably dealing with, this really didn't matter, but I didn't say that out loud. She was scared for her mother and needed a distraction. And I was determined to gather every broken decoration and stray bit of thread in the damn place if it made her feel better.
"What do you want me to get?" I asked, pulling the blanket tight around her shoulders. She tried hard to hide a shiver as I tucked it firmly around her bare feet. I hated that she was down here. She should be in her nest.
"Where are all the trinkets that were on the tree?" She scanned the floor.
I spotted a few near the fireplace and a couple more stuck under the piano. The panel had been left up, leaving a thick layer of ice and snow all over the black and white keys.
Grabbing a tattered basket from under the table, I set to work collecting everything Mina pointed out. The snow continued to drift in through the window as I moved about, grabbing not just the intact ornaments but several broken ones as well.
Once the basket was brimming, I carried Mina back upstairs, then set about getting her some breakfast.
Most of the food was covered in frost, but the dried meats were still good, as were the nuts and seeds. I scanned the room once more before turning to head back upstairs. Something shimmered near the fireplace, and I scooped up the dirty bit of silk. My heart dropped as I stared at it. Mina was sure to be upset at the sight of her ruined tapestry.
Mina sat in the center of her nest, fixing and cleaning every trinket in the basket. The quilt was covered in wet, twisted ribbons that, at one point, were shaped like different animals. Now they just looked like dirty pieces of string.
"What's that?" she asked, looking at the fabric tucked under my arm. Her cheeks were still flushed red, the blush from this morning seeming to worsen. Did she have a fever?
"Your tapestry," I grimaced and set the tray of food on the side table. Then I spread the once beautiful decoration out for her to see. The tapestry was covered in soot, the threads frayed, and most of the beads gone.
Mina held it up and let out a resigned sigh. "Well, it's still not the worst thing I ever made." She laughed, turning her attention back to the ornaments in her hands.
She was endlessly surprising.
"I thought you'd be upset."
"This upsets me." She motioned to the figures laid out in front of her. "The pups at the schoolhouse worked so hard on them."
The sad look in her eyes—as she lovingly caressed a misshapen star—made me feel like shit. She deserved so much better than me. She deserved someone of high standing—an alpha that could treat her well and love her right. She deserved someone like Ari.
"What's wrong?" Mina asked. "And don't say 'nothing'." She quickly added. "You woke up sad, and now you look sad again. Even your scent is sad."
I swallowed hard. I wasn't one to speak openly about feelings, but there was something about Mina that made me want to talk—expose parts of myself I had never shared with anyone before.
"Why do you want me?" I asked.
Her nose scrunched in confusion.
"You could mate Ari and have the prestige of being bound to someone of high standing. Why settle for a grunt like me?" Mina's big brown eyes searched my face, and I hated how vulnerable I felt
"Why pick me?" she whispered, twisting a loose thread repeatedly around her finger. "I'm not anything special."
"Yes, you are," I said firmly, suddenly enraged at her assessment of herself. I sat next to her, not even bothering to ask if I could enter her nest. Her expression tightened as I knocked a few pillows off the edge of the bed, but she didn't object. I pulled her to me, settling her in my lap. She shivered slightly, and her scent bloomed.
"You are very sweet," she said. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm twenty-five and unmated. If I'm so wonderful, how come no one has ever pursued me?"
"Listen to me," I growled, making my voice dangerously low. Her eyes widened at my tone, but she didn't shy away. "You are fucking perfect. You are caring and giving and a little mouthy. Which for some reason my wolf very much likes." She giggled, leaning a little closer. "You have the unfortunate situation of being born to a very respected alpha. And with his passing, no one wants to step in for fear of upsetting the rest of the pack."
She leaned back, her brow furrowing. "Why would that upset the pack?"
"Until recently, Nix was underage, which meant anyone interested in you had to go through your mother. As an omega, she would be powerless to refuse any alpha. Given who your father was, it would look dishonorable for just anyone to approach her."
Her eyes widened as if this was new and foreign information.
