Juniper
After breakfast the next morning, I walked to Levi’s cabin. He came out of the woods right as I stepped onto his porch.
“What’s wrong?” he said as he shifted back.
“The party,” I said. “I didn’t ask about it last night. Are we still doing it? Should we postpone?”
“No,” he said, and the confidence in his voice surprised me. I’d assumed he’d had some reservations about the whole thing. “We do as planned. Can we have it ready for tonight?”
“Tonight? Seriously?”
“Yeah. We really need to let the pack know about the Red Maw as soon as possible. I think a little celebration might ease the sting of the knowledge.”
“I guess so,” I said. “I’ll find Linnea and talk to the cooks and musicians.”
“Great. It’s gonna be amazing,” he said as he wrapped me in an embrace.
We were outside his cabin, where anyone could have seen us. I wasn’t entirely sure it was smart to be this open about our relationship now that we’d decided to hold off on telling the pack I was his mate.
Extracting myself from his hug, I looked up at him. “You’re sure?”
“Positive,” he said, cupping my cheek. “It’ll be the best thing for everyone.”
“All right.”
I spent the rest of the day preparing for the party.
Thankfully, most of the food had been prepped, and the cooking team told me they had enough frozen fish from a previous fishing trip, so they could do a fish fry for the main part of the meal.
I enjoyed knowing Eugenia could go pound sand, since none of the fish she’d caught yesterday would be used, and we’d still have enough to feed everyone.
As the hours slipped by one by one, I grew more nervous and worried about how everyone would react to the news of the Red Maw. Not even all the work could keep my mind off a possible attack.
We found a large sheet of canvas in the supply building, which was about a hundred feet long. I planned to set it up as a windbreak between the dining hall and the bunkhouse, because even with the bonfires, the night would be cold.
“This was smart,” Linnea said, stepping down off the ladder after she’d nailed the canvas to the dining hall. “Surprised no one thought about it before.”
I shrugged. “I’m sure this stuff isn’t cheap, and there’s no way of knowing if it’ll hold up if a huge gust of wind comes through, but I thought it might make things a little more comfortable.
“That big tree there will keep it from blowing down,” she said, pointing to a massive oak. “I’ll go nail the canvas to it and make sure it’s fully secured.”
“Sounds good,” I said as I began gathering the materials we’d used.
Levi found us a few minutes before the food was ready. He looked good enough to eat in his well-fitting jeans and button-down flannel. Like a lumberjack sex god, I thought, my cheeks burning.
“What are you grinning about?” he asked.
I cleared my throat. “Nothing.”
He took a deep breath. “Mmm, food smells good.”
The cooking team had three big vats of oil set outside, where they were frying the fish and hand-cut fries.
The tables beside them were lined with other sides and salads.
The pack had begun to gather, and I could see Eugenia eyeing the food with a haughty look of irritation.
It took a huge effort of will not to smirk at her.
“I think everything is ready,” I said.
He stepped close, lowering his voice so only I could hear. “You did a really good job. That canvas trick is amazing. It’s at least ten degrees warmer here without the breeze.”
“Thank you.” My pride swelled. I still couldn’t believe I’d managed to pull all this together in only a couple of days.
Levi cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to the town. “Food’s on! Let’s eat.”
I nodded to the musicians on the stage, and they started playing a rather surprisingly fantastic cover of Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’.
Food and drinks flowed, people danced, chatted, and laughed.
It felt good to be here. It felt like a family.
I still missed my grandparents, Beatrice, and my few other friends immensely, but this place was really beginning to feel like home.
After everyone had finished dessert, Levi took my hand. “It’s time,” he said. “They’re happy and they’ve had a feast. It’ll soften the blow.”
My heart lurched into my throat as he led me up onto the stage as the band finished the song they’d been playing. I wasn’t sure why he was taking me up with him, especially since we’d agreed not to tell the pack I was his mate yet.
“Good evening, everyone,” Levi said. “Did everyone enjoy dinner?”
A chorus of hoots, cheers, and whistles came from the crowd.
“Good to hear,” Levi went on, and then swept his hand toward me. “You all can thank our visitor Juniper Hollis for all this. She planned everything and put this all together on short notice. Give her a hand, if you will.”
A round of applause and more cheers. I smiled, breathing a sigh of relief that he’d only brought me up here to give me the kudos for organizing the party. Grinning, I gave myself a little mental pat on the back.
Once the cheers died down, Levi’s smile faded, morphing into a more intense, businesslike expression.
“I wish this was all in good fun, but I asked June to set this up in order to gather you all together and give you some important news.”
The crowd went silent, save for a few fussing babies making soft mewling sounds.
“As many of you know, Rainier and I headed out into the forest the other day, and we were gone for some time.” The crowd grew even quieter, everyone enraptured by his booming voice. “What we didn’t tell you is why we went scouting.
“We found tracks at the tree line. Tracks that did not belong to anyone in Hidden Grove, and they most certainly didn’t smell like any of our citizens. Instead, they reeked of the Red Maw pack.”
A sudden gasp rippled through the crowd, along with a few muttered curses. I forced myself not to fidget or bite my nails. The last thing everyone needed was to see me acting scared or nervous. It would spread quickly once that started.
“We tracked them back to their encampment,” Levi went on.
“I can’t and won’t lie to you. There are more of them than we ever anticipated.
” More muttering, shaking heads, and scared faces.
“Rainier and I confronted their leader, and while they did make demands for peace, they are not demands I would ever agree to. Hidden Grove is a place of its own, and I will not sell us out to them for any reason.”
The pack’s eyes shone in the moon and bonfire light as they gazed up at their alpha. I had to admit, he was a charismatic leader. Even I was being lulled by his voice.
“They will come here, they will probably try to fight us. They want this land and all that it entails. They don’t want to work to make something like what we’ve made.
They just want to take it. Here is what I want them to know, what they will discover if and when they make the mistake of setting foot in Hidden Grove.
They chose the wrong town, they chose the wrong people, and they chose the wrong alpha to screw with.
What I guarantee you is that I will stand beside you, I will stand in front and lead the charge.
We will send them running back with their tails between their legs, and that is a promise.
“The reason I know this is because we are more than a pack, we are a family. I’ve brought each and every person here because you were cast out and forgotten.
I led you here because you were running from something.
I promised you that you would never have to run again, and I will keep that promise.
I can make that promise because I am now whole.
For the first time in over a hundred years, I have a mate.
Juniper Hollis is my mate, and I hope you accept her with open arms.”
It felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. He’d told them. After we’d discussed it, he’d still told everyone. Why?
My eyes widened as the crowd erupted into conversation, every person shooting glances in my direction. Many people didn’t look totally surprised, as Eugenia had said, word was beginning to spread about us, but most of the town looked totally taken aback by the revelation.
“Is June your fated mate?” a woman called out from the crowd.
Levi nodded, a grin on his face. “She—”
“I challenge Juniper Hollis!” Eugenia roared, pushing through the crowd to the front.
The biggest gasp yet burst through the crowd. The reaction was loud and so perfectly well-timed, it would have been comical were I not so angry and shocked.
“Eugenia,” Levi said, raising a calming hand. “We’ll discuss this in private later, and—”
“No!” she bellowed, her hateful eyes locked on me, teeth bared as if she’d already shifted. “There’s no talking. I challenge June to single combat for the position as your mate.”
Levi pressed his lips to my ear. “Reject the challenge. I’ll speak with her later and smooth all this out.”
I turned my head to glare at him. “You’ll smooth it out? Really?”
His face twisted in some mixture of anguish and embarrassment. “June, I needed to do this now. There’s no time to draw things out, no time to—”
“No time to honor your word?” I snapped. “Got it.” I turned to Eugenia and raised my voice, ensuring no one could miss my next words. “I accept your challenge.”