Chapter 26
EIGHT WEEKS LATER
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The hammer’s relentless pounding against the far side of the shack was relentless. You would think that after weeks of living with the sound, I would have gotten used to it.
But no such luck.
And it wasn’t just the hammer. The sound of construction was everywhere in the little clearing around Tauren’s shack these days— saws buzzing through logs, planers scratching across boards, hand drills grinding away.
But as noisy as it was, I didn’t mind. Not really. Why would I when my eyes were firmly fixed on the bigger picture?
Little by little, day by day, Tauren’s little one-room shack was turning into a real home.
Our home.
Not surprisingly, the first addition had been a real bedroom.
One with plenty of room for both of us to move around and get dressed.
There were even closets and shelves and windows that let in the light.
Not to mention a couple of steps built into the side of the bed frame so I could get in and out of the thing without breaking my neck.
After that came a front room with a stone hearth, bookshelves built into the walls, and two oversized chairs right in front of the fire. The kitchen was next after that.
And now Tauren was working on the bathroom.
A real one, with running water he was diverting from one of the streams and a tub that was chiseled out of limestone. I could hardly wait for the day I got to submerge myself in it.
It was going to be heaven.
Just like everything else we were working hard to build out here.
Not that everyone understood.
Even now, Calindra was sitting on the picnic blanket I’d spread out in the little patch of sunshine that broke through the trees above with her arms crossed, shaking her head.
“I just don’t understand why you two insist on staying out here,” she said. “Especially when you have a perfectly good house waiting for you in the village.”
Tauren’s family home. The trouble was neither one of us wanted to live in it. After everything that had happened—Tauren’s abandonment, Drogan’s murder, Cenric’s betrayal—it just didn’t seem right.
We wanted a fresh start. Both of us did.
So now Tauren’s mother lived there alone. Just her in a giant empty house.
Tauren said once she was gone, the new Lykaon was welcome to move in—whoever that might be. The pack still hadn’t decided.
What was left of the pack, at any rate.
After Cenric’s treachery became known and Drogan’s body had been discovered, the pack came together and voted to accept any kirre mates without reservation.
Of course, it hadn’t been unanimous. Not hardly. But the yeas had outnumbered the nays almost three to one.
Those in the opposition who couldn’t stand the idea of living in a mixed pack, like Lash, decided to leave and form their own pack. And as much as I hated to admit it, life had been a lot more pleasant since they left.
As for Nelissa, she fled into the forest before anyone could toss her into the pit for her crimes and was still out there…somewhere.
“But you have no neighbors,” Calindra continued.
“I know. That might be what we like best about it.”
“Don’t you get lonely?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Absolutely not. And even if I did, it doesn’t take long for me to walk to the village. I can come see you or Akela any time.”
“You could.” She shot me a knowing look. “But you don’t. We only see you about once a week.”
“That’s because I’m busy.” Leaning back on the blanket, I closed my eyes and let the sun fall on my face.
“Riiight,” Calindra stretched the word, making it clear she didn’t buy that excuse. “With what? Because it’s certainly not work.”
“Hey!” I popped open one eye. “Cut us a little slack. We’re building a whole house out here.”
“Sure. Except I know for a fact it doesn’t take a focused alpha more than a couple of weeks to build a house from scratch. And Tauren’s on month two. So what’s distracting him?”
I narrowed my eyes, ready to call her bluff. “Do you really want me to know?”
Calindra shook her head. “I have a feeling I already do.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault the man likes to take his time and make sure he does a good job.”
“I said I didn’t want to know,” she reminded me.
Throwing my hand over my heart, I shot her a look of feigned offense. “Get your mind out of the gutter, lady. I was talking about his carpentry skills.”
“Sure you were,” she answered with a laugh. “But as long as we’re on the subject of you stripping off your clothes, why don’t you turn around and lift up your shirt so I can take a look at your back?”
“Of course.” Pushing myself back up, I swiveled around and let her lift up my shirt. “How am I doing back there?”
Her fingers traced the faint lines that marked where Cenric’s claws had dug into my back.
The bastard had really done a number on me that night. Several times, Calindra told me how lucky I was to be alive.
By the time Tauren had found me, I wasn’t just pale and weak from blood loss; I was also suffering from several broken bones. A cracked femur. A broken pelvis. Several more fractured ribs. There’d been blood in my lungs and a huge knot on the back of my skull.
Just a few more minutes, and it wouldn’t have mattered if Cenric had ripped out my throat or not. I still would have ended up dead.
But somehow I didn’t.
Calindra and the Lore Keeper said it was because of my new omega nature. But I didn’t know anything about that.
It wasn’t like I felt any different.
I still didn’t.
All I knew was that I didn’t die because my dreams had saved me.
By dying over and over again, they’d taught me how to survive. How to fight. How to keep going.
I didn’t die because it wasn’t my destiny.
Tauren was.
Just like before, I healed faster than anyone expected. After just two weeks, I was back on my feet, and a week after that, Calindra gave me a clean bill of health.
It was nothing short of miraculous, they said. A true wonder.
And that was before my scars started to fade. Now they had almost vanished completely, and Calindra was more amazed than ever.
“Not even alphas lose their scars,” she said in awe. “It’s baffling. The Lore Keeper and I have been scouring the tomes, but we still haven’t found anything that can fully explain what is happening inside you.”
I shrugged as she pulled down my shirt. “Whatever it is, I’m not complaining.”
Living in a pack of creatures that weren’t just twice my size and freakishly strong but could spring weapons from their hands and mouths, lightning-quick healing seemed like a necessary adaptation for survival.
“What aren’t you complaining about now?” A voice carried over from the side of the clearing.
“Akela!”
I jumped up to my feet to greet her. Unsurprisingly, Hektor was right behind her.
“I thought your mate might like a hand,” he said.
“I’ve never known him to say no.” I cast the alpha a big smile as he quickly went off to be useful. “Akela, come hang out with us. Calindra and I were just chatting.”
“I’d love to,” she said, following me over to the blanket. “But I have to admit, this isn’t a social call. Not completely anyway.”
My brows pulled together. “What do you mean?”
“Hektor made a trip to the Wall yesterday.” Crossing her legs and sitting down next to Calindra, she pulled her bag off her shoulder. Then, settling it in her lap, she opened it.
“That’s nice,” I said. “But I didn’t ask for anything this time.”
I didn’t need to.
A month ago, Hektor had made good on his promise to trade some things for me.
He’d handed over a letter I’d written to that acquaintance who worked at a well-known gallery with my camera’s memory card inside.
He’d also managed to procure a large AC battery for me so I could keep my camera charged.
The thing was huge and nowhere near dead, so it would be a while before I would need another one.
“I know,” Akela said before pulling out a long, cream-colored envelope. “But someone had this to give to you.”
My heart started to hammer as I took it and looked down at the address.
Hannah Carter
The Wilds
It was my friend from the gallery.
It had to be.
I hadn’t reached out to anyone else.
Without waiting, I ripped open the letter.
Dear Hannah,
I’d like to thank you for letting me review your most recent portfolio of photographs. I must admit I have never seen anything like them. I don’t believe anyone this side of the Wall has.
Coupled with the accompanying letter detailing your current living situation, I can confidently say that the story your photographs tell is one of a kind.
Because of this, I am honored not only to accept them for display in our gallery, but also to offer you a full exhibition for the entire next calendar year.
I anxiously await your reply.
Sincerely,
Carol Cooke
I couldn’t believe my eyes. A full exhibition? An entire calendar year?
This was beyond my wildest dreams.
So much so that I read and re-read the letter three times before I finally let myself start to believe it was true.
And when I finally looked up from the page, it was to see the faces of the people I loved the most.
Even Hektor and Tauren had stopped their hammering to come over and see what news had made tears roll down my face.
“What is it, love?” Tauren asked.
“It’s a gallery,” I said. “They want to show my pictures.”
The letter slipped from my hand as he wrapped his arms around my waist and hoisted me up in the air, swinging me around in a joyous circle.
“That’s wonderful,” he said. “I knew you were meant for great things.”
“You did?”
“Of course.” Tauren pulled me in for a deep kiss before pulling back to look me in the eye. “The Fates never lie.”
Welcome to The Wilds!
Thank you for reading Tauren, Book 1 in the series. There’s so many more hot alphas from The Wilds waiting to meet you.