Page 38 of Violet Moon
Sera bolted upright and checked the clock on the wall.“Oh no, I’m late for that, too!”
She moved towards the door, but Parisa put a hand on her arm.
“Thank you for the roses.I needed them today.”
“You’re welcome.I have fun picking them out, too.”
Parisa’s hand dropped to her side.She cast her gaze down to the floor, hair falling over her eyes.“I need them every day, but sometimes I need them a little more.”
“Are you sure everything’s alright?”
Parisa glanced up, features pulled together in a tight, neutral expression.“Yes, I’m just tired.”
“We’ve known each other too long.I know there’s something else.And you said that if it got to be too much to handle you’d ask for help.”
“You worry so much.Besides, we really do need to leave or we’ll both be late.”She patted Sera on the arm as she walked past, her hand lingering for a moment too long.“Don’t worry about me.I’m okay.And whatever isn’t okay is going to be fixed with a full moon run.”
Sera reached for the sleeve of Parisa’s dress.“Pari,” she pleaded.“Be honest with me.”
“I am.I promise it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
She waited until Sera nodded, then left.
Sera stared at the roses on her desk, wishing she had time to run as her wolf so she could empty her mind before work at the bakery.
Maybe a full moon run really was the reset they both needed.
twelve
TheCrookedCreekPack’sterritory consisted of acres of rolling hills surrounded by dense forests.The pack had been on this land for generations and they generously allowed the Pitch Mountain Pack to share some of it once a month.It was the price to pay for being a city pack without much land and they were grateful their closest friends and neighbors allowed them space during the full moon.That month they’d be shoved into an even tinier corner of their territory to give Jason the room he needed, but it would still be more than enough for their small pack.
The Crooked Creek Pack house was made of stone and stood like a formidable castle at the top of a hill.At thirty-eight members, their numbers were far greater than that of Sera’s pack and while not all of them lived in the house, many of them did.
Alpha Clyde was a brick wall of a man, sturdy like his home, but friendly and welcoming.He clung to his heritage and traditions, both as a human and as a wolf.The only exceptions he made were for rules that no longer had a place in this world, but even those had taken much arguing and physical fighting to finally let go.
His relationship with Parisa began poorly.Female Alphas were rare and when they did appear, were not, under any circumstances, allowed to lead their own packs, according to werewolf tradition.They could, with the help of an Alpha male, run a pack together.That was Clyde’s version of progress, which Parisa would not accept.When their tiny pack arrived, he offered to absorb them into his, with some stipulations.Parisa had a counteroffer and she fought him until, bloody and bruised, they each learned to respect the other.
“My friend!”Clyde clapped Parisa on the back with enough force to make anyone else pitch forward, but Parisa stood firm.“How has the last month treated you?”
“It’s only been a week since I last saw you.”
“Yes, but that was business.And short.We didn’t even eat together!A damn shame.We’ll make up for it tonight.Got a feast prepared.”
“You don’t have to go out of your way every month.”
“The hell I don’t!What kind of host would I be if I didn’t even treat my fellow wolves right?”His gaze turned to Sera.“Speaking of which, Beta Seraphine, I trust you’re doing well?”
She didn’t even waste the breath reminding him that she’d just been here recently as well.“Can’t complain.”
“But complaining is good for the soul.”He laughed, the sound rumbling up from his chest and shaking his shoulders.“It gets all the nasty energy out so you’re unencumbered from then on.Well, at least until you need to complain again.”
“I’m sure we’ll find nothing to complain about here.We never do.”
“You’re much too kind, always so kind.I’ve got to see to the last of dinner preparations and table setting, you know it has to be —”
“According to tradition.”Clyde’s Beta, Gabriel, grinned behind him.He waved at their guests, smile bright and cheerful.
Clyde spun his head around.“Well of course we’re following tradition.We’re not animals.We’re werewolves.Now shut the sass and keep working.We’ve got company.”
