17. Seventeen

seventeen

“ W hat did she mean, Penn?” I asked once we’d returned to the truck and started for home.

He stared at the icy road ahead as fresh snowflakes battered the windshield. Warm air blasted from the vents, and the leather cushion heated beneath me. The crystal unicorn rested in its box on the seat between us.

“Nora is….” He sighed and grappled with the right way to convey his thoughts. “Well, Nora’s a hundred and seven. She’s the Eldest.”

For a minute I forgot Nora’s words and focused on Penn’s.

“What did you just call her?” I demanded, a surge of adrenaline making me sit up straighter.

Penn tensed, but his voice belied no unease when he answered. “It’s an old term. Our pack hasn’t used it decades, probably not since before Nora was born.”

“It’s literal, right? I mean, the moniker goes to the oldest pack member?” I pressed.

“As far as I know.”

I chewed the inside of my cheek. “Does the position come with duties?”

Penn spared a glance in my direction. “Why the sudden interest in history?”

My dream threatened to surface, and I didn’t want to relive the scene in the courtroom. Not in an enclosed space with Penn. Too many conflicting emotions warred in my mind when I let the images play. I saw everything so vividly, felt everything so deeply.

I shook my head. “Just wondering. I don’t remember learning about it in school.”

The response seemed to appease Penn. “I think the Eldest used to perform ritual tasks, like running true mates ceremonies and presiding over tribunals.”

My heart skipped a beat, which didn’t go unnoticed. I was too caught up in my own head to care. Preside over tribunals. The trial dream broke through, and I heard the judgment all over again. The Zodiac Council had exiled the Ophiuchus.

It was just a dream , I told myself.

Except it wasn’t like other dreams. I had an emotional attachment to it, a visceral reaction. Which was ridiculous. It made no logical sense.

“Drake?” Penn rounded an eyebrow, stealing another glance across the cab.

“Sorry, I was just trying to remember learning about it. That sounds familiar,” I lied.

Penn settled back against the headrest, gaze fixed on the road ahead. I pressed my forehead to the cold glass window and watched the trees go by through a snowy haze. I kept telling myself the dream was simply a twisted nightmare, that none of it truly happened.

The Ophiuchus wolves chose segregation from the other packs. We claimed the Snake Mountains as our own and built everything we had from the ground up. We had a proud, rich history. A single dream wouldn’t ruin that.

I shoved the thoughts aside and plucked the unicorn from its box, turning the small crystal object over in my palm. Nora’s words played in my head.

“You are unique. Basil knew it. He embraced it. You must too, Drake. Before it’s too late for us all.”

Embrace what? There wasn’t anything unique about me. I was good at a lot of things, but I excelled at nothing. That was a sad truth.

Penn turned up the road to my house. I ran my finger over the crystal figurine. Had Nora planned to give me this gift when she asked Penn to deliver it? She couldn’t have known I’d be with him, right?

“When did Nora request the unicorn?” I asked.

Penn frowned. “A few months back. It took me a while to locate this specific one.”

“What’s so special about it?”

He shook his head. “No clue. Like I said, she’s an aging eccentric wolf—I stopped trying to figure her out long ago.” He pulled to stop in front of my house and put the truck in park, finally turning to face me full on. “Don’t let her comments get to you.”

If only it were that easy.

When I didn’t reply, Penn opened his door and climbed out. I followed his lead and slid off the warm seat cushion into the cold night. The frosty wind was a slap of reality, and the day at the Widows’ Den suddenly felt more like a dream than the ones I’d been having lately.

Penn’s hair whipped around his face, yet he didn’t seem to notice or care. We trudged up the front walk. Donnelle paced back and forth on my front porch in wolf form, but he alone guarded my house. He shifted as soon as he saw us, striding naked in the snow to meet us halfway up the walk.

“Your brother is furious,” Donnelle said without preamble.

I noted the fact he didn’t refer to Finneus as the alpha. Sure, it was probably an oversight. His emotions were running high, and he might have misspoken. It was still worth filing away for later.

“You were supposed to have her back by sunset,” Donnelle continued.

Penn’s eyebrows shot upward. His voice had a definitive edge when he spoke. “Careful with your tone. Don’t forget who you’re talking to.”

Donnelle averted his gaze and lowered his head, dropping to one knee in the snow. “I apologize, Beta Williams.”

I swallowed a laugh at the spectacle. This was all new, and frankly kind of amusing. A naked grown man kneeled in my front yard—I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.

“Stand up before you ruin your chance to procreate,” Penn said, his head tilting quizzically to the side as he made a gesture with his hand.

Donnelle got to his feet, but kept his head and eyes directed at the ground. “He’s gathering a hunting party at the mansion.”

Penn’s jaw worked back and forth, and his hands clenched. “Fucking Finneus,” he growled under his breath. In a louder voice laden with power, he barked, “Take Drake inside. Stay with her until I return.”

With that, he crossed my lawn toward my father’s old house. I watched him go and wondered just how much he’d risked by taking me away for the day.

“Come on, Drake,” Donnelle said. He forced a laugh. “I’m freezing off my bits and bobs.”

I let him lead me inside the house. Donnelle found a pair of Penn’s sweatpants in the spare bathroom, and we sat together at the kitchen table. The unicorn was back in its box, tucked safely in my pocket.

“It’ll be fine, Drake,” Donnelle said after a long stretch of silence. “Penn and Finn are brothers. They’ll work it out.”

“I’m not worried about Penn.” It was a kneejerk comment, yet it was true. Finneus wouldn’t hurt him. A part of me wondered if he even could. If push came to shove, which brother would win in a fight?

I almost laughed out loud at the ridiculously optimistic notion. Even as children, they didn’t wrestle like other brothers. In fact, I couldn’t recall a single time they’d gone at it. It was only now that I realized it was strange.

Donnelle rested a forearm on the table and leveled me with a hard stare. “Where were you guys?”

I blinked out of the past, not loving his tone. Unlike when Finneus spoke down to me, I didn’t have to take it from Donnelle.

“That’s really none of your business,” I snapped.

He flinched but recovered quickly. “Penn said it was just an errand run.”

I didn’t know why I refused to mention that my injury made us late returning, but I did. For some reason, I wanted to keep the story between Penn and me. It felt silly, yet I stood my ground.

“Yes, that’s what we did,” I agreed.

“What happened?” Donnelle insisted.

He didn’t sound like he wanted a friendly conversation. His thinly veiled accusations suggested he preferred a fight.

My temper flared. For once, I didn’t care to suppress the anger. Between the fall and subsequent healing, Nora’s comments, and the dream that plagued me even in the waking hours, I was done with this day.

“Nothing you need to worry about. Just because your sister is unfortunate enough to marry Finneus, it does not give you the right to interrogate me.” I stood. “I’ve had a long day. I’m going to bed.”

Donnelle’s face crumpled with disappointment. “Drake, wait. I’m sorry. I was worried.”

I curled my fingers around the back of the chair and reined in my temper. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things.”

His face brightened. A genuine smile lifting his cheeks, giving him a “hopeful puppy” expression as Evera liked to say.

“You know, since you mentioned it….” Donnelle trailed off, a tinge of pink coloring his cheeks. “After things with Beli are settled, I was thinking it’s time I take a mate.”

Evera’s right , I thought, heart sinking. I so didn’t have the mental energy for this conversation.

“Since she’ll be part of the alpha couple, I thought maybe you and I could give it a try,” he suggested.

I set my features to neutral and considered my response carefully, wanting to let him down as gently as possible.

“I’m flattered, Donnelle, really,” I said. “It’s just, with so much upheaval in the pack, I’m not in a place to date.”

It sounded trite, even to my ears. Sadly, it was also true. If this day had shed light on one thing, it was the uncomfortable realization that I was kind of basic compared to everyone around me. I needed to work on myself before I brought a man into my house.

You already have a man in your house , a voice whispered inside my head.

“Yeah. Of course. I get it.” His cheeks flamed, yet he persisted. “Maybe in a few weeks, once everything calms down…”

I would never have feelings for Donnelle. It had nothing to do with whether I thought him worthy of me. His might’ve been the best offer I’d ever receive now that Finneus had branded my family liars and traitors. None of that mattered; my heart wouldn’t shift course toward him.

“We could pack a picnic and go down to Emerald Lake sometime,” he suggested.

His continued persistence frayed my nerves. My wolf rose along with my temper.

“Or we could go skating on the pond,” Donnelle babbled.

“I don’t think my mind will change between now and then,” I said, tone polite but firm.

“But it might,” he pressed. “We could do a long weekend up at the Lair and go skiing, then do a spa day.”

I couldn’t take it any longer. He’d pushed me to the edge, and I snapped. The magic I usually associated with a shift built in my stomach, expanding rapidly to fill my entire body. My fingers and toes tingled with power. My wolf rose but didn’t emerge fully.

I slammed the chair on the kitchen floor.

“Donnelle, I said no,” I growled, pinning him with stare. “Not once, but twice. Kindly. This makes number three. So, I will be very clear here.” I leaned down and smacked the table. “My feelings will not change for you with time. You must end your pursuit.”

The color drained from Donnelle’s face. He nodded and stared out the window beside me.

“No more,” he promised.

The front door opened, and the aura of magic retreated. Penn stomped into the kitchen, a storm already raging in his pupils. He pointed at Donnelle and jerked a thumb toward the door.

“Outside,” Penn barked in a tone that made me stand up straighter.

Donnelle shot to his feet and scampered out of the house. Penn shifted his attention to me. Heat radiated from his tense muscles. Gold ringed his pupils and slowly spread outward. I couldn’t have looked away if I wanted to.

Penn and I stared at one another for what should’ve been an awkwardly long moment. His anger was a living being, an extension of him that he barely controlled. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to feed the demon or ease him back in his cage.

“Are you okay?” Penn asked at last.

I frowned. “Fine. You know that. You watched me walking back to the truck, perfectly healed.”

Lightning streaked through his eyes. “I’m not talking about your leg or back,” he snapped.

“You mean my conversation with Donnelle?” I put my hands on my hips, incensed. “Were you eavesdropping? Gaia, can I please get a little fucking privacy?”

Penn fumed for another moment before finally conquering his unbridled emotions. “I wasn’t spying, okay? I felt your anger. Hell, the whole valley might’ve felt it.”

My ire retreated. “The pack bond runs strong, even in human form. I suppose I did go off on him a bit.”

This was sort of true. Penn had clearly dialed in to my emotional shift from next door. Yet Donnelle, who’d stood directly in front of me, had not picked up on the change.

“You won’t be alone with him again,” Penn said.

“Is that an order?” I asked.

He lifted one corner of his mouth, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“No, Drake. That’s a promise.”