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The farm was unusually quiet now, and it unsettled me a little. I was so used to the endless flow of chatter, laughter, and moving equipment that drifted around the farm on the breeze during the day. Even the animals seemed quieter, as though they could pick up on the tension hanging over the farm.
I was glad Bear was with me, loping along at my side with his tongue hanging out, happy for a walk at my side after being banished outside for days. He hadn’t been happy with us when we’d first surfaced earlier today, letting us know with loud grumbling.
Damon had sent a note to the treehouse that they were keeping movements to a minimum until further notice and farm security was on high alert, in case of any retaliation for the clusterfuck at the other farm. I think seeing his and Ronan’s dad together and the ruthless way they had torched the farmhouse had spooked him. He’d also dropped a radio to Sam so he could keep in contact with his team whenever I let him out of the nest for a break.
It turns out we weren’t the only ones getting special treatment the last two days. Since we got back, Isabella had distributed meals around the farm, basic cereal and milk for breakfast, then sandwiches for lunch and simple stew for dinner. To avoid having everyone congregate in one place, that would be easy to target. She had put together a team of teenagers to act as runners, delivering food and messages to keep them occupied and active.
I didn’t know if Damon was overreacting or not, but we couldn’t operate like this forever. Farms were busy places, and the threat wasn’t going away. I didn’t really want to go back to the way life was before. It had been a corrupt world. Yet, if we couldn’t get the world onto a newer, better path, this would be our reality. Constant threats, never knowing what was coming at us next.
I knew we needed to make some changes if we were going to keep our people safe and make life better for everyone. Nobody outside of our fences seemed willing to step up and do it, so I had a sneaky suspicion it needed to be us. This crazy family we were building had an abundance of strength and compassion. We just needed a direction, and I figured I could help with that.
Damon had sent word again, about ten minutes ago, that a family meeting was being held in the dining hall to let us know what Max had found on the Palace’s secret server.
I’d ducked out before the guys were ready to leave, letting them know I wanted to catch up to Maia first. I’d stumbled to a halt on the deck, though, when I noticed an old-fashioned letter box that used to sit by our front gate. It was now perched innocently on the railing next to the stairs, as if it had always been there.
I’d opened it out of curiosity, checking first to make sure there were no mischievous sprites, or teenagers, nearby, playing a trick on me. I now had a letter from Sam tucked into the front pocket of my favorite denim overalls. Reading it made me cry big salty tears, but also plastered a huge smile on my face.
I didn’t know when he’d stolen the letterbox and installed it there while I’d had us all holed up for my heat, but I figured no-one would use it up at the gate now, anyway. The postal service didn’t appear to work in an apocalypse. Well, except for me, it seemed.
I pulled it out again now as I loitered briefly in the kitchen garden.
Alexia,
So much is happening so fast right now. I just wanted to say I’m so thankful you came into our lives.
I’ve felt so lost, so full of rage for the unfairness of the world for so many years. Even before my gramps kicked me out, I felt like something was missing. An emptiness I couldn’t seem to fill. Maia helped, but when I had to walk away from her, the rage seemed to take over.
Then I met Dio and Pala. They each helped hold the tide at bay in their own ways, but I felt so stretched thin by the constant battle to keep myself from exploding. I had a growing realization that I was slipping closer every day to becoming feral. I kept it from Dio. He was already doing so much. It wasn’t a fate I wanted for myself or for him to witness. It would have destroyed us both.
It added to my desperation to reach Maia after the Crash, though. Nobody would tell me where Pala was, and my last hope was that my sister could help turn the tide. I felt a growing draw to come north, like something was pulling me. I thought it was Maia and home. It turns out it was you all along.
The moment I heard your voice, it was as if the entire universe screamed, “Her, she is your salvation,” as my alpha beat at his cage to reach you. Knowing someone had hurt you made him crazed. He wanted to burn the world for you. You both enthralled and terrified me.
I watched wordlessly as you challenged me after my alpha slipped his leash momentarily, insisting I back down without an inch of fear or hesitation as you protected the women inside. You were magnificent. You took my breath away. I realized I needed to earn you, never take you. That I needed to be a better man for you. I wanted to be everything you needed, but my fear of finally unleashing my beast kept getting in my way.
I don’t know if I’ve earned you yet, but I will take anything you offer me. I will strive to be worthy of you until the end of my days. You are a gift.
Feeling the bonds of my mates finally anchoring me, settling my spirit. The exquisite feel of you all claiming me, then the relief of claiming Dave. I have no words to express my awe at what you have given me. I wear your bites gladly and proudly.
I feel you in our bond now, a bright spark that glows with joy, vitality and life. I feel how much you burn for the injustices in our world, how much you care for the people you save. I see in the faces of the people around us how much you are loved and respected.
I know that it’s too soon for the word love between us, and that’s okay. Because the word feels too small for what I feel for you, anyway.
Just know that everything I am, every wild and beastly part of me, is now yours.
Your Sam.
I held his letter to my chest for a moment. He wasn’t a man for spoken words, but his letters filled my soul and branded me. I would cherish every one. I was determined to make sure he knew he would never need to carry his burdens alone again, not in the way he had been.
As for me, he made me feel like I was a warrior princess. Like I could do anything, and if I needed it, he would have my back. It was going to take a little subterfuge to enact my next plan, though. I tucked the letter back away and headed for the kitchen door.
I needed to do what I did best, just on a bigger scale.
It was time for a little mayhem.
I was in luck. I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding when I saw all four of the women I was looking for huddled around a bench when I came in the back door. They startled when Bear woofed at my side, letting the women know he was ready for a treat. Maia and Ava came rushing straight over while the other two women looked at each other as if they were a little unsure of themselves.
“Bear, go find Dave.” I had to push his giant head to get him to move, but he did reluctantly. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be in the kitchen. He had a habit of stealing food right off the bench.
