“What’s her deal?” I said as we exited the chicken coop. “The moment I got here, she was eyeing me like I’d run over her dog or something.”
Out in the open, she glanced around, more nervous than she’d been inside. When she spoke, her voice was lower, almost a whisper. “She’s got a little clique. It wasn’t as bad until a few years ago. She’s got a lot of power at the moment. Like, an opposing politician, I guess. Her followers want Levi to have a mate to solidify the hierarchy of the pack, and they specifically want her in that position. Everyone else doesn’t really have anopinion and thinks Levi should do and be with who he wants. The last couple months Eugenia’s been…” Linnea shrugged a little awkwardly. “Well, she’s been a little more vocal about it.”
Apparently, everyone had to live with pack politics and turmoil, even in idyllic little villages.
“Got it,” I said, deciding to drop the subject for now. I’d pry more information out of her later.
I spent the rest of the afternoon helping Linnea with her chores. We assisted a woman named Shawna with the rabbit furs she was turning into coats. Watching her work the leather was interesting and a little daunting. I didn’t think I’d be able to do what she did. Her fingers were dexterous and nimble as she moved the heavy needle through the cured skins.
After that, Linnea took me to one of the greenhouses, where we harvested a big basket of brussels sprouts and red beets.
“For dinner tonight. Sarah makes an amazing salad with roasted beets, spinach leaves, and goat’s milk blue cheese.” she laughed seeing the disgusted face I made. “Don’t knock it till you try it. I used to think beets tasted like dirt, but that woman can make anything taste good.”
“It’s more the blue cheese part, actually,” I said.
She rolled her eyes. “We’ll win you over. Don’t worry.”
Late in the afternoon, Linnea and I sat in a big common room with a few other women, and they were showing me how to knit. I was absolutelyterribleat it, but at least no one mentioned it.
To take the notice off my godawful attempts to make a pair of socks, I struck up a conversation with the women to get some answers about what was going on here. Now that I’d begun to settle in, some pressing questions had occurred to me.
“So,” I said, setting my knitting aside. “Do you all want to tell me why you’re all here?”
All the women paused and glanced up at me.
“What do you mean, dear?” an older woman asked, gazing at me quizzically.
With everyone’s eyes on me, I suddenly felt uncomfortable. I rubbed my hands over my pants to wipe the sweat off my palms.
Finally, I gestured around the entire place. “Here. Alone. In the forest. It’s a little…weird, isn’t it?”
A titter of laughter broke the silence, and I relaxed a bit.
“You wonder why we’d choose this?” the same older woman asked.
“Yes. I mean, don’t you all want to find mates and have kids and stuff? Can you do that out here?”
“Some of us do,” a different woman said. “But there are those who have a lot of trauma from what happened to us back in our packs. Out here, we don’t have to worry about abusive mates, ostracization, or anxiety that comes from those situations. That’s why I’m here.” She put a hand to her chest. “My elders paired me with a man who verbally abused me. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I left.”
“Around twenty percent of the pack is male,” Linnea added. “Almost all of them have paired up with someone, and there are kids.” A look of melancholy crossed through her eyes. “Would all of us like to have that? Some yes, some no. For the most part, we’ve all accepted this as our new normal. This is a safe place where no one is forced to mate with someone they don’t want. It’s a price to pay, yeah, but sometimes freedom comes at a price.”
“So, everyone just stays here forever?” I couldn’t believe people would willingly leave modern life behind to live like settlers in the wilderness.
“Yes,” the first woman said. “Maybe once every five or six years someone will get antsy and venture out to try and join a pack somewhere else, but that’s very rare. Levi is such a good alpha, and Rainier is a kind and caring beta. They’ve made thisplace special, and most never want to go back to the drama of normal pack life. At least not the people who were damaged by it.”
“Interesting,” I said, picking my knitting up again. I thought about the pain and shame I’d carried my entire life, and how that had deepened when Anders rejected me. I could actually see it from that perspective. Perhaps if I didn’t have my grandparents, I would have considered staying here.
I zoned out to the clicking of my knitting needles as the conversation drifted to other topics. While I tried to undo a mistake that had knotted the wool around one of my needles, the group went quiet as the door opened. Looking up, I found out why they’d gone silent. Levi was strolling across the room toward us.
Lord, he was imposing. Something about the way he carried himself, the sway of his shoulders, and the confident stride made him seem bigger than life. Also, the sheer power of his alpha aura was enough to make everyone stop talking and take notice. I hadn’ttrulynoticed it earlier given the stress of the situation, but now? He was like some ancient wolf god walking through his empire.
“Afternoon, June,” he said.
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “Uh, hi. Is something wrong?”
He grinned as he shook his head. “Nothing wrong. I only wondered if you’d like to have dinner with me in my cabin.”
All the women shared a look, their eyes wide. Even Linnea looked startled.
