Page 44 of Dual Nature

Her sister frowned at this. "Why, for heaven's sake, would she be doing that? They need a lot of help in the gardens, with planting the crops for spring and harvesting the last of the winter produce."

"It might have something to do with the fact that I have zero idea what I'm doing," I offered, not wanting to upset anyone when I didn't mind the hard labor. After so many years of pushing my body to its physical limit, having spent the last six days not doing much was odd.

"There are plenty of newcomers that have no idea what they’re doing. I'm going to pair you up with one of the others who can show you the ropes and help us where we need it more." I started to argue, but she raised her hand to stop me. "Peggy might be in charge of the greenhouse, but I'm in charge of making sure we have help in the areas we need it. Someone's always claiming they need more people than they really do, so I keep it all as even as possible."

"See? Problem solved!" Katie said, clapping her hands before digging into her meal.

twenty-eight

After lunch, Milly walked back to the greenhouse with me and marched right up to her sister. "What are you thinking, Peggy? Finley is being wasted on filling those planter boxes when we don't even need them yet. You have Mike and Kelly working overtime, trying to keep up with the spring planting. Why on earth are you not letting Finley help?"

"She has no idea what she's doing, and we can't afford to waste what the alphas have worked so hard to provide for us," Peggy snapped back.

When she brought up the alphas, I could feel jealousy and longing, making me think she had feelings for one of them. This might explain why she was so angry with me. From her perspective, I could understand it; to the female wolves in the pack, it probably felt like I’d snatched away all the powerful men, but it wasn’t like I could help it.

Milly tossed up her hand and groaned. "We’re fine! I don't understand why you keep thinking this pack is struggling. We've grown leaps and bounds over the past two years—for the better. Our alphas’ business is booming. They are right now, as we speak, training more people to expand their reach. So please enlighten me as to your issues here."

"I don't need to explain myself to you, Milly. You may be my older sister, but you are not in charge of me or what I do in this greenhouse!" Peggy snarled, making me flinch at the sudden outburst.

Milly was having none of it, staring her sister down as they went head to head. "I still outrank you in every way that counts, so back down before I have to bring in someone else on this matter."

I could see that Peggy wanted to fight her sister, but the fact that she was less dominant left her with no leg to stand on. "Fine, I'll place her with Mike and Kelly, but I don't want her back in this greenhouse ever again."

"Ha!" Milly laughed. "I'd like to see you tell that to her mates. I'm sure they would love to know that you're treating her like crap because you had your eyes set on Lane. That was never going to happen no matter how much you mooned over him. Finley is his true mate even if it's slightly unorthodox for a wolf to share with others. It just shows how special Finley really is to them and to our pack, so suck it up and move on."

The vast amount of information that I'd just learned made me slightly uncomfortable, and all my wolf wanted was to slink away, but my training had me collecting every tidbit I could, knowing I might need it later. There was something about Peggy that was throwing me off, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Hearing that she had a thing for Lane, it made more sense, accounting for her instant dislike of me. But that didn’t make the reasons behind her worry about the pack’s size and resources any clearer.

"If you'll follow me, Finley, I'll introduce you to Mike and Kelly. They’re a mated pair and ever so delightful to spend time with… unlike some people here," Milly said, glaring at her sister as she waved for me to follow.

I was more than happy to remove myself from the situation and the rollercoaster ride of emotions that were flying around. It was overwhelming to filter through them, but it didn’t wear me out like the pack gathering had. It seemed that smaller groups, like just the two sisters, were within my tolerance.

We entered another section of the greenhouse that opened up into a wide warehouse with a glass roof and misters hanging from the ceiling. Four people were hunched over planter boxes with various gardening tools around them, but upon hearing us enter, they looked up, watching us approach.

"Hello, you two, I'm sure you know who Finley is," Milly said by way of introduction. "It seems she got a little lost in the mix, but she'll be helping you guys out with planting for the rest of the day."

"Oh, that's lovely!" Kelly exclaimed, smiling at me. "With just a few of us in here, we need all the help we can muster. Most new people want to work with the kids or in the kitchen, but what's more fulfilling than growing what we can to feed the pack? You know, the alphas are trying to make it so that we can provide most of the food needs instead of having to order in supplies. I think by next year we might be able to, don't you think, dear?"

"Seeing as how last year we did about half and with how mild the winter has been, we have a good chance of it," Mike answered, kissing his wife's cheek.

"Don't mind the lovebirds. They've only been mated for a short while," Milly teased. "Alright, I'll leave you to it."

Mike was a small man, in both height and stature, but he had a kind face that set me at ease. Kelly was taller, and I could see she was already pregnant as she absently rubbed the baby bump. By their emotions alone, I could tell they were warm, kind people, and I was finally able to relax after the whole thing with Peggy. Those sisters were a force to be reckoned with, and the emotions they gave off were overwhelming and chaotic.

"So, Finley, what do you know about gardening?" Kelly asked.

"How to mix soil for the planter boxes…” I admitted.

This seemed to delight Kelly. "Oh, I love being able to teach new people such a valuable skill! Those who know how to plant and garden will never go hungry."

"Take it easy, honey. You don't want to scare her off with your exuberance," Mike chided gently.

"Yes, yes." Kelly rolled her eyes and patted her husband's shoulder before waving for me to follow her. "Come, let's get you some tools, gloves, and seeds!"

To say that the later part of my day was far more enjoyable than the beginning was an understatement. Kelly was easy to be around, chatting on while she worked, teaching me as she went. She was a born wolf, but Mike wasn't; he'd joined the pack two years ago. He and Kelly had bonded over their love of gardening, and their romance grew from there. It was interesting to hear how they fell in love the old-fashioned way. Now they were mated and expecting their first child.

"You know, I never knew how hard it would be to not shift for nine months," Kelly sighed as she took a break. "Having always been able to do so, it's almost like torture, but this little one will be worth it after it's all said and done."

"What happens if you shift?" I asked.