Book1 Chapter4
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“No, Alpha, no trouble. I’ve learned my lesson. I respect his choice.” I keep my head bowed, tail tucked under.
It’s as if I’m the mistress, hell-bent on destroying their made-up bond. The only consolation is that they can’t breed; only true mates are blessed with the moon’s gift of pups.
“Rya, I’m sorry about all this. I don’t understand his choice, but it’s his to make, no matter how wrong it is. Maybe one day
“It’s all right. I really don’t want to talk about it. What is done is done. I’ve moved on.” Still not meeting the Alpha’s eyes, ! open my door, getting in before more can be said.
I know exactly where I’m going as I pull away from the pack house to the little cottage on the curve of the lake. Not far away from the hustle and bustle of the pack house, but far enough to give me the privacy I crave.
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Book1 Chapter5
The key to the house is a perfect fit, small and unassuming. I turn the knob, and it’s as if I stepped back one hundred
years in time. Exposed wooden beams with a sloping ceiling…very charming, except it smells of an old female wolf.
I open a window, and the warm wind blows in the scent of deep summer, the breeze moving my longhair, tickling my skin.
The walls must be thick to keep the temperature cool. The door opens up to the living room. Flagstone for flooring is cool
underneath my feet once my sandals are kicked off.
I feel like an explorer would, taking in all the nooks and crannies of the place, my place now. Empty jars line the open
cupboards of the kitchen; she must have loved to can things. Recipe books litter the bookcase, along with her own
handwritten books that midwives keep.
The place is clean and tidy. I notice there is no television, only books that probably took up the majority of her nighttime
entertainment. The furniture is not overcrowding. A comfy couch, an end table, and a La-Z-Boy chair. It’s the kitchen table
that catches my eye. Long and slick, cut from the trunk of a tree that has been sanded and stained. It takes up most of
the room, so thick probably many male wolves were used to move it in here. Running my hand along the entire surface, it’s
smooth against my fingertips. I can picture the late night parties I could hold here if things were different.
Starting to work, opening up all the windows,l air it out so it will start to smell of me. Like I belong here now. An old stove sits in the corner of the room, galvanized steel, made a century ago that needs to be fed with wood to cook on. I welcome
the challenge; my mentor taught me on her own stove, so this shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Is this what it’s like to be a spinster wolf at twenty-two? All I need are the cats to come around and make my home theirs.
I open up the fridge. Nothing is in there. Opening up the cupboards,I find they are barren. I have to do a giant grocery trip
to stock everything I need.
The bed is in a tiny room, and the mattress has the plastic still on it, never been used, which I am thankful for. Linens line
the closet, which I put in the washer that’s in the bathroom. Cleaning supplies are in the hall closet, along with washing
detergent.
I’m wiping my hands on my shorts when I hear the knock. I open the door. His back faces me while he looks at the lake.
“Dad?” He turns to face me at the sound of his name.
“Your mother sent me with some food. She knew you didn’t have anything here to eat.” He’s holding the bags out in front
of him, as if to show me this is why he actually came.
Stepping inside, he sets the bag on the table and takes a seat, looking around.
I’m not sure what to say to him. I think he feels the same way. My chest hurts from the tightness built up inside, and I let
out a forceful breath through barely parted lips.
“Rya, I’m sorry that I couldn’t have taken those lashes for you. I’ve failed you as a father, as your protector.” In this moment, my father looks so much older than he is. His head hangs down in his own guilt. All these years, I thought it was. my shame that caused him so much hurt. It was his own shame of how he could not protect me better that caused the
divide between us.
His hands go to his face, and he cries softly into them. His shoulders are shaking slightly-this is the first time I have ever
