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I cleared my throat, aware I was getting more and more distracted the closer the full moon approached. “No,” I said, wrinkling my nose. “Please prepare for another trip to Antarctica.”
“Understood.” Walter paused for a moment. “Are we bringing Celeste this time?” He sounded a bit hesitant. “After what happened last time…”
I growled despite myself. The memory of my wolf terrifying my fated mate would forever be emblazoned in my memory. I didn’t need to be reminded of it.
“Prepare things for her,” I said after a moment. I didn’t want her to be far from me at any time, but… “We will leave it up to her to decide if she’d like to come.”
Chapter7
Celeste
Snowmass Pack Territory
Snowmass, Colorado
I ended up sleeping for far longer than I’d meant to, but a good rest and another good meal went a long way. When I finally went for a walk outside, the sun had already sunk behind the horizon. I promised Fenris I wouldn’t go far, and I thought fresh air might help me clear my mind. As much as I appreciated all the resources and materials the local coven had offered me, I was really missing having someone else here who could talk through the problem with me.
Even in graduate school, discussing a topic with one of my peers had always helped me work through more difficult ideas. Val was my teacher back on Isla Lobo, and explaining things back to her clarified the magic for me. I hadn’t known Morgan, Val’s niece, for long, but working through the potential ways that Sabine could have hooked herself into Cody and Abi’s mind had aided me in untangling the snares she’d left behind.
And it worked! I’d actually been able to get Sabine’s claws out of their brains.
But working on this on my own? I just wasn’t having the same success, and I knew my frustration was only feeding the negative cycle.
The sound of someone laughing broke me out of my dark thoughts. I glanced up, my borrowed boots crunching in the snow. A few houses down the street, three children no older than ten were playing in a snowy yard.
“Tag!” one shrieked as she grabbed at one of the boys, darting away before he could swat back at her.
He yelped as he spun around. Before my very eyes, he shifted, a gangly young wolf bounding forward where a child had been a few moments before. The dark-haired girl and the younger boy both giggled, running in opposite directions as their friend raced after them.
He darted to the left, chasing after the little boy. When he got close, the second boy shifted as well, spinning in the snow. As the little cloud settled, a gray wolf wheeled away. But he wasn’t quite quick enough, and the larger brown wolf tackled him into the snow.
Moments later, they were both back in their human forms, laughing happily as the older boy climbed up and offered his friend a hand. As they got to their feet, the little girl yelled, “I’ll race you back to my house!”
Before either of them could weigh in, a tawny animal took off away from me. The boys shifted back in the blink of an eye, yipping and yapping as they chased the girl down the street.
I smiled as I watched them, marveling at the ease with which they shifted back and forth from one form to another. I knew I shouldn’t be envious of children, but part of me was a little jealous. They didn’t look like they were at war with their wolves as they bounced back and forth between forms, having a wonderful time playing in the snow. When I had been in my wolf form, it was a constant fight just to keep my wits about me.
Maybe I could have been like that, too, if I’d grown up with other shifters.
I hadn’t really grown up with any extended family at all. It was just my parents, and sometimes my Aunt Esme if she was in the country. I’d had friends, of course, but I felt like I’d drifted away from most of them as we grew up and went to different colleges. Abi and Liana were the exceptions to that rule, and those friendships were still wildly different.
Turning, I shook off the melancholy feeling before it could sink in. I decided I probably ought to head back to Keziah’s house. I couldn’t imagine anyone in her territory would come for me, but I didn’t know the area, and the last thing I wanted was to get lost in the woods right after insisting to Fenris I’d be fine. He’d never trust me to take a little time for myself again.
When I got back, I stomped the snow off my boots and onto the deck before opening the door. I could hear voices, and when I entered, I saw Fenris and Keziah chatting on the couch. She brightened when I walked in.
“How was your stroll?” she asked.
“It was nice,” I replied, taking off the coat she’d loaned me and hanging it on the rack next to the door. “It’s so peaceful here. The cold’s a bit different than Florida, but the snow is so pretty! I can see why someone would put up with the chill for that.”
Keziah’s warm smile spread to her eyes. “I always think the winter is the prettiest, but then I think that about every season when it rolls around. You’ll have to visit us in the autumn. When the leaves change, the trees paint this valley with the most splendid colors.” She sighed happily. “So, where’s your pack from? Somewhere without snow, I assume.”
“Ahh…” I felt my cheeks grow hot and sensed Fenris stilling himself beside me as I silently prayed that he wouldn’t say anything. It was embarrassing, but I could also handle this myself.
“I’m from Florida,” I said after a moment, hoping she’d either pick up what I was trying not to say or simply accept it. “Bad weather involves hurricanes and thunderstorms. Not really sure how that compares to snow, but I’m liking it so far!”
“Ah, yes. Florida.” Her expression grew distant for a moment before she stood. “Well, I am going to go over our pack’s territory lines with a few senior alphas,” she said, glancing between myself and Fenris. I tried not to breathe a sigh of relief at the change in subject. “Please make yourselves comfortable while I’m out. If you need anything, call Noah. I put his number on a sticky note by my fridge.”
As she headed out, I wandered into the kitchen, poking through her pantry. I tried not to think of my lack of a pack. Fenris hadn’t said anything about it before, but I suddenly found myself wondering if I was supposed to be…somewhere else.
