Chapter Thirty
Shiloh
We were eating dinner together in the new house.
There was something so satisfying and comforting about this very ordinary, very domestic act, our omega eating food her alphas provided and cooked with her help.
She offered to make it all, but we told her she wasn’t a servant and we wanted to help too.
Most of the helping was setting the table, cleaning the dishes, cutting the veggies, and making the salad—things that weren’t easily messed up. And fair.
I savored every minute of it.
Hazel looked tired. At breakfast that morning, she’d already had shadows under her eyes. She assured us she was feeling fine, and I tried not to push. That didn’t prevent me from worrying. I suspected I knew the reason.
The package from her hometown was like a big elephant in the room, and she hadn’t brought it up yet. Neither had we. Instead, we ate our delicious meat loaf-and-potatoes dinner.
Hazel could cook. Like five-star-chef caliber cooking. If she didn’t own her shop, I would have suggested she start a restaurant. People would flock to it, despite her outspoken opinion that Alice and Augustine could cook and bake her under the table.
We kept the conversation brief, probably too brief for the importance of it. But as concerning as the package was, and knowing her father was still there and a threat, there wasn’t much we could do about it until we got more information.
My beast cried out for blood, wanting to rip her father to shreds. I wasn’t opposed to the idea, but it wasn’t up to me. He wasn’t my relative.
We had decided that the three of us together would broach the topic with her, and it was time. We couldn’t hold back any longer.
When she asked me why my wolf was so close to the surface, it gave me the opening I needed.
“Because he wants to bleed your father.” I didn’t mince words.
“And what did you tell him?” she asked.
“That it wasn’t my decision to make. It was yours.”
Her shoulders fell. As tense as this topic was, putting the ball in her court made a big difference.
“Oh,” was all she said.
“What do you want, Hazel?” Lindon asked. “Not just about your father but this entire situation.”
It took her a solid minute to answer.
“I don’t know.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “I hate him, but also, he’s my dad. But I don’t want to run again. I like life here. I like our home and my shop. I like my friends and what we’re building together.”
“How about this?” I said. “How about True keeps digging, and we don’t make any decisions until we feel like we have enough information?”
We all agreed on that and finished eating. This time, we talked about the meat loaf despite having already discussed it and watching her make it. It told me that we were all doing the same thing, trying not to discuss her father.
This wasn’t good for any of us.
“Hey,” I said. “How about before we do dishes, we go for a run?”
“You and me?” she asked.
“Well, if you want,” I said, “but I was thinking all of us.”
“Yes, please.”
True and Lindon were already standing up, pulling off their shirts. She chuckled. “I guess that’s a yes from them.”
We hadn’t all shifted together yet, and it felt like a huge milestone.
Outside, we stripped. We took our fur without anyone looking at anybody, just trying to get it done.
When our mate was getting naked in front of us, we didn’t so much as give her a glance, a testament to how much our beasts wanted this.
My wolf loved to hunt, but today, I was letting him be the prey. I wasn’t sure how Hazel would feel about us chasing her, so I bounded into a clearing and toward the woods and made the choice easy for everyone. The others did not disappoint, instantly chasing me.
I was really good at this game. I’d had a lot of practice on both sides growing up and also as a pack. My wolf was fast and clever. I could set false trails pretty easily. My goal wasn’t really to get away from them, today, though. It was to play.
Right before we reached the river, I climbed up in a tree. My wolf was part squirrel, I was sure. As they came around, I dropped right on top of Lindon.
He was looking over his shoulder as Hazel bumped me out of the way. Then True shoved me back to her. The next thing I knew, all our wolves were wrestling. There was nothing aggressive about it, just playful puppy fun despite our ages.
A rabbit rustled nearby. We bolted in that direction. All three of us let Hazel take the lead in catching our prey.
We devoured it together and then lay there lazily. This was the life. The one I wanted for our mate. Not one of running, not one where she had to worry about her father. Just the four of us being a pack, working together, playing together, eating together, and living our lives together.
I vowed to protect this for Hazel and for our pack.