Chapter 5 - Eddie

Even after a shift and a run through the woods, Eddie couldn’t face going back inside the manor, and so instead, he hopped up onto the firewood store and sat, gazing out at the moonlit sky. Little more than a claw scratch in the sky, it was nowhere near full, yet it did lend a little relief to Eddie’s sore nerves.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head up to the sky, allowing the light of the moon to wash over his face, breathing the chilled evening air deeply.

Sometimes, he wondered if staying with the pack was for the best. Of course, he loved every one of his packmates—they were practically his brothers and sisters—but sometimes, just seeing the way they all were together made him feel like an outsider. It was worse now that most of his oldest and closest friends were mated off.

Things were so different from the way they used to be, hunting together, playing together, spending almost every waking moment in the presence of his closest packmates, living and dying by the code they’d created during their years in the black ops together.

Yet, everything had changed. They were retired. The pack didn’t need him like they once had. They had their mates now. And the thought of being the only one left without a mate, growing old and dying alone, terrified him.

Maybe it would be better to go it alone. Better yet, maybe he should take wolf form and leave his human form behind for good.

No, stop it! he scolded himself angrily. Was this what Carly had brought him to? How could one she-wolf make him question every single aspect of his life like this? He was beginning to feel as if he might be going insane.

“Eddie, is everything alright?”

“Shit!” Eddie cursed, his hands grabbing hold of the wood store roof.

Glancing down, he found Jack staring up at him, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, head cocked to the side with curiosity.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Jack said, his expression deepening with concern. “I thought you’d heard me coming.”

Eddie scoffed angrily at himself. He ought to have heard the alpha coming. He was a werewolf, for goodness’ sake. If he couldn’t even hear footsteps coming his way, then what good was he to anyone?

“I guess I was just distracted,” Eddie admitted, shrugging his shoulders.

Jack gestured to the space on the wood store roof beside Eddie and asked, “May I come up?”

Swinging his legs a little, Eddie scooted sideways and said, “Sure.”

Besides, Jack was alpha, he couldn’t exactly say no.

In a flash, Jack was up and settled down on the roof beside him. Staring out at the night sky just as Eddie had been doing, Jack asked, “What’s going on with you, Ed?”

Eddie gritted his teeth, wondering what to say. He could tell his alpha the truth, that he was all messed up inside, thanks to Carly. Or worse, that something about Winter the witch had set him off balance. Or he could just do what he always did.

And that’s just what he did—he shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

Jack nudged him with his shoulder and growled, “You know you can talk to me. I may be your alpha, but we’re still friends.”

Eddie scoffed. “I would if I knew what to say.”

Silence surrounded them. Only the evening insects buzzed about the place as Eddie gripped the rooftop just a little tighter.

Finally, it was Eddie who broke the silence. “Do you ever feel lost?”

Jack stiffened beside him. “Lost how?”

Eddie sighed deeply. If Jack ever had felt lost, he wouldn’t need to explain himself. He felt even more hopeless than before.

“It’s nothing,” Eddie said, shaking his head. “Forget, I asked.”

“Does this have something to do with Will’s joking earlier?” Jack asked, and Eddie stiffened. “I could tell it hit hard.”

“What gave you that impression?” Eddie laughed, remembering how he had stormed out of the office. He shook his head again then. “Will’s just Will. He’s always joking.”

It was clear then that Jack wasn’t about to let him brush it off that easily.

“Carly’s really done a number on you, hasn’t she?”

“She’s done a number on just about every guy in town,” Eddie scoffed, rolling his eyes. “She can go fuck anyone she likes, for all I care.”

Again, silence reigned.

Then, Jack said something that made Eddie’s heart stop. “You know, maybe you should be the one to help complete the spell.”

Eddie’s head whipped around to stare Jack right in the eye. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

His mouth fell open for a second, his throat suddenly feeling dry. Managing to close it again, he swallowed hard, trying to regain his composure. “Are you saying you want me to be the one to mate with the witch?”

“I’m not saying I want you to do anything,” Jack said, shaking his head. “I just think that perhaps you might be the best choice for the situation.”

“What, because I’m as hopeless as Will suggested?” Eddie scoffed, his anger suddenly turning to something more painful. Was that really how every member of the pack saw him?

“Will was joking, and besides, it’s not like that. You’re the most loyal, most experienced, most capable wolf in this pack, and yeah, you’ve had a rough go of things, but haven’t we all?”

Eddie had to admit he was right about that. They’d all had their fair share of shit over the years; their pack was stronger for it. But still, how could Jack imagine that he was the best option for this?

“Do you honestly think that a mating ritual would calm Will down?” Jack asked when Eddie said nothing. “We’d have a whole heap load more trouble when he started sleeping around town again afterwards.”

Eddie struggled to bite back laughter at that. He could imagine it all too easily. Rolling his eyes, he said, “I guess that’s true.”

“You’re always the first to the rescue when something goes wrong,” Jack pointed, out almost as if he was trying to convince himself as much as Eddie. “And besides, this could be good for you. It might help you finally get Carly out of your system.”

Eddie cringed at the mere mention of her name. He was beginning to wish he had never laid eyes on the damn she-wolf.

Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine what Jack was suggesting, tried to imagine what it would be like to mate with a witch and save the town he had come to love so much. Could it really be so bad?

The face that popped into his mind was one that made him open his eyes again immediately. Winter. Why was she always at the forefront of his mind?

“Hey, just think about it, alright?” Jack said, as if he sensed the tension in Eddie. He lifted his hand and clapped him on the back before he added, “Nobody is forcing anybody into anything right now, but if it comes down to it, I may be forced to make a decision if someone isn’t willing to volunteer.”

“There are other male wolves in the pack, ones more connected to the town,” Eddie pointed out, thinking of the countless werewolves that had lived there even before they arrived to take over.

Jack squeezed Eddie’s shoulder as he pointed out, “Yes, but we have no way of truly knowing just how loyal they are to the town. And besides, how could I ever trust any of them more than I trust one of my oldest friends?”

Eddie clenched his jaw. He hated it when Jack got all sentimental like that, especially in situations like these.

“I know what you’re doing,” he growled low in his throat.

Jack threw up his hands in mock surrender and assured him, “I’m only trying to help.”

At that, Eddie scoffed loudly and shoved Jack hard in the side with his elbow. “Would it make you feel better if I said I’d think about it?”

“It would,” Jack declared with a firm nod. “Immensely.”

“Then,” Eddie said, sighing deeply as he realized what he was signing himself up for, “I’ll think about it.”