During those same short trips, I risk a peek inside my cabin, simply to reassure myself she’s asleep in my bed and not the chair. When she’s gone, it’ll take months, if not longer, to air the cabin of her trace. Hopefully a winter inside the caves will give me the much-needed distance.
I growl at Graham’s insinuation that I should obey his orders to return to camp. Camp meansshe’sthere.
Yet, after another kill and another look of disappointment from the older man, I cross the threshold. Perhaps it’s the midday sun beaming down, keeping the afternoon warm for this time of year, or because I’ve worked up exhaustion for being out nonstop the past six hours.
Carina’s peel of laughter draws my attention to the centre of camp where she’s seated with Leah, Holly, and Miriam, another pack female. The three are sorting apples into wooden crates that’ll make it easier to lug them to the caves later this week.
Leah’s presence is expected, but Holly’s draws me to a stop. As one of a few unmated females with no pups in the pack,she prefers patrols above camp-related tasks and has very little patience for others. Seeing her sitting in one place is somewhat short of a miracle. Miriam is another mother, one who was terrified of Carina in the beginning.
My chest burns when I look at Carina. She’s laughing at something Miriam said as she organizes the fruit. For the first time since meeting her, she doesn’t appear tense but…calm. Every so often, she flicks strands of dark hair away from her face, letting me see how sunlight makes her glow.
A whimper builds in my throat. She’s…beautiful. I thought it the first time we met, and I think it every time I see her. But it’s more than her face and body—it’sher. Her soul. Her heart. The heart that has her still here, even when petrified of her future. The heart having her complete tasks for a group she’s not a part of.
The coven princess, thekamahki, who resides within a town, a house with insulated and proper walls, mowed front lawns, and electricity, is seated on the log as though she’s content. As though this is where she’s supposed to be.
She is.
Suddenly, Holly glances up and spots me. Her smirk is slow building but ignorable as I carry on, heading for my cabin to get changed.
Carina’s sweet and heady scent slams me like normal. The walls are caked inher, as well as the chairs, the fucking table, and especially my bed. Her bag of clothes has found a place beside my chest of clothing, like it’s the most normal thing in the world.
I pull on jeans and brace for a repeat of my entrance into camp—prepare to seeher—and to not trail the sweet scent of her from my nest to where she’s sitting. Head down, I start towards Dad’s cabin without looking at the trio.
But then Holly shouts, “Hey, Alpha! Get over here!”
Slaughtering one of my own sounds like a pretty good afternoon activity.
Ignoring her would make my avoidance too obvious. So, gritting my teeth, I head over to the group. Miriam waves while Leah grins up at me. Carina, by all accounts, pretends to ignore me, but the slight stiffening of her shoulders tells me she’s as aware of me as I am of her.
“What?” I direct my question to Holly.
“Good hunt?”
“Fine.” My attention shifts to the left, where Leah’s rolling an apple between her palms. “Xander and Claire passed me. She’s excited because he’ll be taking her on a faster run, so later when she returns with a bump on her head, you know who to blame.”
“Might make her sleep better.” Glancing over to Miriam, she asks, “Help me carry the full ones to storage?”
The two start preparing to leave, but before anyone lifts anything, Carina flicks a finger. The full crates levitate three feet off the ground, a light blue mist emerging from the ground to keep them elevated.
“Steer them in the direction you need. When you’re happy, put your hand on top and push down lightly.”
Leah whistles in appreciation. “Thanks.”
Once they’re gone, Holly leaps to her feet. “I should be off as well. Bye, Alpha. Good chat, Carina.”
They’re not as subtle as they all think they are.
Carina carries on ignoring me, staring at the apples like they’ll solve all her problems. When she’s down to one left, she pauses. Her eyes flick up, first to my feet, and then they travel the length of my body. Violet eyes darken in interest before she stares past me, the grinding of her teeth reaching my ears.
“Haven’t seen you around in a while.”
Guilt is a barb wire around my nerves, stinging even as I rub the back of my neck. “Been busy. Things to do before winter.”
She grunts and turns onto her knees, reaching for the crate’s lid. “I should take this to Leah. See you around.”
My wolf mourns her purple eyes—as do I. The wolf wants her attention. The man wants to see her happy.
With the same spell, she levitates the crate and goes to walk away. Her distance isn’t anything compared to mine this week, but it’s nothing I’ll stand for either.
