AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But since she had been learning under Julia’s mentorship, she’d begun to see that maybe she was okay after all. Not only that, but she could use those skills as a healer. And every pack needed healers.
Once she finished up at the practice, she headed back to pack territory, looking forward to getting home so she could study up on some of what she’d learned today. She also wanted to see her mate, Vincent. It seemed like they were ships that passed in the night these days, and Harlow found it harder and harder to be away from him.
The walk home wasn’t a long one, but she took her time. It was a chance to reflect on the day as well as take in her surroundings, and that’s why she rarely drove. This land was hers, just like all the others who belonged to the pack, and she savored every moment she got to spend outdoors.
The road into Hollow Grove, the place that she called home, was flanked by dense forest. She’d run here as a child, as both girl and wolf, and she’d learned the ways of the pack. She was sure she knew every tree, heard the snap of every branch, and had trodden every square inch of the ground.
Drizzle misted her face and clung to her hair as the scent of pine needles and damp earth stuck to her skin. These things made her feel alive and a part of this place. She closed her eyes and breathed them in, each cell of her body recognizing them as if they were one and the same.
As she approached the town, she looked up over the mountain that seemed to stand guard, its trees needling the gray sky, and smiled. It was a ritual now, a way of acknowledging this was home and, when she was a young girl, she was sure the mountain spoke back to her.
She took a shortcut to avoid the main road through town, enjoying her own company and not wanting to disturb her sense of peace. The only thoughts that sprang to mind were of hope that Vincent would be home when she arrived.
In the distance she saw their home and her heart warmed. She and Vincent had lived together for only a short time, but their home had become so important to her, a place where they could both learn about themselves and each other before they embarked on the rest of their lives together.
As she got closer, she picked up her pace, each footstep bringing her closer to where she wanted to be right now, and she was sure she picked up his scent, fresh and warm and alive.
“You’re home.” Harlow smiled widely as she closed the door behind her, Vincent appearing in the kitchen doorway. Relief rushed over her at the excitement of seeing her mate. She walked up to him and leaned in for a kiss.
“Not for long. Dad needs me later. I said I’d wait to see you first and then I’m all his.”
“Oh,” Harlow murmured, finding it hard to disguise her disappointment. “Well, I suppose he is your father… and the alpha.”
“Yeah, there is that,” he replied. “Sucks sometimes.” He wrapped his arms around her as she leaned against his chest, listening to the strong and steady thump of his heart.
“Thanks for waiting for me, though. I’ve missed you today.” The reality was she missed him most days recently, but she didn’t like to press the issue too much. He had a lot of things on his plate, and the last thing he needed was her adding to his stress.
“Me too. So how was the practice today? Julia teaching you all there is to know about fixing us all up?”
“Uh-huh. Finn and Jackson and the gang were in today again.”
Vincent laughed before releasing Harlow from his embrace. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“I bet you were exactly the same at that age,” she replied, knowing she was right.
“My dad would’ve kicked my ass if I wasn’t!” He chuckled.
She kicked off her boots and fell back on the sofa. “Have you eaten?”
“No, I’ll get something later. There’s plenty of leftovers in the fridge for you, though, so don’t wait for me. You’ll probably be in bed when I get back.”
She looked up at him, sensing he wasn’t telling her something. Over the weeks she’d become increasingly worried about how distracted he’d been. Sure, she’d had other things going on too with her new role, but it just didn’t sit right.
“You sure everything’s okay? I’m just a bit worried about you. You seem so stressed recently.”
He ran his hand over the back of his head and rubbed at his neck. “Just the burden of being the alpha’s son.” A wry smile dressed his face, and her heart went out to him. He was her mate after all, and his burdens were hers, too.
“It’s a lot of pressure. I know.” She sank further into the sofa wondering how this was all going to go down. Before the next full moon, a pack dinner had been set, and Vincent would officially ascend to alpha.
It was a big time for them all, especially him, so it was no wonder he’d been feeling stressed lately. For Vincent this was a major milestone. His life would be changing forever, and so would he.
“You can do this. You know I believe in you. Right?” Harlow reassured him.
He stepped toward her and kissed her on the top of her head. “Course I do.”
“And if there was anything else, you’d tell me?”
“There’s nothing else. I need to get going. Sorry to run out on you again.”
