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He would tell her anything to see that smile, “Of course. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
They came to the path that led to the lake, but before leading her in he turned her to look at the view. They were standing on a slight hill where you could see a large portion of the gardens. From here it seemed like they were on top of the world, and it was beautiful.
He pointed toward the gardens, “The part that we can see from here is all vegetables. We have tomatoes, potatoes, corn, green beans, carrots, and a few other things. On the other side, which we can’t see, there is an herb garden. Marilyn is very particular about her spices, so she likes growing her own. She mostly tends to the herbs herself.”
“Wow! This is amazing Aiden. It is so gorgeous up here.” She put her camera to her eye and started snapping a few pictures.
Aiden took a step back so he could just watch her. She seemed so happy and carefree, and it was glorious; her face was practically glowing with joy. After a few minutes, she put her camera down and turned to face him.
“Thank you for showing me this. I’m really impressed with everything you guys have built here. It’s like a little town.”
“I’m glad you like it and thank you. Chris’ father actually started all of this when he was Alpha, then Chris expanded. He and Rhiannon had so many plans for what they wanted to turn the pack into. When Marshall took over, he kept their plans going and expanded even further. It’s honestly become more than any of us imagined.” Aiden told her, while looking around at all that they had built.
It filled him with pride. They all took the pack for granted. Yes, they all work on the land and do their jobs to keep the pack running. But seeing it from the perspective of someone who did not have this their whole life, it was eye opening.
This pack was a family. Not all packs could say the same.
He took Kenzie’s hand again, determined to touch her as much as possible so she would become used to it, and started pulling her along, “Time for the next view.”
She laughed softly and followed along beside him.
Then they broke through the tree line, coming out in front of the silver lake. Every time he saw it, it was even more beautiful. He glanced at Kenzie, wanting to see her reaction.
She had this look of awe on her face and her eyes were twinkling from the reflection off the lake and the sunshine. It brought out the beautiful sage green color of her eyes and the little gold specks in them he couldn’t see before.
She looked so happy, like she was at peace.
Without saying a word, she lifted her camera to her eye and started snapping pictures. She adjusted the lens with one hand, and snapped the photo with the other as she started walking around the clearing, getting closer to the lake.
He loved watching her. It was like she forgot he was even here, and that was perfectly okay with him. He watched her crouch down to get the angle she wanted or adjust slightly for the right lighting. It was like a dance.
Aiden sat down on a boulder off to one side of the lake so he would be out of her way, and he could enjoy the view. At one point she looked down at the camera, he assumed to look through the pictures she’d already taken. Then she smiled the most beautiful smile and went right back to snapping pictures.
She slowly moved farther away from him, getting shots from the other side of the clearing. He wondered if she would just keep these pictures for herself or if she would find the perfect magazine to publish them. Either way, he knew they would be spectacular.
Aiden glanced up toward the sky, basking in the sunlight. It was such a beautiful day. He should have thought to bring a picnic basket. Then they could have stayed out here much longer. But it was probably getting close to lunch time now.
As he had that thought, his stomach rumbled. Right on time. Aiden started to stand up just as the breeze shifted. When the soft wind hit his face, he caught a scent. A scent he knew from Kenzie’s house this morning.
Shooting off the rock, he started running for Kenzie, shouting for her over mind link, but he already knew she was too far.
“Kenzie! Run to me NOW!”
She looked up from her camera and toward him, just as a huge dark brown wolf jumped out of the woods. He was only a few feet from her. Much closer than Aiden was.
“BEHIND YOU! RUN!”
She didn’t run, but she did turn.
Then a second slightly smaller brown and white wolf emerged next to the first.
Aiden linked Marshall and the entire patrol. “THERE ARE WOLVES AT THE LAKE, THEY ARE HERDING MACKENZIE! I NEED BACK UP NOW!”
Several people replied but he wasn’t focused on them. He started stripping as he ran, he shifted mid run, shredding the rest of his clothes.
The wolves hadn’t attacked yet. What were they waiting for?
Then something rammed Aiden from the side, the momentum throwing him off balance. He went with the roll, allowing the momentum to bring him back to his feet, right in front of the third wolf. This one was about the same size as the first, and a light grey color. So, the other two were a distraction while this one attacked. He didn’t recognize any of them.
