Juniper
Levi still wasn’t back. Every minute that went by without him returning made my anxiety soar even higher.
I’d spent the first day planning the party.
Linnea and several other women had helped keep my mind off Levi, but now it was late in the afternoon of the second day.
Anything could have happened to him or Rainier.
Also, from what everyone said, the Red Maw pack was less than a day’s travel away.
If that was the case, then he should have been back by now, unless something had happened.
“You look worried,” Linnea said.
I flinched, blinking away my dark thoughts. “Huh?”
“I said, you look worried. Are you thinking about Levi?”
“Yeah. He should have been back by now,” I said.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Linnea said. “He’s the strongest alpha I’ve ever met. If anyone can get back safely, it’s him.”
“That’s true, I guess.”
“I know something that might get your mind off him,” she said, and gave me a pitying look. “You’ll hate it, though.”
I let out a dejected sigh and let my head loll back. “Ugh. You’re talking about Eugenia, aren’t you?”
Linnea shrugged helplessly. “The folks who do our cooking are already starting the prep work for the sides and salads, but we still haven’t told them what to do for the meat or protein.”
The woman had given me dirty looks ever since the previous day. It had been worse than usual, which had put me off asking for her help. I didn’t want to deal with her, but I didn’t see another way around it.
“Damn it, fine,” I huffed. “I guess I’ll go now. Get this shit over with.” I was already in a bad mood from worrying about Levi, and the prospect of hearing her snippy comments and condescension didn’t help.
“How about I sneak some wine out of the pantry?” Linnea said hopefully. “Help take the edge off when you get back?”
“That sounds great, but whiskey might be better, if there is any. I have a feeling I’ll need it.”
Before I could talk myself out of it, I shoved my way through the doors of the dining hall.
I inhaled deeply, letting the cold air chill me to my lungs, then headed to Eugenia’s cabin.
She’d been here long enough to have her own place, and didn’t have to sleep in the bunkhouse like I and many of the others. Of course, she wasn’t there.
After roaming around Hidden Grove for half an hour, asking others if they’d seen her, I was finally pointed toward the creek that ran through the forest about fifty yards from the edge of the village.
As I trudged through the woods, I spotted her with a woman named Tessa. One of the men assigned to the patrols, Bradley, was keeping watch.
Eugenia and Tessa were hauling wicker baskets out of the water. Within were several flopping fish. Maybe Linnea was right about Eugenia being a good hunter.
Bradley heard me coming and glanced over. When he saw me, he relaxed and nodded, going back to leaning against a tree. If Eugenia and Tessa noticed me, they chose to ignore my arrival.
“Hello,” I said awkwardly.
Tessa turned and nudged Eugenia. I was disheartened to see that Tessa didn’t smile at all—she didn’t even fake it for my benefit.
Eugenia glanced over her shoulder and went back to work.
She pulled the fish free from the trap, then tossed the twitching creatures into a medium-sized plastic cooler at Tessa’s feet.
“What do you want?” Eugenia said.
I cleared my throat. “Uh, can I speak with you in private? It’ll only take a few minutes.” The last thing I wanted was anyone to listen as I tried to make peace with this woman and ask her for a favor.
Eugenia released an overly dramatic sigh and shoved the traps back into the water now that they were empty.
“Tessa, go ahead and take these to the kitchens. We got almost a dozen trout and six catfish. They should be able to do something with those tonight.”
The younger woman nodded, lifting the cooler. “Got it. See you later.”
She strode away quickly, not even bothering to look in my direction. Bradley looked uncomfortable, glancing back and forth at both of us.
“Uh…I’m not supposed to leave anyone alone out here in the woods,” he said, eyes wide with worry.
“It’s fine Brad, just head far enough away that you can’t hear. I’m sure Levi won’t chew your ass out as long as you can still see us and make sure nothing happens.”
“All right. But scream if you see anything.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Eugenia said with a grin.
Once he was gone, the smile vanished, and she looked at me coldly. “What do you need?”
“Wow, so welcoming,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.
It didn’t work. She continued to glare at me, crossing her arms to complete the look of disdain.
“Okay,” I said, drawing the word out. “Anyway, Levi asked me to plan a big party for the town, and I thought you might be able to help us out with—”
“I saw the two of you,” Eugenia said.
“I’m sorry?”
Eugenia let out a disgusted pfft sound. “Two nights ago? Outside the bunkhouse,” she said, sneering at me. “You know what I’m talking about.”
The memory of that night came back to me. The strange sensation of being watched. I felt a cold shiver go down my back.
“You were spying on me?” I barked, leveling a finger at her.
“Oh, please, don’t think that highly of yourself. I was out for a walk and saw you absolutely throwing yourself at Levi. Honestly, it was pathetic. I feel bad for him having to pity you like that.”
I jerked my head back, feeling like I’d been slapped. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” she said. “Look, I know you have this story about Levi helping you become a better person or whatever, but I’m calling bullshit.
Maybe that’s how it started; perhaps you really did want to win over this Idlewild alpha, but now it’s obvious to everyone that you’re trying to seduce Levi. ”
“I’m not trying to seduce anyone,” I said, my anger rising to a boiling point. God, I wanted to claw her eyes out.
“Say what you will,” Eugenia said, and bent to pick up her small satchel. “We see what’s going on. The late-night meetings at his cabin, dinners with him, the way you look at him when he walks by? You’re not very good at hiding it.”
My cheeks flushed. As careful as we’d wanted to be, if anyone had truly been looking, they’d have noticed. Eugenia had obviously been looking.
She pointed a shaking finger in the direction at the village. “And don’t think we don’t know what this party of yours is for.” She glared at me, putting one hand on her hip. “Levi’s going to announce you as his mate, isn’t he?”
“I…what?” Oh my god. Did the whole pack know about our relationship?
“Holy shit,” Eugenia said, shaking her head in disgust. “Whatever. You can deny it all you want, but you should remember something,” she said, taking a step toward me.
I had to force myself not to back away. “I’ve got the ear of many of the women in town.
If Levi does announce you as his mate, you can guarantee I’ll challenge you for that spot.
I already lost the leadership of one pack because of bullshit politics, and I refuse to lose Levi or this position to some upstart bitch who can’t even shift. ”
I clenched my fist to keep myself from punching her in the face. It was a miracle I managed to hold my composure.
“You think about that,” Eugenia hissed. “You can talk Levi out of announcing you as his mate, or you can fight me for it. We all know you can’t shift.”
“Yeah,” I said, my breath coming in ragged short gasps as I tried to quell my rage. “And maybe I’ll tell Levi what you said here? Have him kick you out of the pack? How would that be?”
Eugenia smirked, but backed away, moving as if to head back to town. “And risk splitting the pack? He’d lose half his people. I’ve got a lot of friends, Juniper. Friends who will do what I say.” She looked me up and down, her lip curled back in a sneer. “Good luck with your party.”
She stalked past me, her shoulder bumping into mine.
All I could do was stand there, seething, fists shaking at my sides.
What a bitch. I’d already decided I didn’t like her, but now?
God, I wanted to throw a rock at her. Probably would have relished the hollow thunk it would have made when it crashed against her skull.
Once she was out of sight, my temper faded, leaving me simply angry and shaken by the interaction.
“Hey, June?” Bradley said, as he tramped back through the woods toward me. “Uh, are you staying out here? I can hang around, if so.”
“No,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “I’m not.”
I began the walk back, doing all I could to put Eugenia out of my mind. I’d be damned if I asked her for anything. The party would have to go on with whatever food we had. Who needed a big hunk of meat, anyway? Hors d’oeuvres and snacks and salads would have to do.