Page 89 of Ravaged Wolf
“I am judging, but I love you anyway,” Tarian says.
“Boys,” his mother admonishes, laughing. “Be nice to your brother.” She pauses a second then adds, “Your poor stumpy-tailed brother.”
Everyone bursts out laughing at that, and the brothers continue to rag on each other for the rest of the walk home. They tease Tarian about his car, which is falling apart, but he won’t trade it in because of how much money he’salready put into it. They make fun of Aled’s hair, Llew’s second job as a dishwasher at the High Rise cafeteria—he’s apparently the worst for putting his dirty dishes in the clean dishwasher load at home—and Garan for the fact that he’s so quiet.
Arlais and Macsen laugh at their antics, alternating between chastising them for going too far and adding their own jabs. I walk along with a smile pasted on my face, forcing myself to laugh when everyone else does. It’s not that they’re not funny—they are—but the pit in my stomach is growing with every step.
They stroll together like a pack that’s been running together for years, which they are. I feel jammed in.
The brothers bump into each other on purpose, throw their arms over each other’s shoulders, weave closer and then farther apart, exactly like their wolves. Macsen strides behind his mate like a bodyguard. Everyone is very careful to give me space.
I hate that I feel so left out. Trevor is so happy. Happy in a way I’ve never felt before.
The pit in my stomach becomes a rock.
When we get to the commons, I’m so relieved to see Rosie and Nia. Cadoc is there, too, along with Seth. The four of them serve as our pack council, and they’re assembled to greet the newcomers, along with Enid Wogan and a few of the unmated females who’ve made wildflower wreaths as a welcome gift. When we arrive, they’re crowning the bemused Moon Lake math teachers.
Trevor’s family sobers, and they solemnly shake hands with Cadoc as Trevor introduces them one-by-one. When she’s introduced, Trevor’s mom clutches Cadoc’s hand and clasps it to her chest. “Thank you for giving my son a home,” she says. “May Fate bless you for it.”
“He is a good male,” Cadoc answers, his usual stonyexpression betraying a trace of feeling, a fond sincerity. “He makes our pack stronger.”
Arlais bursts into fresh tears and throws her arms around Cadoc. Rosie and Nia exchange a look. Cadoc is not a demonstrative male. He awkwardly pats Arlais’ back as Macsen gently urges her to let go. She gives Cadoc a final, fierce hug before she backs away.
Macsen is flushing as he shakes Cadoc’s hand. “If there is ever anything me or mine can do for you or Old Den, you’ve only got to ask,” he says.
When Trevor introduces Rosie, there are more tears and thanks and vows, and then the whole group erupts into various clusters of animated conversations. Tarian and Seth are old friends. Aled knows Pritchard, so he asks Nia about him. Llew and Enid know each other, and Arlais has a lot more to say to Cadoc and Rosie. Trevor explains to his dad how the pack is spread between the den and the nearby cabins. His dad has a lot of questions about our infrastructure.
I stand at Trevor’s side. When he was making introductions, he was holding my hand. Now that he’s talking to his dad, he needs both hands to illustrate what he’s saying.
I don’t need attention on me. For most of my life, I actively triednotto be noticed. I know Trevor loves me, and this is a good day for him that for a long time, he thought he would never see.
So I keep the smile planted on my face and pretend I’m content to listen to conversations that don’t include me. My stomach twists and twists. It’s a small discomfort, and besides, this moment won’t last much longer. At Moon Lake, I spent five years being surreptitiously gawked at in public. Being ignored for a little while isn’t so bad.
Eventually, Rosie excuses herself to tend her pup, and soon after, the group disperses, and Trevor leads his familyto our cabin. It’s a relief to get back to my home territory, and my stomach does unknot. As Trevor shows his family around, I busy myself getting dinner ready.
Granddad is sleeping at the elder cabin during the visit, so Arlais and Macsen get his room. Trevor rigged up a canvas tent between two nearby trees for his brothers. It’s not fancy, but if they sleep as their wolves, they should be comfortable.
I borrowed a tripod and cast-iron pot so I could heat our meal and arranged for Flora to drop off the stew I made earlier when she picked up Granddad’s change of clothes. While the food warms, I cut the brown bread that Drona gave me as a thank you for keeping her girls busy baking the box cake. Along with the real strawberries I picked to complement dessert, and the carrots and radishes I saved aside for crudité, it’s about as good a meal as you can find at Old Den, except for when someone brings down a deer.
No one is going to care that the dishes are mostly repurposed cans and plastic containers, or that none of the utensils match. The Floyds are focused on Trevor, and that’s as it should be.
When I finish setting the table I rigged up with a sheet of plywood on top of two sawhorses, they’re still talking a mile a minute about Trevor’s plans for installing electric and plumbing in the cabin. I guess all his brothers are in facility maintenance. They’re very passionate about gravity-fed versus pressurized tank and pump systems.
I wait for a good time to jump in—or for someone to notice that dinner’s ready—but when they start talking about taking a walk to see what Alec Cameron has done with his place, I interrupt.
First, I call out, “Dinner’s ready.” They’re already heading toward the path, though, so I jog after them and tug Trevor by his sleeve. He immediately greets me with a smile.Because he loves me. Nothing’s wrong. He’s just excited to be with his family again, and they’re taken with talking to him after so long apart.
“Time to eat,” I tell him.
“Oh, great. Thank you.” He cradles my cheek and kisses my lips. My unsettled heart warms—until I glance up.
A leaden silence has fallen like a dead weight. His brothers are looking in every direction except at us. His father frowns at the ground. His mother’s face is twisted in something resembling horror. My face burns. Is this because he kissed me?
“It’s only stew,” I babble, backing away from Trevor. “It’s getting cold.” I don’t mean to chastise; I’m just thrown. I don’t understand what’s going on here, and even my wolf is uneasy now.
“Sounds great. Let’s eat.” Trevor smiles at me and grabs my hand, trying to smooth the moment over, but I saw their faces. They hate me.
That’s okay. I don’t need to freak out. It’s understandable. I can see it from their point of view. Because of what happened with me, they lost a male they loved. I’m tough enough to handle this. I stiffen my spine and walk with Trevor to lead the way to the table.
