Chapter 4
“Do you have matches?” Vallie asked Hadie.
“Uh, yes?” Hadie responded slowly from her spot on Vallie’s temporary couch. “I have some in my apartment for my candles.”
“Wonderful! Can you grab your candles and some matches? I would love to cozy up the place a bit with some open flames.” Vallie grinned. “Nothing like a fire to make an evening, am I right?”
“Sure.” Hadie stood to leave, then furrowed her brow at Vallie. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“I won’t. Promise.” Vallie nodded a few times and made a show of snuggling into the couch. Hadie eyed her suspiciously but exited.
As soon as the door closed, Vallie was on her feet and all out raiding the cabinets. She had a few hours until Alpha would declare her without child. Which he would. She finished her bleeding they day before her ritual. There’s no way her body spit out an egg that fast.
Vallie grabbed a box of crackers, a can of peaches, a small kitchen knife, a spoon, and a mug. Then she pulled out her makeshift bag from the hospital and shoved everything in there, then tucked it back underneath her mattress.
She settled herself back on the couch and propped her feet on the coffee table just as Hadie walked back.
“It’s vanilla scented,” she said, holding up the candle. “I hope that’s ok.”
“Perfect.” Vallie eyed the matches. Once Hadie went to the bathroom or fell asleep, Vallie was going to pilfer a couple of those. She knew how to build a fire without matches or a fire starter, but it was so much easier if she had them. She’d take anything that would make the next few days easier.
“You been in Luven long?” Vallie asked, taking a match and lighting the candle.
“Ten years,” Hadie answered. “So, yes.”
“Wow. That’s insane. Were you from Maidenhead?”
“No. I lived…basically in the wilderness. Stumbled into wolf territory one day. Seemed like a better place to live.” Hadie shrugged. “I’ve been here so long now, it feels like home. There’s nothing for me in the human lands.”
“No mate, though?”
Hadie shook her head. “Not for lack of trying. Wolves are an interesting bunch. I’ve had a couple flings, but there’s no dating for them. No slow falling in love. They’re all waiting for the one the Moon Goddess made. Don’t have time to put effort in with anyone else.”
“Shit, that sounds kind of lonely,” Vallie said. Suddenly, she felt sad for Hadie. Vallie hadn’t thought past the next few days, what it might be like living among the wolves, without a mate. Or with one. Hell, this community might offer protection, electricity, and warm water, but it definitely came with a price.
“It’s not too bad. I have friends. I get to welcome all new humans in this weird way.”
“Hm.” Vallie tossed it over in her mind. A nice apartment, a meaningful job. It wasn’t a bad life. “So, what’s fun around here? For a single human woman?”
“Fun? I don’t know. It’s pretty tame here. I like to buy myself things to fill the soulmate-shaped hole in my heart.”
“What kind of things?”
“Books. Clothes. Pastries.”
“That sounds amazing,” Vallie answered.
Hadie shrugged.
“No, really. As someone who lived in Maidenhead and Balaur, that’s an awesome life. You can buy pastries? Whenever you want one? Amazing.”
Hadie laughed. “It is a pretty awesome life. But I do wish it came with a little more sex.”
*
“You are not carrying my child,” Alpha said, in front of a sea of women.
“Fantastic,” Vallie answered. “Nice doing business with you, happy to join the pack and all. Thank you for not knocking me up, I appreciate it. As I said before, shit to do. Let’s move this train along. See you around, all!” Vallie turned on her heels, marched to the elevator, and got back on it.
“Um, Vallie?” Hadie called behind her, but the doors were already shutting.
This was perfect. She jogged down the hall to her apartment, had a glass of water, took a piss, and grabbed her pack. It hadn’t been five minutes since she’d been declared empty of budding seed, and she was heading to the stairs.
It was a fine mid-spring morning, perfect for a purposeful walk to kick off the beginning of a very important mission.
Vallie walked through Luven, getting a good look at it for the first time. They’d been brought in at night, in the winter, and Vallie had only been outside for short stints during her time at the hospital.
This city was fucking nice. The buildings were tall and well-maintained, there were no beggars on the street. No one tried to sell her anything as she walked past. She wondered how money worked here or whether they operated on a barter system. In Maidenhead, it was mostly bartering, but there were a few old coins people used now and again. She’d once had something with a picture of an eagle stamped into it. She’d kept it as a good luck charm until the dragons took her and she assumed it was thrown on the pile of someone’s hoard.
Vallie turned toward the hospital and blew a bunch of kisses at the windows. She couldn’t tell if anyone was looking out, the sun was far too bright, but if Domitia was, she’d know Vallie was on her way.
She kept moving, passing lots of people who paid her no notice. It wasn’t like she had a sign above her head saying, “a ton of wolves watched Alpha bang me a couple days ago” but a little recognition would have been nice.
Vallie looked up at the sky at the angle of the sun and then turned north. The walk from the wall to Luven had been a blur, plus the wolf who carried her had sprinted like a motherfucker. But, she knew that Balaur was north of Luven.
She turned the corner and ran smack into a very large wolf. Man? She wasn’t sure how to categorize these silver-eyed humanoids that now surrounded her.
“Vallie!” he exclaimed.
“Oh, hey! Were you at the show a few nights ago?” Finally! Someone recognized her. It wasn’t like she was hoping to be a celebrity but come on. People paid a lot of money to watch people fuck in Maidenhead.
“No. Wait yes. I was at the ritual. But I was coming to pick you up. Aren’t you supposed to be waiting in pack housing?” Wow, this guy was really staring at her. Not that she minded because he had crazy intense eyes, a great beard, and really good bone structure. Hell, those cheekbones could cut glass. Plus, he looked like he’d be a blast to bang and after Alpha’s lackluster performance and no mate in sight, Vallie might be interested in a little off the books fun time.
“Yeah, not carrying a mini Alpha in here”—she patted her stomach—“so I’m off.”
“Off? What do you mean off?”
“Eh, my little secret. But I’d love to hash it out with you once I’m back.” She grinned.
“No, no, no. I’m, I’m your mate. Lambda. Lambda is my name and I’m your mate. Where are you going? I was supposed to pick you up to show you our house and all that.”
Her mate? She had a mate?
Well, shit. This guy was gorgeous. She wasn’t going to complain about being matched with this tall drink of water. Damn. If what Tella said was true…she couldn’t wait to ride this guy for days.
“Hm.” She mulled an idea over for a moment. Mates would do anything for each other, right? And she could, like, immediately trust him, too.
“So, Lambda. Here’s the thing. I’m going to climb the wall back into Dragon Territory, sneak into Balaur, and break my sister free so she can come live in Luven, too.” She paused, waiting for him to burst out with reasons she shouldn’t do it.
But he didn’t. He only looked at her with those intense silver eyes and made a shiver run down her spine.
“Want to come?”