Chapter 20 - Mia

"You have got to be kidding me," Evan's voice comes booming down the hall. I'm not sure what the hell is going on. I was about to head out to the orphanage to spend some time with the kids, but the tone of his voice makes me pause.

Rafe is in his office with him, and I approach quietly, hiding behind the door frame and eavesdropping. I know I shouldn't, but curiosity has always been my vice.

"I'm not." Rafe shakes his head. "We had a huge run this week, but no one's caught or killed anything. The traps have been empty, the animals have gone into hiding. And with winter coming, it's going to make it nearly impossible."

"I thought you said you followed their trail and figured out where they've been hiding. Can't you hunt there?"

"We tried, but there's nothing," Rafe insists. "I don't understand. There were dozens of deer in that area, and now they're just gone. None of the hunters have had any luck. I've been out there myself, but it's like they've just vanished."

Evan jumps to his feet, and I duck around the corner. Thank goodness, because the next thing he does is grab hold of a glass object and throw it right at the wall just inches from where my head just was.

"Dammit!" he growls as I hear the glass shatter.

"It's okay, brother." Rafe's voice is soothing, calm.

"I did everything I was supposed to do," Evan snaps. "I took the mate, we went to the lake. This curse shouldn't even be an issue anymore."

"Maybe it's not the curse," his brother suggests. "Maybe it's just a bad hunting season."

"I don't want to hear that. Find the deer. Kill them. Bring them home. Feed the people."

"Evan—"

"That's an order," he growls. "Now go."

"All right."

Rafe walks down the hall and pauses. His nostrils flare, and his gaze shifts in my direction, landing directly on me. Swallowing, I step out and face him.

"Hey, Rafe," I say, keeping my tone casual.

"How long were you standing there?"

"Not long." I shrug, but he doesn't buy it.

"Look, just... don't mention what you heard, all right? We're under a lot of stress right now, and everyone is feeling it. We don't need another reason for the pack to worry."

"I get it." I nod.

He lets out a breath and then heads out the door. I take a deep breath and walk down the hall, knocking softly before entering Evan's office.

"Everything okay?" I ask.

"Fine." He grits his teeth.

"It certainly didn't sound like it."

"We had a run this week, but the hunters didn't have any luck. We're facing a shortage, which means we have to come up with a plan."

"What kind of plan?"

"One you don't need to worry about. Go have fun at the orphanage. I'll be here working."

"Actually..." I trail off, hesitating, but then I decide to go for it. "I wanted to go into the woods."

"What for?"

"To forage. Maybe hunt."

"You know how to forage and hunt?" he asks, sounding surprised.

"I did a lot of foraging in the woods growing up," I explain. "We didn't have a lot of money, so my dad used to send me and my siblings out to the woods to look for edible plants."

"I had no idea," he says.

"I also know how to make snares and set traps. I can't say I'm much of a hunter when I'm in my wolf form, but I'm willing to give it a try. And when I'm not, I can still scout around and see if I can find some fresh game."

"You've already got a lot on your plate, Mia. Between the warehouse and the orphanage, I'm not sure how much more you can take on."

"I've got it handled," I insist. "Really."

That's one of the big differences between my life in Green Lake and the one I had in Stardust Hollow—I'm not being passed over here. He's right, I have a ton of responsibilities, and there are times I can't even remember what I did on a particular day. But I like it that way, and the fact that I'm actually accomplishing something here is the biggest perk.

Evan watches me, and for a moment, I'm afraid he's going to pull the alpha card and tell me no, that it's too dangerous, or that the risk is too great. But then he nods. "I'll come with you. It'd be better optics if I was out there with them, anyway. Maybe I can even get your wolf's hunting skills up a bit."

"That would be great." I grin. "Thank you."

He stands and starts stripping his shirt off, and my gaze travels over his body. He's lean and muscular, and the sight of his bare chest has desire pooling in my belly.

"You should get undressed," he says, and my cheeks flame. "Better than ripping your clothes when you shift."

"Oh, right." I nod. "Good point."

"But if you want me to undress you, I'll be more than happy to."

"No," I say, shaking my head and stepping back. If I let him undress me, we're never getting out of here.

I strip down and fold my clothes, putting them in a neat pile on the kitchen counter. When I turn back around, Evan is shifting, and the sight of him makes my heart skip a beat. His wolf is massive, with beautiful dark fur speckled with a few flecks of gray throughout. He shakes out his coat, and when he turns to me, it's as if the world falls away. It's just the two of us, and then he moves, breaking the spell.

He's standing there waiting, so I call on the change and shift. I hear the cracking sound of my bones snapping and reshaping, feel the tingling sensation as my limbs and body elongate and change shape. There's the feeling of my hair sprouting and falling down my back, and the coarse fur sprouting and covering my entire body. It's all so familiar yet still so exhilarating. And then it's done, and I'm standing on all four paws in front of Evan.

My senses are heightened in this form, and he smells incredible. It's hard not to jump on him and rub myself all over his scent.

He bounds out the front door, and I take off after him. He's faster, and I'm panting when we reach the edge of the forest. But it's a good kind of exhaustion, and my limbs feel strong and ready.

We run, and the wind whips through my fur. My tail is high, and my heart is full. It feels like the old days, running free with my father, my siblings, and our friends. I haven't shifted in weeks, and I didn't realize how much I missed it until this very moment.

Evan comes to a halt, making me almost collide with him. He looks back, and then his ears twitch and his nostrils flare. He lowers his head, and his eyes shift to me. I look around, but I can't sense or smell anything. I shake my head, and he takes off again.

I follow. After a few minutes, we come to a clearing, and that's when I see the rabbit. He's sitting there, nibbling on the grass. Evan moves closer, lowering his body. His muscles bunch, and his movements are slow and calculated. I watch, mesmerized, as he sneaks up on the animal, his eyes fixed and focused. The rabbit doesn't even notice us, and the moment he does, it's too late.

Evan lunges forward. The rabbit darts away, but he's too quick. He grabs it by the neck and bites down, killing it instantly. He carries it over and drops it at my paws, his tail wagging. He nudges it, and then he looks at me. How sweet. He's giving me his kill.

I lower my head and pick up the rabbit. It's fresh and warm, and I carry it over to the tree line, where I bury it, making sure to put rocks on top of the spot. I give Evan a quick lick and then take off. He's close on my heels, and I have the sudden urge to play. I take off, and I hear him behind me, the sounds of his paws hitting the ground and his breath in my ear.

When he catches me, I nip at him and then dash away again. He doesn't seem to mind. In fact, I think he's enjoying the game as much as I am. He catches me again, and this time he tackles me. I land on my side, and he steps over me, his mouth coming down to nuzzle my neck. I roll over, exposing my belly, and his tongue moves over my skin. It's such a vulnerable position, and I've never done that with a man before. It's intimate, and it shows I trust him, which surprises me just as much as him, I think.

He gets off of me and takes off. I chase him. The trees and brush are a blur as we pass them, and I can feel the earth beneath my paws, the grass and the dirt, the leaves and the rocks. It's so primal, and it reminds me of who and what I am. I feel the rush of blood through my veins and the power in my legs.

It's like nothing else, and I love it.

We run for what seems like hours before we come to a stream. We stop and drink, and then we shift back. Evan sits down on a rock, and I sit beside him, leaning against his side.

"That was nice," I say.

"It was. And you weren't half bad. A few more lessons, and you'll be killing the prey instead of just finding it."

"Well, I have a good teacher."

"The best," he boasts.

I laugh. "Are you always so modest?"

"Modesty is for the weak." He wraps his arm around my shoulder, and we sit quietly, watching the water flow over the rocks. "I haven't been here in a while. My mother would bring me out here when I was a kid, but the last time was probably when I was around six or seven. I just... couldn't bring myself to come back here after that. Too many memories."

I rest my head on his shoulder. I know how hard this is for him. I wish I knew what to say, how to make it easier, but there are no words. No way to soothe the loss of a loved one. So instead, I just stay there with him. "Thank you for bringing me here. It's beautiful."

"You're the only person I've brought here besides Rafe and my mother."

"That means a lot," I say, my voice thick with emotion.

He kisses the top of my head, and we sit there together, listening to the sounds of nature. I've missed the outdoors. The air is fresher, the scents stronger. It's like the whole world is alive and breathing.

After a while, we stand and start walking back, and I can't help but smile. Today was exactly what I needed, and I'm grateful for it. Evan is opening up, and I feel like I'm starting to know the real him. The more time we spend together, the more I like him, and that's both exciting and terrifying.

We spend the rest of the afternoon hunting and foraging. Between the two of us, we manage to bag four more rabbits, plus some berries and edible plants. It's not a whole lot, but for me, it's what it represents. A way to contribute, a way to feel like I'm important, like I'm making a difference. Just as importantly, Evan and I worked together instead of against each other, which is a nice change of pace.

I can only hope it lasts.