“To introduce myself to whatever asshole is the alpha of this group,” I said. “Time he knowsexactlywho he’s fucking with.”
31
JUNIPER
Iwoke with a deep sense of melancholy. Levi was gone. Off in the forest searching out the Red Maw. He had Rainier with him, but that gave me less comfort than it should have. Rolling over onto my back, I played with the necklace he’d given me the night before. I couldn’t wait in despair, wondering if he was hurt—or worse. I needed to do something to get my mind off it, and Levi had given me theexacttask that would do that.
I also needed to get my mind off the rest of my life. Because I had no idea how it would work if I stayed here with Levi. My entire reason for coming out into the woods was so I could continue taking care of my grandparents in Idlewild. I’d already been gone so long, and the stress of helping them out was probably piling up on Beatrice. Maybe Levi could try to work something out with Anders, so I wouldn’t be completely banished from Idlewild? Perhaps, when Anders found out I was mated to Levi, he wouldn’t feel the need. I would be out of the picture, and he’d be free to find his own mate. Maybe. Hopefully.
I got out of bed and dressed quickly. The first thing I needed to do was decide what kind of celebration to plan, even though the idea of planning and implementing it myself was daunting. I wasn’t even a full member of the pack, and all these people weresupposed to listen to my suggestions and orders? Not a great way to ingratiate myself to the residents. People tended to have bad opinions about anyone who bossed them around, regardless ofwhythey were doing it. I needed help from someone who was a full-fledged member of the pack.
I found Linnea as she was walking to breakfast, her coat pulled up tight against the cold.
“Linnea!”
She turned and smiled. “Hey. I assume you know Levi and Rainier went out on some scouting mission?”
“I do, yeah. He told me last night,” I said.
“I figured. Rainier spread the word. People are a little worried. They’ve never been gone at the same time. The senior people he left behind are great but…” She shrugged helplessly. “They’re not Levi.”
It was true. The people who had been left in charge were mostly glorified security guards, men and women tasked with doing their best to keep a lookout, but they were nothing compared to Levi. He was a force of nature, so powerful and intimidating. Rainier was nearly his equal, but a little less brooding and not as strong or fast. Having those two here made everyone a little less anxious. It was a deep, subconscious need within shifter psychology to have an alpha or beta around to protect the group.
“It would be better if they were still here, but I know how we can take our minds off it.”
Her eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh? Sounds exciting. What is it?”
I filled her in on what Levi wanted me to do, though I left out the part about announcing me as his mate. He wanted to keep that quiet until he returned. I understood why, but I still felt like shit for holding that part back from the woman who was the closest thing I had to a best friend in Hidden Grove.
“That’s fun,” she said. “Did he saywhatwe’re celebrating?”
“Nope,” I lied, feeling like more of an asshole by the second. “I think it’s a secret.”
“He’s always been tall, dark, and mysterious. Glad that isn’t changing. Come on, let’s talk about it over breakfast.”
By the time we were done eating, Linnea and I had decided to do something similar to the party we’d had after the pack meeting, but a little more relaxed. We still wanted music, dancing, and food. Linnea was certain the musicians would be happy to play again, so the music was handled. The issue was food. Most of what we had was preserved, smoked, or dried meat. Vegetables from the greenhouses would be fine, and a lot of folks were growing winter-hardy items like kale, cabbage, and beets, but for it to be a real celebration, we needed something impressive. Something that would get everyone excited and fired up.
“Ugh,” Linnea said.
“What?” I asked, perking up. “Have you thought of something?”
“I have.” She groaned. “But you’re not gonna like it. I just don’t know what other choice we have. Not with only a couple days’ notice.”
“Spit it out,” I said.
“There’s one person who can get us what you need,” Linnea said, though she spoke like someone was dragging the words out of her with great difficulty.
I grimaced. “No way. Seriously? Eugenia?”
Linnea nodded. “Eugenia.”
That madenosense. From what I’d seen of her since arriving in Hidden Grove, all she did was walk around with her little band of friends. Hell, I’dbarelyseen her do any work at all. How could she help with this?
“She’s the best hunter in town. Even better than Levi and Rainier,” Linnea explained.
I nearly fell out of my chair. “What?” That prissy woman was a hunter?
Linnea nodded. “Yeah. It’s surprising, I know. Rainier does the town runs for us and usually brings back tons of frozen meat for us to use, but that’s not enough to last three or four months at a time. Eugenia does the heavy lifting by bringing back deer, boar, elk, and other game. She usually goes on a hunt every month.”
