67

67
“One thing at a time,” I joked. “I still want to spend time with you. Don’t think you’re getting rid of me that easily.”

“Of course not. You’re all I have left,” she murmured, withdrawing again to place a hand on my cheek. I clasped her hand, but the smile we shared was tinged with sorrow.

Gavin stepped up beside us. “You still have us,” he said. “Aren’t Billie and I your family too?”

My mother brightened a little, reaching out to touch Gavin’s cheek too. “Of course.”

“And you know, I’m going to be depending on your wisdom and guidance from here on out,” he added.

It needn’t be said what he meant by that. My mother didn’t even need to think about the offer, either. She gave a nod of understanding, accepting her new role as Gavin’s Beta.

“Come on,” I said. “Everett’s going to lead a hunt tonight. We’re all taking part.”

“You don’t expect me to shift like this,” my mother said.

I chuckled. “No. But we still want you there.”

I bet she’d been itching to get some fresh air. Even if she couldn’t transform, she could still watch us from afar.

The four of us went to the yard to join everyone else. Their eyes all fell to us, and to our surprise, even the Eastpeak wolves received my mother’s arrival with exclamations of warmth. Everett’s mother Lyssa quickly joined my mother’s side, walking with her toward the group. “You and I will sit together and watch, hm?” she suggested.

“I’d like that,” said my mother.

Everything seemed to be falling perfectly into place. My mother and mother-in-law would become fast friends, even if Lyssa had been hesitant to accept me at first.

Our two packs then underwent our transformations into wolves. Each one of us shed our clothes and morphed in the darkness, leaving behind our human anatomies for the wild bodies of our beasts. Pain flared up my front limbs but was soon dulled when fur filled in the missing flesh—or maybe it was my connection with Everett that allowed us share the pain equally. By the time my transformation was complete, I rose as a wolf and looked to my mate, his powerful timber build standing tall. Steel grey eyes met mine. No matter the pain we shared, we were strong enough to endure.

He took off in a jog toward the woods at the edge of the yard. I followed him, and behind us were Gavin and Billie, and then our packmates. We already had been keeping tabs on a herd of deer roaming across the mountainside. It didn’t take long for us to find them.

The grass was soothing on my paws, the wind leafing through my autumn red fur. I tipped my ears forward and listened to the symphony of the night, crickets trilling and frogs uttering their final songs of summer’s end. In a single file, the wolves traveled between the trees like ghosts, led by my mate who was swift as a shadow and silver even in the faint light of the moon. Our tails waved like banners, our noses to the air in pursuit of the scent of meat. Hunger stirred within us. It had been too long since we’d hunted, any of us.

The moment we spotted the herd dispersed through the forest, we clustered and made a silent plan. An injured doe would be our target, and though it was hardly enough of a meal for fourteen of us, it was the start of a new tradition of hunting together. I already knew that Everett and I would forego the meal for our packmates to fill their stomachs. It didn’t matter to me that I wouldn’t eat. All that mattered was the unity of victory.

We burst into a run, working in tandem to isolate the doe from the rest of the herd. Any that weren’t our target vanished into the shadows, and our heightened numbers allowed us to surround the doe with ease. We ran alongside her, tongues lolling from our mouths and teeth glinting, each of us searching for the opportunity to strike. My heart raced. I felt alive again, running as a wolf beside my mate. Our paw steps beat as one.

Everett lunged at the doe and sunk his teeth into her flank. I marveled at the deftness of his feet and the muscles surging under his ashy pelt. Alongside him, I snapped at the doe’s haunch and got a solid grip just above her ankle, fortunate enough to avoid getting kicked in the head. Then the rest of our packmates closed in. Gavin raced beside us on the opposite side of the doe, grabbing her neck where it met her shoulder. Billie kept pace too, taking a mouthful behind the doe’s arm on the same side as Gavin. The four of us each had a hold on the doe that weighed her down until she could no longer run. Our packmates swelled around us, barking with enthusiasm and encouragement. The doe came to a halt, catching her breath, but the battle was already lost. Gradually, she succumbed to our teeth and collapsed into the grass.

Usually, Gavin would have bullied his way over top of the prey to make the kill. But this time, he stayed back, releasing the doe and stepping away with Billie. With just me and Everett latched onto the doe, I caught his eye and growled playfully. He rumbled back at me, the tip of his tail flicking with amusement. We tugged and feinted, baiting each other for a reaction while the others milled around us, increasing the volume of their excited bays. Finally, Everett moved his grip around the doe’s throat and squeezed, suffocating her and bringing an end to the game. When she fell still, he released the doe and looked out at all of us around him.

His head tipped back. With a great breath in, Everett erupted in a victorious howl, declaring our success—our survival—to the world.

The rest of the wolves sang with him. We poured our heart and soul into this declaration, announcing the pride with which we continued to breathe and hunt. We could not be vanquished so easily by the dragons, or by anyone—we refused to be. We were stronger than what David made us out to be. Through all our trials and tribulations, we were still alive, and we weren’t going to allow him to destroy us.

Our howls filled the night beneath the gaze of the Moon Goddess. It was a promise that we were still here, and we would be here for a long time.