Chapter 20
The five of us--including Crystal, who tagged along as an escort--made our way to the border between West and North Pack. The air seemed to turn colder the closer we got to the territory line. Instead of sand, the shore seemed to be made mostly of rock. As the wind picked up, the lake water slammed into the boulders.
With the North Pack border approaching, we shifted back to human form, except for Crystal.
“This is as far as I go,” Crystal said with the border right ahead. It was marked with the scent of North Pack wolves, as well as a line of pink flowers.
Eric dipped his head in gratitude to her. “Thanks for coming all this way.”
She returned the gesture, then looked at me. “Good luck, Matheson.”
I waved goodbye as she loped back towards West Pack. I would miss her company, but I was excited about visiting North Pack for the first time. And I wasn’t alone--I had all three of my alphas with me.
Colton was the first to approach the wary but curious guards.
“We’re here on official prophecy business,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
The guards looked a bit amused. “All right, Colton. Just keep an eye on those three.”
“I will,” he promised seriously.
Eric rolled his eyes and Ramsay chuckled.
There weren’t as many trees in North Pack, but there were plenty of low-growing bushes. Most surprising was how many flowers were in full bloom, more than I saw in any other territory.
“Wow, Colton,” I said as we passed a pleasant patch of deep blue flowers. “It’s beautiful here.”
“Are these liverleaf flowers?” Ramsay guessed, squinting at them.
“No,” Colton said. “They’reHepatica nobilis.”
“Uh. Right.” Ramsay shrugged. “I’ve gotta admit, you’ve got more flowers here than I expected.”
“Same,” I said.
Colton smiled at us. “Did you think we lived in the tundra?”
“Honestly?” Ramsay said. “Kinda. You know, North Pack? I was expecting snow on the ground.”
Eric groaned. “You’re ridiculous. You canseethe territory from the center island. And it’s not exactly like the four territories are that far apart.”
Ramsay pouted, looking disappointed. “I know, but… snow.”
As Eric continued bickering with Ramsay and ruining his dreams, I caught up with Colton up ahead. I shuddered as a stiff breeze ruffled past me.
“It sure is cold here, though,” I mentioned.
“Really?” Colton asked.
I nodded, and Colton immediately shifted into his wolf form to press against me. He radiated warmth like a furnace.
“Thanks,” I said with a smile. “So where’s the library?”
“There’s one in town, but the book I want to look at is in our personal home library.”
I laughed. “Wow. You guys have a lot of libraries.”
“My parents knew I liked reading as a kid, so they started one at home,” Colton explained. “Otherwise I was always at the one in town, getting lost in the stacks. It upset my mom. She wanted to keep an eye on me.”
