Chapter 3

3

I surveyed the group of men clustered around the kitchen table stuffing my homemade blueberry muffins into their mouths. Six in total, and I loved them all. There'd been a time when we'd roamed the northern forest as a pack, hunting and fucking with reckless abandon. Now, however, without Tenebris’s curse feeding their desires, they’d become downright docile. Gods, Landon had even become a vegetarian. Which was great for him, and I was happy to see them finding themselves. And maybe, if I was being honest, a teeny bit jealous. I hadn’t felt truly settled for a long, long time. Not since I was with…

Shit. Why couldn’t I stop thinking about him all of a sudden?

Get a grip, woman.

I cleared my throat. “I'll be taking off for a bit, so I'll need you lot to take care of the springs while I'm gone. Add the healing supplements once a week, make sure the water's flowing properly, all that good stuff. Oh, and stay out of my private spring, guys. I mean it. Last time I was gone, I found all manner of fur in it when I came back. Not cool.”

The six of them exchanged looks. “Where are you going?” Thomas, the youngest of the group at only twenty-three, asked around a mouthful of muffin. Crumbs dusted the pale stubble of his unshaven jaw, and I fought the urge to wipe them away.

“South. I, uh, thought I might visit Lyall.” Not a total lie—I was headed south, and maybe I would stop to visit Lyall on the return trip. But there was no way I could tell the boys about Mondue and the beanstalk. The moment I did, they’d insist on coming along. And the last thing I needed was my entire pack breathing down my neck while I was there. Gods, what if people talked to them? Told them things about me and Jack and what an absolute pathetic fool I had been back in the day? The very idea was mortifying.

“Ooh, can I come?” Landon asked, his chestnut hair falling over his shoulders as he leaned forward. “He promised to make me a scarf the last time I saw him.”

“It's almost spring,” I countered. “You don't need a scarf.”

“I want to come too,” Silas chimed in. He grinned, dimples flashing. “Evander's been teaching me how to mix potions.”

“Has he really?” I shook my head. Stop getting distracted. “Not this time, guys.”

“Is Tenebris going?” Frederick asked, his heavy black brows furrowing as he looked between the two of us.

“Well, yes,” I admitted.

“No fair!” Rowan protested, his petulant exclamation almost comical given the deep, gravelly tone it came out in. “If he gets to go, then we should too.”

I rolled my eyes heavenward. “He's only going because it's on his way home. And I may not even stay there long. I may stop by the castle or… visit Raz or something.”

“All the more reason for me to go.” Thomas waggled his sandy brows. “Rapunzel is crazy hot.”

Landon snorted into his coffee. “Too hot for you.”

“Look, none of you are coming, all right?” I interjected over the thunderous look on Thomas's face. The last thing I needed was for them to tear each other apart in my kitchen, the hotheads. “But if it helps, I promise to invite Lyall and Evander to visit soon. Deal?”

There was a chorus of half-hearted agreements, with one notable exception—Calum, the eldest of the bunch (at twenty-nine, he was less than a year younger than I was) and the only one who'd remained silent thus far. Not that his silence was surprising—he was a quiet guy by nature, all stoic ruggedness and sexy lumberjack vibes. Still, I couldn’t help raising an eyebrow in his direction. “We good?”

He shrugged, taking a sip of coffee. “Whatever makes the alpha happy.”

The words were right, but something in his eyes made me narrow mine. Calum was the most astute member of the pack, not to mention the most protective. If he suspected this was more than a friendly visit to my adopted brother and his boyfriend, he'd say something… wouldn't he?

“Excellent,” I said slowly, giving him one last look. “Tenebris and I will pack up after breakfast.” I snatched a muffin from the basket and took a big bite before pointing at them. “Behave yourselves while I'm gone. If you want to party, you keep that shit in Brindle Town, got it? I don't want any more complaints about you chasing the hens in Bremen after one too many drinks.”

“Yes, ma'am,” the boys chorused, blinking innocent eyes. Ugh. I was definitely going to have a mess on my hands by the time I came back.

“So, that wasn’t entirely truthful.” Tenebris picked at a piece of lint on his sleeve while lounging on my bed.

I shoved an old sweater into my rucksack. “If I told them the truth, they'd wanna come. It's simpler this way.”

Tenebris plucked a pair of lacy red panties off the bed and twirled them around his finger. “Could've been helpful, though. I can’t imagine we’ll be allowed to just stroll up to the beanstalk and start climbing, what with it being forbidden and all. Having a little extra muscle along for backup might not be such a bad idea.”

I snatched the panties from his hand and stuffed them in the bag. “Abuela is a Mondue council legacy. I’m sure once they’ve seen her letter, they’ll be more than happy to grant us permission to fulfill her request. Bringing a bunch of hotheaded werewolves along would only be a distraction.” That, and I preferred to keep my past and present as separate as possible, thanks very much.

“Hmm. I suppose they can be a bit much sometimes.” Tenebris folded a pair of leather pants and handed them to me. “So, uh... Lyall and Evander. They're still a thing, huh?”

“Yes,” I said firmly, giving him a look. “They are. Very much so.”

“Ah.”

“You know we're not actually going to see them, right? That was just a ruse.”

“Sure, sure.”

“I won't have you meddling with their happily ever after. You've put them through enough already.”

He let out a mock gasp. “Meddle? Moi? How dare you. I would never.”

“Mm hmm.”

“Besides, I'm completely over old-what’s-his-face, anyway.”

“Sure you are.”

“What about you?” he countered.

“What about me?”

“Not wanting the pack along, these little, freckled furrows you keep getting right here whenever Mondue is mentioned.” He leaned forward, pressing a fingertip between my eyes. I flicked his hand away with an annoyed huff, but his smirk only widened. “Seems I might not be the only one hung up on the past.”

I stashed my potion box and brushes inside the bag and cinched the straps closed with an exaggerated scoff. “Please. I couldn’t be more over it if I tried. I just prefer working without a crowd of nosy wolves hovering about. And Mondue is literally the grayest, dreariest village in the forest. Anyone would be grumpy traveling there.”

“Mm hmm.” Tenebris leaned back on his hands, watching as I slung my rucksack over my shoulder. “So you’re completely over Jack and as previously implied, not interested in a serious relationship of any kind. Mind if I ask what your future plans do include?”

“Turning into a haggard old crone who haunts the hilltop and scares tiny children every time I go into town, obviously,” I replied, pulling him up off the bed.

He grabbed his outside-world backpack and slung it onto his back with a sage nod. “I could see that. And you’re sure you don’t want someone creeping around with you? Someone to tell all the young werewolves to get off your lawn?”

“Are you interviewing for the position?” I bumped my hip against his as we cut through the living room.

“If we were meant to be together, we'd already be well on our way,” Tenebris stated. “No, I'm thinking someone new. Say, a sexy vampire from Mondue? Seeing as we're headed that way.”

I shot him a look as we stepped out the door. “We're going south, yes, but I have zero plans to do any socializing in vamp village. We’ll meet with the council, pray to goodness Abuela’s right about these beans and we don’t kill ourselves going through the cloud barrier, and find this ‘lost soul’ she’s so worried about, whoever they may be. In and out.”

“We can’t even stay for one night of celebratory drinks when we’re done? I haven’t tasted Mondue wine in years.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll think about it. Happy?”

“Yes, thanks.” Tenebris grinned triumphantly as we followed the trail down into the woods.

“That makes one of us,” a voice growled from the trees, and I swore as Calum stepped out onto the path in front of us. He crossed his arms over his broad, flannel-clad chest as he glared, a muscle in his chiseled jaw twitching. “Care to tell me why you're talking about seeing the vampires when just an hour ago you told the rest of us you were off to visit your brother?”

I should have known Calum wouldn't buy my crap story. Damn him and his lack of gullibility. I could hardly send him back now—if I did, I'd end up with the entire pack tagging along. Which would really suck. Calum, at least, would be quieter.

“Come on, then.” I sighed, brushing past him. “I'll catch you up on the way.”