The bonfire was piled high with dead, fallen branches and what looked like planks from wooden pallets, not yet a pyramid of flames. The smell of barbecued meats and sweet treats was all around, and it was busy with families and young people.
“It’s a real celebration,” I said as Darren snatched up two hot dogs.
“Oh yeah, the food’s great,” he said as if that was the reason for so many of the Pack in attendance. “Mustard?” he asked, pumping copious amounts of yellow sauce onto a hot dog.
“About half that.” I laughed.
“As you wish, but the ratio of mustard to sausage to bun is going to be off,” he joked as he did as I asked and handed the plate over to me.
I took a bite.
I was always ravenous after working all day. Alan would show up with biscuits and tea halfway through the day and moan about whichever Council member had annoyed him most recently, and never really required any input from me. Still, the biscuits were appreciated and stopped my stomach from eating itself, but I looked forward to dinner. At least I could focus on the food and ignore Cole ignoring me.
There was no Cole at the bonfire. It would have been relaxing if I wasn’t constantly thinking about her.
“Good?” he asked after finishing off his last bite.
“Yeah,” I answered, amused by how quickly he had inhaled his food.
“More?” he asked.
I was only a couple of bites into mine.
“I’m good; you should probably vacuum up a few more.” I laughed.
He smiled toothily, a bit of hot dog stuck in his teeth.
“You’ve got something.” I pointed to my teeth.
“Oh.” He laughed and brought his hand up to hide his mouth while picking it out. “All good now?” he asked.
I gave him a thumbs-up and took a bite of my hot dog to avoid laughing.
He smiled, and I watched as he walked back over to the grill area and stood in the short line.
I was distracted by a tug on the sleeve of my jumper.
I looked down and found a child with brown hair and blue eyes staring up at me. I wasn’t good at guessing ages; children were all tiny until suddenly they were tall and smelly. This one was very small, just starting school age, maybe.
“You’re an omega,” she stated.
“Yeah,” I answered.
“Mummy says you’re special and there’s only one of you,” she said.
I had never been approached by a child before. I wasn’t really around children much. I looked around for anyone who looked like they might be missing a child.
“Where is your mummy?” I asked, crouching down.
The child shrugged.
“Did you come here with her?” I asked.
She nodded.
“I’m Harriet. What’s your name?” I asked.
“Isobel,” she answered.
