“Hey yourself. How many times have you flipped through the ten channels we have on this thing?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. I flipped through the channels, but at a much slower rate until I found some type of game show. It looked good enough, so I stopped and placed the remote on the table.
‘What has got you in this bad mood? Okay, I know what has got you in the mood to begin with, but why can’t you shake it?’ I asked him in a mindlink.
‘It’s stupid, I should just let it go. But then I think of the way Ryder looked at you and it pisses me off, or the way my mother just assumed I couldn’t handle the role as Alpha, or the way they look down on our pack and I just get angry. And I hate that I question my own judgment after I have talked to them. He seems so fucking confident. Did we go wrong when we went for a mixed team?’ Finlay answered. It was a long list of things. But I started with the last one.
‘Sure, they are strong. But let's face it; they make an ox look slender and I bet they weigh more than an ocean liner. I for one am looking forward to the game when we are made to crawl through some tight space and the first of them will get stuck like chuck. I hope it will be an individual game so we get to watch,’ I told him. Finlay looked at me and started laughing.
‘It paints a nice picture,’ he agreed.
‘Sure does. There are a lot of situations when their build and weight will act against them. And they will be forced to use their brains as well. They don’t seem too well endowed in that department. Sorry, he is your brother,’ I then corrected myself. Finlay was still chuckling and shook his head.
‘Don’t apologise, you are right,’ he told me. ‘Thank you. I needed a laugh.’
‘I’m always here. Just talk to me. Don’t be a brooding Alpha.’ I elbowed him in his side, which made him laugh again. Sam popped his head into the living room.
“What are you watching?” he asked.
“Some game show, they are trying to crawl up a mountain of slime at the moment,” I answered.
“Cool.” His head vanished again and five minutes later he was back with a giant bowl of popcorn and sat down on Finlay’sother side. Soon we were joined by Matilda who picked up her knitting. One by one, the others dropped in and found a seat. Some brought snacks, some brought beer and pop. For each pack member who joined us, I felt Finlay relax a little more. It was nice. We all relaxed and watched humans make fools of themselves. I looked at Matilda, she looked to be enjoying herself as well.
‘Is that a new project?’ I asked in a mindlink, not wanting to disturb the others' ongoing comments about the show.
‘It is,’ she agreed.
‘What is it?’
‘You know the rules,’ she reminded me, and I smiled. She never told me what she was making, I had to guess. I looked at the project. It was a couple of inches long at this time and around twenty to twenty-five inches wide I would guess. Matilda was knitting in a pale green yarn that looked soft, but the outer edge was in a cream colour.
‘A baby blanket?’ I asked.
‘You are getting good at this,’ she said with a nod.
‘For who?’
‘That I won’t say,’ she told me with one of her sly smiles. I frowned. Then I realised it was probably for Alpha Ryder. She may not like what he was doing, but he was still her nephew. As he had mated, it was likely he and his Luna would produce the first in the next generation of the family. I nodded. It wasn’t easy trying to navigate family dynamics. When it was time for bed, the mood in the cabin had drastically changed. Everyone was happier and fired up for the next day.
“Hey, Red,” Finlay said as I was heading into my bedroom.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Thanks for getting everyone in the right headspace. I should have been the one doing that,” he said.
“Finn, you can’t do everything. You are allowed to have bad days as well. That’s why you have a Beta. I’m happy to do it. Sleep tight, Alpha, we will need you tomorrow.”
“You too, Red. We will show them not to underestimate us,” he said with a smile.
Chapter 36
Amie
The day had finally arrived. I had been waiting for it since I was a pup and first heard the stories about the games. I dressed in my training clothes and when I almost ran into Finlay and Sam outside our rooms, we all grinned.
“Time to go, boys,” I said, heading for the stairs.
“Hey, who are you calling a boy? I’ll let you know I have a daughter. I’m all grown up,” Sam objected, and both Finlay and I laughed. We joined the others for breakfast and there was a nervous excitement in the air. We didn’t know what the day would bring, but it was finally here. Matilda was ready for everything. She had made an array of different snacks, ready to eat meals and beverages. Everyone who wasn’t participating would be watching the games. They would all make sure her food got there and could be handed into the appointed space as needed. Jake was looking nervous.
