Chapter 3 #2
Around us, the wind swept through the trees—cold, fierce, alive.
The Hollow didn’t breathe, but the land was definitely awake.
I was sitting in the pack hall, shelling peas, wondering why we weren’t panicking more.
I was panicking.
I felt so uneasy, and it didn’t help that the Hollow itself had taken up residence in my chest and seemed to beat in rhythm with my heart.
But my pack? My pack was…calm. They had been angry. I’d heard them. Saw them. But now they looked unruffled. Were they resolved to the fight? Had they already decided to leave? I didn’t understand it. Where was the panic?
Thalia dropped down on the bench beside me, grabbed a bunch of peas off me, and started shelling them. “What’s with the death stare?”
I looked at her and frowned. “Death stare?”
She nodded her head, her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, bobbing as she did so. “Yeah. You’ve got the whole ‘lights are on, but no one is home’ vibe going. Blank.”
“So I’m not glaring at anyone?” I asked in relief.
“Hmm?” She threw the empty shell aside and picked up the next one. “Oh, no. I think it may be better if you were. You look…” She scanned me. Popping open a shell, scooping out three peas, and tossing the shell. “Checked out.”
“Why is nobody else?” I whispered, hearing the frustration in my voice.
Thalia grinned, eating the next peas instead of putting them in the pot. “Ah, you wanted a full-on meltdown?”
“We’re being dissolved,” I grumbled. “We’re sitting here shelling peas.”
“Mm-hmm.” She ate the next pod too. “You see, this is where you’re wrong. You’re sitting here shelling peas. Your practiced, calm resolve is in turn helping your pack.”
I thought about it and called bullshit. “They were like this when I got here. I did this to watch them.” Thalia grinned and ate the next pod. “Will you stop eating the peas!” I scolded her.
“Before you got here, Wolfe’s been in everyone’s head, all day, telling them it’s okay.
” She squinted at me. “Haven’t you heard him?
” When I shook my head, she shrugged. “Then you came in here and did a normal routine task. Your pack sees their alpha’s mate shelling peas, and they come off the edge of hysteria. ”
I narrowed my eyes, replaying her words. “He’s been using the mindlink all day?”
“Ever since the clearing. Honestly, for someone who’s not a big talker, he really hasn’t shut up.”
That actually made me smile. I looked around the room once more. “He did this?”
Thalia nodded, her attention on the bowl. “I think you both did.” Her head snapped up then and looked toward the door. “There he is,” she said with a smile as Cody walked through the main entrance.
“You can sense him?” I asked curiously. The bond between Wolfe and me was due to his being an alpha. Other pairs didn’t have anything…supernatural connecting them.
“He’s my husband, I’d be able to find him buried under the mountain in the depth of winter,” she said smugly.
“Huh.” I wondered if I would be able to find Wolfe.
“You would,” she told me, before tilting her head back and accepting a kiss from Cody, ignoring my look of surprise that she knew what I was thinking. “Hey, baby,” she greeted him.
“Rowen doesn’t know you like to steal the peas, I’m guessing,” Cody asked as he stepped back. “She’ll demolish that if you turn your back,” he warned.
“Yes.” I slapped her hand when she went to eat the next pod.
“I learned that quickly.” I took the pod off of her.
“Go. See if the kitchens need you to help—” Cody frantically shook his head, and I remembered their warning when I first went to Stonefang, that Thalia couldn’t cook.
“See if the kitchens need you to help bring any more produce in.”
“Sure.” Thalia swung her leg over the bench, gave Cody another kiss, then walked to the kitchen.
Cody took her place. “Nice save,” he murmured, his hand reaching for a pod. He split it open and immediately ate the contents.
“Cody!” I scolded. “No!”
“She tasted like peas, now I’m hungry.”
“Go.” I pointed to the kitchen. “Go get your wife, and both of you stay away from the kitchen.”
He grinned, but he didn’t move. “Your husband and Diesel are arguing. Do you want to go fix them?”
I turned my full attention to him. “Wolfe and Diesel are arguing? Why?”
“Diesel wants to piss off the Goddess.”
“Oh, for Luna’s sake.” I was already on my feet. “Do not eat those peas.”
His laughter was loud as I hurried toward the main entrance. I didn’t need to ask where Wolfe was; the bond pulled me toward him.
Thankfully, they were both in the house, where the soundproof spell Diesel knew had ensured no voices escaped outside to be heard by others.
Killian sat on the couch with his legs crossed and a relaxed posture.
Diesel stood at one end of the room, leaning against a wall, while my husband stood near the door, arms crossed and face like thunder.
“What’s going on?” I asked Wolfe as I closed the door behind me.
“He wants the Goddess to kill him.”
I gaped at Diesel. He rolled his eyes. “Not literally,” he said in exasperation.
“Literally,” Wolfe and Killian corrected together.
“I think we need to give me more of the conversation first.” I took a seat beside Killian. “You good?” I asked quietly.
“Waiting to split them up,” he said, not lowering his voice at all.
“Wolfe?” I turned my attention to my mate. “Background?”
Wolfe glared at his beta. “This idiot—”
“Harsh,” Diesel interrupted.
“Idiot wants to go back up to the ridge and ask the Goddess for a sign.”
I frowned. Why did that make him an idiot? Weren’t some, if not all, of the pack doing the same? “Um…okay?”
Wolfe switched his focus to me. “Last time we were up there, she sent a landslide after us.” His gaze switched back to Diesel. “A landslide.”
Diesel huffed. “Us. Not me. Us.”
“She sent a landslide,” Wolfe growled.
“It’s been pretty much this for the last fifteen minutes,” Killian told me conversationally. “At this point, I’m ready to let them both just punch it out.”
Diesel crowed with triumph. I jumped to my feet when Wolfe took a step forward. “Hey.” I leaned up and kissed him briefly. “Hey, hi.”
My husband looked down at me, a small smile on his face, and his lips brushed mine with far more purpose than I had. His kiss turned hot and heavy, and I forgot the others were in the room for a moment.
“Why can’t she distract me like that?” Diesel muttered. Wolfe’s low growl made the other male laugh, and I jumped in surprise when Wolfe grabbed my ass.
“Mine.” He pulled back and looked at his two betas. “No one goes up to the ridge.” His eyes landed hard on Diesel. “Am I clear?”
His beta said nothing, and Killian sat with his face blank. This seemed to be blown out of proportion, and I was beginning to think Cody had tricked me for fresh peas, when Wolfe’s and Diesel’s heads both snapped to the far wall, to the window that looked out over the yard.
“What is it?” I asked them, seeing Killian rise to his feet too, his stare following theirs.
“They’re calling,” Wolfe said, concern in his voice.
“Who?”
“The Grumps.”