Rainier nodded and stood, turning in the direction of home. I patted his shoulder and pointed in the other direction.
“We aren’t taking the direct route,” I said. “We’ll go a longer way. Loops, circles, whatever it takes to make sure we aren’t being trailed.”
He sighed. “Fine. I guess that makes sense.”
We shifted and began the arduous task of taking the long way home. All the while, I kept checking to make sure we weren’t being tracked. Along with that, I tried not to worry what Desdemona might do when she realized my answer wasn’t going to change.
33
JUNIPER
Levi still wasn’t back. Every minute that went by without him returning made my anxiety soar even higher. I’d spent the first day planning the party. Linnea and several other women had helped keep my mind off Levi, but now it was late in the afternoon of the second day. Anything could have happened to him or Rainier. Also, from what everyone said, the Red Maw pack was less than a day’s travel away. If that was the case, then he should have been back by now, unless something had happened.
“You look worried,” Linnea said.
I flinched, blinking away my dark thoughts. “Huh?”
“I said, you look worried. Are you thinking about Levi?”
“Yeah. He should have been back by now,” I said.
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Linnea said. “He’s the strongest alpha I’ve ever met. If anyone can get back safely, it’s him.”
“That’s true, I guess.”
“I know something that might get your mind off him,” she said, and gave me a pitying look. “You’ll hate it, though.”
I let out a dejected sigh and let my head loll back. “Ugh. You’re talking about Eugenia, aren’t you?”
Linnea shrugged helplessly. “The folks who do our cooking are already starting the prep work for the sides and salads, but we still haven’t told them what to do for the meat or protein.”
The woman had given me dirty looks ever since the previous day. It had been worse than usual, which had put me off asking for her help. I didn’t want to deal with her, but I didn’t see another way around it.
“Damn it,fine,” I huffed. “I guess I’ll go now. Get this shit over with.” I was already in a bad mood from worrying about Levi, and the prospect of hearing her snippy comments and condescension didn’t help.
“How about I sneak some wine out of the pantry?” Linnea said hopefully. “Help take the edge off when you get back?”
“That sounds great, but whiskey might be better, if there is any. I have a feeling I’ll need it.”
Before I could talk myself out of it, I shoved my way through the doors of the dining hall. I inhaled deeply, letting the cold air chill me to my lungs, then headed to Eugenia’s cabin. She’d been here long enough to have her own place, and didn’t have to sleep in the bunkhouse like I and many of the others. Of course, she wasn’t there.
After roaming around Hidden Grove for half an hour, asking others if they’d seen her, I was finally pointed toward the creek that ran through the forest about fifty yards from the edge of the village.
As I trudged through the woods, I spotted her with a woman named Tessa. One of the men assigned to the patrols, Bradley, was keeping watch.
Eugenia and Tessa were hauling wicker baskets out of the water. Within were several flopping fish. Maybe Linnea was right about Eugenia being a good hunter.
Bradley heard me coming and glanced over. When he saw me, he relaxed and nodded, going back to leaning against atree. If Eugenia and Tessa noticed me, they chose to ignore my arrival.
“Hello,” I said awkwardly.
Tessa turned and nudged Eugenia. I was disheartened to see that Tessa didn’t smile at all—she didn’t even fake it for my benefit. Eugenia glanced over her shoulder and went back to work. She pulled the fish free from the trap, then tossed the twitching creatures into a medium-sized plastic cooler at Tessa’s feet.
“What do you want?” Eugenia said.
I cleared my throat. “Uh, can I speak with you in private? It’ll only take a few minutes.” The last thing I wanted wasanyoneto listen as I tried to make peace with this womanandask her for a favor.
Eugenia released an overly dramatic sigh and shoved the traps back into the water now that they were empty.
