With that, we crept through the woods together, working as one unit. I was so used to doing things on my own and having no one else to rely on except for Sage, that I’d forgotten what this felt like. This feeling of being cared for and looked after.
* * *
We encounteredno trouble on our way back to the Paladin Village, and I was pleased to see the wall around the city being repaired, city and Paladin wolves working side by side, building it higher than ever before.
“They’ll work all night on the fence and only sleep when it’s complete,” Rab told me.
“And the witches said they can do repellent charms and magical tripwire alarms to alert us of an attack,” Sage added.
“Awesome,” I breathed.
Because I was going to need to sleep about twenty-four hours after this marathon of a night, and I would sleep more soundly with a twelve-foot wall around my home and magic repellent charms. Once we stepped inside the village, there was a flurry of activity. People were erecting temporary tents in the middle of the open road. Homes were being swept out with corn husk brooms and repaired. The meeting hall was being rebuilt, with people already laying bricks. It’s like the second people saw a place they could live, they threw everything they had into making it a home. Children were running through the streets, weaving in and out of the tents and pointing up at the darkened sky.
“It’s the moon, it’s the moon!” they yelled.
“Bonus of having over twenty thousand wolves,” Rab stated. “We’ll have the city restored in no time.”
“What’s the food situation?” I asked him as we walked to the birthing center, which was doubling as our medical ward. I spied Astra through the open door, sitting up and drinking something warm.
“Willow buried a giant tin capsule of thousands of seeds before we left. They are still there. We will sow them tomorrow indoors until the weather is better to transplant them outside. Until then we will hunt and fish.”
I nodded, no longer afraid to be without food as I would have been before my year in the Dark Woods. I lived day to day out there, trusting that nature would bring me my next meal, and she always did.
“The creek behind the corn fields is full of salmon,” Arrow piped in. “And the walnut and citrus groves were fully restored when you healed the land. I’ll do inventory of the other permanent crops, but I imagine it will be the same.”
That was the best news ever. I nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. Now that I was alpha, I couldfeelour land. I knew how big it was, where the borders were, and all the streams and waterways. It was so large that we had only populated twenty percent of it. The rest was left wild and natural, which would be perfect for hunting.
“Sage.” I turned to my bestie and new second-in-command. “Get a team of hunters together, go after big game.”
After our time in the woods together, Sage and I were masters at catching a meal. Starvation turns you into an expert quickly.
She nodded. “You got it.” Then she scurried off.
“Rab can you figure out who will be best on security detail? I want this place crawling with armed wolves. We will not be taken unaware again.”
He bowed slightly to me. “Yes, Alpha.”
‘My love.’Sawyer’s voice invaded my head and my breath caught in my throat.‘Things are not looking good here … this might be the last time we speak and I just wanted you to know that I love you so much, and if I can’t make it back to you, I want you to lead our people and raise our son and just be happy, okay?’
Our people. Last time we speak?
My heart hammered in my chest.‘What do you mean? Why are you saying that?’
‘Sometimes we have to know when to quit. Didn’t you tell me that?’He sounded dejected, like he’d lost all hope. Something must have happened, something bad.
I did say that, dammit, but I wasn’t ready to give up.
‘No, I’m not giving up on this, on us. There is no happiness without you, Sawyer.’
‘It’s too late, my love.’His voice faded and I knew I was losing him.
Desperation rushed through me. ‘Don’t say that! Don’t lose hope. I can walk through fucking walls Sawyer, I—’
‘Not here love.’
My heart fell in my chest.‘I’ll find a way. We’ll be a family. No one tells me what I can and can’t do.’I growled at him.
‘God I miss that smart fucking mouth. I miss the way you taste.’Sawyer moaned and a tear slipped free from the corner of my eyes, rolling down my cheek.
