Page 31 of Taken By the Alpha Priest

“Veggies are important,” Peaches agrees groggily, clearly still waking up.

The girl turns to me, holding out her hand for a shake. “You must be Tilda.”

“And you are?”

“Charlotte,” she says, her grip surprisingly firm. “I’m fairly new here myself.”

“I presume you came here under different circumstances,” I say…and I’m surprised when I feel just a little embarrassed.

There’s no way I feel bad about trying to kill the guy who turned me and made me his hostage…right?

But Charlotte clicks her tongue. “Hm…not so different as you’d think. I’ll tell you all about it once we get to work. No time to waste.”

We throw on clothes and make our way through the tunnels, the early-morning quiet broken only by the shuffle of our footsteps. I’m relieved to find that Frankie isn’t lurking outside this time—Reyes must’ve spoken to her. The den feels like it’s still sleeping, most of the pack likely saving their energy for the night when hunting and raiding take place.

…if those things ever really happen.

I’m not so sure anymore.

Charlotte, however, seems like she’s been up for hours. Her pace is fast and purposeful, striding ahead even though I think I’ve got at least six inches on her.

The moment we reach the cavern mouth and step onto the prairie, I take a deep breath. The fresh air fills my lungs , the sky stretching wide above the wooden fence that marks the property’s boundary. This used to be a tourist destination in the Texas Hill Country, but now it’s a militarized zone.

It messes with my head how much this land has changed.

“Alright,” Charlotte says, spreading out seed packets on a weathered table outside. “I’ve got everything we need, I think. Where do we start?”

“You need more than just seeds,” I say, scanning the overgrown field. “We’ll need trimmers, spades, and something to mow down all this grass.”

“I think there’s an old push mower in the maintenance shed, but it’s probably rusted through,” Charlotte says with a shrug. “We’ll make do.”

“And tools?”

Peaches stretches her arms above her head. “Might be able to adapt some stuff from the garage. I’ll go check.”

“Good,” I say, hands on my hips as Peaches jogs off. I turn back to Charlotte. “Did you manage to get any fertilizer?”

“Working on it,” she admits. “Allies in the city are trying to scrounge up supplies, but they’re not exactly generous.”

“I thought you were all on the same side?”

“The rebels in the city think we’re monsters,” she says, like it should be obvious.

I pause, watching her as she starts to look around at the field. They…really?

Are the rebels that fractured? Why do they think the wolves are monsters?

Why do I care?

I shrug it off, filing it away in case it comes up again. “We’ll make it work. For now, save any organic waste—stems, veggie scraps, whatever. We’ll need to start composting, and I’ll need a barrel for that.”

“Got it,” she says with a nod. “What’s next?”

“See if you can grab that mower,” I say. “We need to clear this grass and plan the layout before we touch the seeds.”

Just then, a familiar scent—incense and red wine—rolls over me. I close my eyes, knowing exactly what it means. A moment later, Reyes appears, dragging not one but two push mowers behind him.

Of course.

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