I already made notes of what was in the pantry. I’m looking over the list as I reach the landing and almost run into Hestia as she flies around the corner.
I grab her waist as she slides past and pick her up, carrying her back toward the lit room down the hall.
“What are you doing running around? You don’t even have a coat on. You need to stay by the fire,” I tell her.
My packmates weren’t far behind, and I hand Hestia off to Magnus as she sputters something about looking for me.
“Make sure she gets warmed up,” I say before turning away.
But Magnus lets Hestia go, and she follows after me.
“You should come sit with us,” she says, grabbing my arm.
I glare at Magnus over her shoulder, but he ignores my order to take Hestia back where it’s safe.
I gently try to unwrap her from my arm, but she won’t budge, squeezing it tighter against her chest. I let go since I don’t want to risk hurting her.
“I’ll join you when I’m done searching the cabin,” I say.
“But you guys already checked everything,” Hestia says, looking between me and my packmates.
“I still have a few more things to take stock of. If you need anything, they’ll get it for you.” I try again to get her to release me.
“This place is fine, it’s safe. Come with us, you need to rest too,” she says.
“She’s right. We have plenty of food and firewood, so come relax,” Charm says.
“I need to check the pantry again. I have to make sure my list is accurate,” I say, and take a step away, hoping to slide out of her grasp.
“There’s more food than we’ll need, even without counting what we brought with us,” Magnus says.
“We’ve been snacking already, but I can put something together for dinner once you join us,” Henri adds.
I clench my jaw and exhale hard, avoiding looking at my packmates. I don’t want to take out my irritation on them, but I don’t understand why they don’t get it.
I need to make sure we’ll be safe here. Anything could happen with a blizzard like this. We could end up snowed in for days. We have to ration our supplies, otherwise, we won’t survive. I can’t let anything happen to my pack.
I won’t, my alpha growls.
That means I have to track everything. I need to take stock of the pantry again, and I need to check the firewood supply one more time. How much wood have they gone through already?
There was an axe in the garage. I should sharpen it in case we need to cut more.
Heat, food…what about water?
I still have to test the tap water quality. I used our test kit on the kitchen sink, and it was safe to drink, but I haven’t checked all the faucets yet. Some might not be potable.
Or maybe I should look outside for a generator first. If we get the electricity on, that will make Hestia much morecomfortable.
There’s a buzzing noise in my ears, but I ignore it. It’s not important.
What’s important is taking care of my pack, my mate. I have to take stock of our supplies, or we’ll die.
I have to?—
“Orion! Stop!” Hestia’s voice comes through loud and clear.
It’s the only thing that exists to me now—it’s all I can hear, all I can feel, all I can think about. I’m vibrating in place, like a gong she struck.
