Chapter 69 - A small treat for all senses

**Jesse’s Pov** 

“I’ll go first, I talk to Callum and explain the situation, you and Sasha will come a day or two later.” I talked while I packed. Hitch was resting on my couch and Sasha was watching some children’s show about a superhero called Captain Man. What kind of name is that for a Superhero? Why not Captain Thunder, or Captain Strength? Why did he have to have his gender in his name? Maybe he was wearing pantyhose? Or a kilt? “Why can’t we go at the same time?” It was a legitimate question and I felt ashamed when I served up a lie in response. 

“Great Falls is one of, if not the most powerful pack in the land…the world even…Not only do they have Callum…they have Luna! I love you brother, but you’re a rogue, I want to do this the right way, talk to Callum and Hope and make sure they understand that you are one of the good guys!” The fact that I was hoping to get a few days alone with Cathy was nothing I mentioned. 

“Eh…youre a rogue to…” 

“True, but they know me…and my brother lives there, and so do some of my former pack members…so Iḿ more like…family”

“Ok, fine, we do it your way...I’m just not sure if I can drive...” 

“You don’t have to drive, you’ll be picked up.” 

“Picked up?” 

“Yes, by the same guy who delivered the water…” 

“Ohh…okay I guess…” I heard the tone of separation anxiety in his voice and I felt Argus react overprotectively to it. A sick wolf in a pack sought out its pack members, to be left alone was a death sentence. 

“Hey, Hitch...everything is cool...everything will be fine... I’ve prepared food and put the containers in order, they’re in the fridge. If you want to eat here or take them home, you do as you wish. It’s perfectly fine if you want to stay here…” 

“No...Sasha sleeps best in her own bed...” 

“I know she does...even though she tends to fall asleep very easily on my couch hahaha...I’m looking forward to her seeing Hope again...especially now that she has Luna...you’ll see, Luna will help her, just as Zandra and her lake will help you…” We looked at each other in silence for a moment, both of us knowing that there were no guarantees but that hope was what kept us moving forward right now.

Whether it had to do with Ina’s cryptic words about Cathy or just being away from her for so long, I don’t know, but I didn’t hold my speed limit for a second on the way up to Great Falls. Both Argus and I wanted to arrive quickly. I know Ina said Cathy wasn’t there, but now that Zandra had woken up, she must still be back to be by her side. Right? If she wasn’t there, I could at least get Hope to talk, and that way I could find out what Cathy was up to. 

I crossed the border and was immediately met by a large wolf, the one who had lost the lottery and had to guard the outermost border. It was considered a loss because it was lonely, and deserted and if someone stupid enough to attack came, you were most vulnerable there. Callum could choose to put the weakest on that post so as not to lose someone too important to the safety of the pack, someone who didn’t necessarily survive but still managed to raise the alarm of danger. Most Alphas used that tactic, or he could put his strongest there, to stop a possible threat before it crossed the line. Callum had obviously done the latter and I couldn’t help but smile when I saw who it was. Olivia and her wolf Custy, short for Custodia. The name represented her wolf’s will to guard and protect her pack and Zandra could not have chosen a better name. Custy was tough and ruthless when needed but incredibly warm and caring to those in the pack. Argus had always liked her and I could feel how happy he was to see her. I stuck my head out the window at the same time and I released Argus’s aura and we were instantly recognized. Custy whined approvingly and I reached out and scratched her behind her ears. 

“It’s great to see you too, look me up after your shift and we’ll have a beer.” She backed up and grunted something I took to mean she was going to hold me to my word before letting us drive on. 

In the last kilometers, the nervousness caught up with me. Going here was breaking my promise to Cathy. She had asked me to stay away and I had. But surely she must understand that this was for Hitch’s sake? Even if it wasn’t the truth, at least not the whole truth. Ina’s words had thrown me off balance and the conversation with Aurora hadn’t made things any better. I was here because I had to see her, I had to see that she was as unhappy as I was when we were apart.

I wanted nothing more than to go straight to the packhouse, run in, and look for Cathy and also Kevin, but I passed it and continued down towards the housing areas. As the houses became sparser and sparser, I could smell the faint scent of blooming roses, however, weaker than I’m used to. I parked along the road outside Zandra’s cottage and saw how run down it was. Sure enough, it was still blooming, not just roses but rhododendrons, hydrangeas, and all sorts of other colorful creations. But they didn’t look as healthy and energetic as they always did. I silently hoped to myself that her plants weren’t a reflection of how Zandra herself was feeling. No one answered when I knocked on the door, I cautiously tried the handle but the door was locked so I slowly walked around to the back of the house. I found two slightly raised hills in the back lawn, covered with flowers in full bloom. They looked a little out of place, yet I knew they had been there for a very long time.

“It’s my parents…” I jumped at Zandra’s voice behind me and turned around. She was more beautiful than ever. Her complexion beamed with newfound energy, her eyes bright and her hair wet. I understood that she came from her lake. 

“I didn’t know they were buried here...” 

“Not many do.” She came forward and wrapped her arms around my waist and although I was surprised, the hag was loving but hardly the cuddly type, I put mine around her as well. Argus inhaled the scent of her hair. a scent of fresh lake water, water lilies, and wisdom. 

“I’m glad you’re here James…if you hadn’t come I would have summoned you.” I held her a little longer before her words reached me and I felt the seriousness of them. I don’t know if it had to do with the talk I grew up with or just the feeling I got from the tone of her voice, but I had always heard that if you were summoned by the hag, you could count on a week’s worth of migraines afterward. I think I remember at least two new wrinkles the old Alpha came home with after such a summons. 

“Sit down, I’ll get you something to drink.” She pointed me towards a group of patio furniture before disappearing into the house through a pair of double glass doors. I sat down and looked at the two flourishing elevations, her parents, and wondered who they were. To raise and mold such a strong personality as Zandra must have required two at least as hard-headed forces.

Zandra soon returned with a tray and she set the small table with the precision of a professional setting up a checkerboard. A small pot of coffee, two mugs, a bottle of whiskey, two round-bottomed glasses, two cold bottles of beer, a plate of what looked like a mixture of crackers, a bowl of chili nuts, and a small bowl of dark chocolate drops. 

“We have a lot to go through, so a small treat for all senses is needed.” She smiled a little wryly in her explanation after seeing my questioning look as I studied everything she had laid out.

Inside, I wished I had stopped at the packhouse first. My visit to Zandra had mostly been to welcome her back to the land of the living, tell her a little about Hitch and of course just to see her. Me and Zandra had our differences but whether I wanted it to or not, she had a special place in my heart. But for her it was something completely different, which in this case could only mean one thing. Zandra knew something, she had seen something and this something was of great importance if it for some reason included me. Was Cathy also in on her vision? Could she see a future for us? Could this have anything to do with it? That she saw that I must rush here and win back Cathy’s heart? I could feel Argus cheering my latest theory so I could only cross my fingers and hope that I was right. The second the thought appered, I heard a small laugh from Zandra, but the laughter did not reach her eyes, they were now filled with sadness. “Oh..sweet boy…if only it were that easy… You not only need to recapture her heart, you need to do everything to keep it beating. Without your intervention, Carhy and Freespi will die…”