Chapter 3
Junie
“Silas.” I test his name on my tongue, and he tracks every movement.
“You didn’t tell her your name?” Jake asks, taking a bite of his second pastry.
If this cabin he spoke about has a kitchen with decent baking supplies nearby, I might survive the night.
“I just did,” Silas deadpans, then looks from Fran to Jake before they both nod.
I lean against the window, trying to read between the lines. “Um… What just happened? Did you talk to them?” My question is pointed at Silas, but Fran answers.
“Junie, do you know much about werewolves?”
“I—” I shut my mouth and opt to shake my head instead.
Fran slowly nods, then turns to have another kind of secret, invisible talk with Jake and Silas.
Most of my knowledge about werewolves comes from fictional books and Ophelia. I’ve never run into one before, so it never crossed my mind to learn more.
For the past few minutes, I’ve been watching how they interact to deduce how their pack works.
Silas is the Alpha. Leader? Pain in the ass? Yes to all of the above? I’m sure about that.
Fran and Jake are the more approachable ones. Silas referred to them as seconds, so I have to assume they are kind of like assistants. Or maybe co-managers?
They protect Starview, and that’s all that’s important to me right now.
But I’m curious. My siblings and I rarely saw others outside our immediate circle, and afternoons were spent helping at Hexed.
Even then, it was mostly witches and humans, and you rarely know which is which unless you see someone use magic.
There was a time when I wondered why my parents quit their nomadic life to settle down in Starview, a small town where we were the minority. Their answer was always the same: they fell in love, befriended Ophelia’s mom, and knew this was to be their home.
The gem around my neck, a dark green jewel on a gold chain, lightly vibrates as I sit and wait.
I don’t have long to decide what my next step is.
Ophelia gave it to me at a time when a few business decisions didn’t pan out, and my dating life was horrible.
She told me it’d protect me and ward off anything perceived as a bad intention.
She’s my best friend and a witch, so I trust her.
I haven’t taken it off since.
The more minutes that pass, the more I realize how damn cold it is outside and how limited my options are.
I stop staring at Silas and his pack for two seconds to glance at the dashboard of my car. I’d forgotten I was low on gas.
Wow, way to go, Junie, really betting on the universe today.
Ophelia is never going to let me live it down when she finds out I spent time with werewolves. I’m already regretting what I’m about to say before it leaves my mouth.
“I’ll come with you.”
Silas meets my gaze and nods.
I would have expected him to say something snarky. It’s a shame because I’m enjoying our little tiffs.
He must say something to Jake and Fran because they wave, hop on one of the quads they’d come with, and ride away before I’m able to say anything.
“Let’s go,” Silas says, stalking over to the remaining quad.
“I—Why couldn’t I have ridden with Fran?” Or Jake? Really, anyone else would have been my person of choice.
“You don’t get to decide.”
“You’re an asshole, you know that?”
Silas grumbles something I can’t hear. It’s for the best because I wouldn’t have anything nice to say back. Today is awful.
Just a few weeks ago, I braved a similar snowstorm to go up the mountain, and I made it back just fine. Why couldn’t things have gone my way today?
“Any day now, human.”
It’s my turn to grumble a mocking response while I turn to grab my things. Except, there’s little to grab. I’m not going to bring the box of pastries, and I don’t have any spare clothes.
“Leave your things.”
“Oh, darn. What will I do with everything I packed for my sleepover with the wolves?” I shouldn’t add fuel to the fire, but it’s too fun, so I give Silas my best grin that says, “Aren’t you glad you rescued me?”
After grabbing my backpack from the passenger seat, thankful I at least have a phone charger, I exit my car.
The moment my foot hits the snow and I glance up to see Silas waiting for me on the quad, it’s as if my body realizes that I’ll be plastered to him for who knows how long, and I know exactly what he looks like under those clothes.
Holy hell.
“Where is your camp?”
Silas turns his head to look at me and raises a brow. “My camp?”
“Your cabin or whatever.”
“Ah. Not far. Twenty minutes ride or so.”
Okay, twenty minutes. I can do that. Even though my shoes aren’t meant for the snow, I at least remembered my winter coat, scarf, and beanie.
I unzip my backpack, and exchange my ball cap for my cold-weather gear.
I wrap my neck with my pink scarf, which is littered with red hearts.
It was another gift from Ophelia, and I try not to leave the house without it.
Same thing with my beanie, a present to myself when I received my first large order at Forever June.
“What are you wearing?” Silas’ staring is intense.
I give myself a once-over, making sure I’m not the one naked this time, and shrug.
“What do you mean?”
“Your beanie.”
My hand touches the embroidered words, “I <3 Knots.” Oh, fuck.
I bark out a laugh to cover up my embarrassment.
“It’s not what you think, wolf.”
Silas crosses his arms. His mouth twitches. “What do I think, Junie?”
He can see right through my bullshit, even though I’m telling the truth.
“I’m a baker. Like, an actual baker. I bake things.” Oh, my god. I’m rambling.
“Mhm.”
“And this is my favorite beanie.”
“Oh, is it now?” Silas is amused, and I want to punch his smug face.
“It’s not what you think, Silas.”
“You keep saying that, and I’ll assume it’s not just because you’re a baker.” He puts baker in quotes.
“It’s for pretzels, Silas. Pretzels. Like pretzel knots. Not…” I dip my head in his direction. “You… Your… You know.” I should have put two and two together when I placed my beanie, which I wear nearly every day, on my head.
“So, you do know some things about werewolves.”
My cheeks match the red of my beanie. I swear he’s doing this on purpose.
“Obviously.” I stomp over to the quad, wanting to end this humiliating conversation immediately. “Where do I sit?”