Magical wolf town comple.., p.33
Magical Wolf Town Complete Series, page 33
“I’ll take her to Harry and be back,” I say to Owen and look at Lily. “Are you coming?”
It doesn’t look like she is, so I pick her up—she whines again and flails her paws, offended at such treatment—and carry her to Harry’s hut. Sometimes, I feel like we all could just live in one house with how close our huts really are. The point of a pack settlement is to stay close to each other, after all.
“Looks like someone’s in a bad mood today, huh?”
Harry laughs at the expression on Lily’s muzzle as soon as we enter. It looks like he’s reading a book—an activity most of us ignore in favor of chasing rabbits and getting our paws wet in the creek nearby. Lily doesn’t like it, but as the honorary grandpa of our whole pack, Harry knows how to handle a pup.
“Okay, so we have to fix that grumpy nose first.” Harry leans forward to be on the same level as Lily when I put her down on the ground. God, when did she get so heavy? “Let’s think. What about…playing hide-and-seek?”
Lily grumbles again and slumps to the ground, looking around with a bored look. That kid…
“Lily,” I tell her with a reprimand, but Harry only waves his hand with a chuckle.
“Why? I wouldn’t want to play it for the third time in two days either. Okay, maybe we should build a snowman?”
At that, Lily finally looks up with interest, and her ears perk up.
“Looks like I’ll be doing the building though, because someone here still has to learn how to work with her hands, right?” Lily huffs, but it looks like they’ve found a way to spend the evening, so I crouch down to stroke her neck.
Lily looks at me in surprise as if she didn’t expect me to be here, and I lean in to peck the top of her head. “Be good, okay? I’ll be back soon.”
“Not too soon, I hope,” Harry reasons with a smirk. “Shouldn’t you enjoy yourself to the fullest?”
“Ah, I don’t know.” I straighten up with a shrug, rubbing my stubble thoughtlessly. “Aren’t I too old for this?”
Harry quirks an eyebrow at that. “Are you, young man?”
I laugh, but Lily doesn’t like to be ignored, so she nudges my knee as if telling me to go already. Okay, looks like it’s time to go then.
I go back to Owen and see that Fiona is already with him, leaning on the wooden pillar of his roof with her arms crossed. She’s thirty-six, a year younger than me, with sharp eyes and brown hair to her shoulders that’s usually tucked in a bun. She’s strong, intelligent, and wary of strangers, so it’s not easy to get along with her. But after six years in a slowly dying pack, I’m glad to call her a friend.
Owen is busy carving something out of the wood—probably another shovel for the snow—and the two of them are talking about the weather in low voices. Fiona notices me first and straightens up. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah.” I stop next to them and glance at Owen. “Let’s go?”
All three of us are dressed too lightly for the last day of December, but the heat of our wolves keeps us warm. There is a layer of snow resting in the forest, and I feel like it’ll grow in a few hours, judging by the thick clouds and refreshing smell in the air. It’s uncomfortable to leave the settlement on two legs, the ground too slippery under my only pair of boots, and Fiona complains about it too, but we reach Owen’s car without trouble.
“Okay, buckle up,” Owen warns us as he turns the engine on.
I still don’t know how he manages to drive that beast of petrol and iron. Even when I used to spend time with people, it always surprised me how safe they felt around cars. But nothing has happened since Owen and Abel started driving to the settlement through the woods, so I guess it’s not that dangerous. It’s also a convenient and fast way to get to Raywald, and that is something that Owen brought into our life when he became our alpha.
It happened not so long ago, you know? As we ride down the familiar path, I can’t help but think back to the time when we didn't have a car, didn’t have an alpha, and all we wanted was to live through another year without losing another one of our packmates.
Before Owen and his brothers arrived in Raywald, it had been difficult. The forest that surrounds our settlement is full of old curses, wicked paths that can lead to death, and traps that old witches have left behind to hunt down every last wolf of Fox Mountain. The pack had been battling them for decades, long before even I joined them. When we had Richard, our previous alpha, we were able to pull through. After he disappeared, things quickly became really messy.
A few members left the pack, refusing to believe that we’d be able to survive without an alpha. Others fell victim to the curses that became even more violent after Richard’s death. It became a habit to keep our children at the settlement that had always been protected by old spiritual magic, and that is how we ended up with three teens without parents and my daughter. We couldn’t move anywhere else with them because it would be too dangerous, so Fiona, Harry, and I decided to stay and protect what we had. Our settlement which once had been big and flourishing had turned into a place of ruin and decay.
We had struggled like this for almost eight months until Abel came to Raywald in search of a cure for his curse. As we found out later, he wanted to find our pack and had hoped that we would give him guidance in his search. But Abel didn’t even reach our settlement before he met Rorie and was completely smitten with the witch who turned out to be his mate. To be honest, even I didn’t know it was possible for the two opposites to merge into one soul—but looking at them now, I have no doubt that they are meant for each other.
Following Abel came Owen, Gray, and Carter who were looking for a good place to start a pack. Owen was the first one we got to know personally as he found our settlement in hopes of taking his place as an alpha. We didn’t accept him right away—partially because we didn’t know where he had come from and whether he could actually protect us. But mostly because Owen didn’t have a mate at first. However, it seems like his wolf spirit guided him to Raywald for a reason. It took only a few months for him and Asya to find each other and become mates. By then, we already knew he was decent enough to become our alpha, so we accepted him, and that was how our pack came to be.
It’s been almost six months since then, and I’m happy to admit that things have been getting better—well, except for Gray’s curse. I don’t even want to think about that, it was a horrible couple of days. But in the end, he made up with Paula and found the witches of Rabbit Mountain, so it turned out pretty well. Asya, Rorie, and Paula have been very helpful in finding the sources of curses and dealing with them, so life has been more peaceful this year, and I hope it remains the same for the next.
After all, isn’t that why humans celebrate New Year’s Eve—to wish for a better year to come?
We arrive at Asya's house when it’s already dark, and the lights inside and outside the house are shimmering in the darkness. It looks like magic, and I see that Fiona is almost tricked. She has spent all of her life on Fox Mountain, so some of the simplest human inventions make her cautious.
“It’s just electricity,” Owen explains when he catches her wary gaze on the artificial deer under Asya’s windows.
“Why do humans bother?”
Owen shrugs. “Asya says it’s pretty.”
We go to the door, and Owen knocks for the sake of politeness before opening it himself. A dog immediately jumps out, but while Fiona and I startle from its barks, Owen only chuckles, watching it swirl around his legs with a wagging tail. Somehow, it reminds me of Lily.
“Teddy, what—Ah, it’s you,” Asya says with exaggerated carelessness and giggles when Owen quirks an eyebrow.
“Doesn’t sound like you’re happy to see me.”
She only winks and sends him a flying kiss before switching her attention to us. “Caleb, Fiona, hi! Finally, everyone’s here. Come in, it’s warm inside.”
The house is quieter than I expected, only a low hum of voices with soft music playing in the background. By the time Asya takes us to the living room, I catch new scents among the ones I already know. So it looks like the witches have already arrived. Everyone is here, and I instinctively glance at my packmates, making sure they are safe.
“They’re here,” Abel yells for someone in the kitchen—probably Rorie, as I don’t see her in the living room—and comes over. “She’s been making a potion. Do you want to try?”
“No, no, first things first.” Asya waves her hands while Owen chuckles, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Paula, Gwen, come here. Where is Keir?”
I don’t know where Keir is, and to be honest, I don’t really care for now. Because my eyes finally catch Paula and the girl she’s dragging over, and I feel my mind blank out for a moment.
The girl has long hair the color of gold, soft lips, and big blue eyes. She’s wearing a dress with sewing that sparkles under the fairy lights, and it shows the vague lines of her slender figure. She’s so young I feel guilty for even looking at her, but when she meets my eyes and smiles shyly, I can’t help the stutter in my breath.
“Hi.” The girl holds out her hand, and her voice is soft and enchanting. “I’m Gwen. You must be Caleb, right?”
Chapter 3 - Gwen
The man blinks and looks away, finally allowing me to take a breath without the heat of shyness. God, what was that?
“Yeah, Caleb,” he confirms and reaches out to take my hand while I study him from the corner of my eye.
Caleb has dark brown eyes that are very soft when he looks at me. He is tall and strong like the other wolves in the pack, but he is clearly older than them. It shows in his beard, partially, but also in the look in his eyes—calm and mature, unafraid of anything. Caleb’s palm is warm and bigger than mine when he holds it. For a moment, the touch lingers, but I don’t mind. There’s something in the feeling that makes me warmer than a minute ago.
“Oh, and this is Keir,” Asya interferes suddenly, a smirk on her lips as she glances between me and Caleb. Our hands reluctantly let go of each other, and I turn to Keir with a smile—only to see him staring at Caleb with a squint. Ah, well, that’s not a good sign.
“Hey, I’m Caleb, and this is Fiona.” Caleb gestures at the woman next to him. I smile at her and reach out for a handshake. Fiona’s hand is thin and dry, and her eyes on us are assessing, but she smiles politely nevertheless.
“Nice to meet you.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” I pipe in and glance at Caleb—but he’s still looking at Keir, and it seems that my brother is doing the same.
They’re studying each other cautiously, and it looks like Caleb knows enough about Keir to be suspicious of his magic. It’s not the first time someone feels that way toward him, so I doubt it bothers Keir. But I know better than anyone that it’s just a lack of understanding. Keir has never done anything wrong, and even though his abilities are beyond what counts as “white magic”, it doesn’t mean he’s gonna use them to harm anyone.
“Only good things, I hope,” Owen says, eyeing the four of us, and I latch onto the chance to relieve the tension.
“Of course! Fiona, you’re a healer too, right?”
“She’s a good one,” Paula adds, and even though it looks like Fiona doesn’t want to talk about herself, she shrugs and nods.
“Yes. I know a few things about spiritual magic.”
“Wait, I think we should find Rorie—you all are gonna get along,” Asya announces, and we all disperse a bit as we’re pulled in different directions.
I follow Paula and Asya to the kitchen, and I hear Keir trailing behind us as if he doesn’t want to leave me on my own. But I feel another gaze on me, and it makes me bite my lip, the urge to look behind me so strong I can barely stop myself. But I know Keir isn’t gonna like it, so I pause, allowing him to enter the kitchen first, and only then glance back.
Caleb is already talking to Owen, but as soon as I look at him his gaze finds me as well. It’s not as rushed and embarrassing as my own glance. He looks at me calmly and offers a small smile—yet it makes something in my chest pull tighter. God, what is happening?
With a blush burning on my cheeks, I hurry into the kitchen, but my thoughts are far from any spells and potions. The party had been cool and pleasant before Caleb and Fiona appeared, but now it gains a new feeling for me. Is this why people organize parties in the first place?
A fuzzy rush of excitement fills me at the thought of talking to Caleb, but…I don’t know the rules. Because for sure there should be some rules, right? Some guidelines that explain how to talk to a person you’re interested in.
Wait, interested? I huff to myself, staring at the kitchen counter, chewing my lips while my thoughts travel back to Caleb. The heat of shyness must be so bright on my ears. Maybe I shouldn’t talk to him at all—I’ll only embarrass myself even further.
“Have you tried it? Gwen?”
Huh? I finally catch my name and look up at the girls, smiling sheepishly. “What did you say?”
Paula chuckles and nudges me playfully. “What are you thinking about?”
“Oh, nothing.” I wave my hands, frantically shaking my head, but it looks like Paula knows better than to believe me. Oh, what if she has seen some vision of the future where I do something stupid in front of Caleb?
Damn, what if Keir knows something too? I hastily look around, afraid to see him in the corner of the kitchen. Fortunately or not, my brother is very protective when it comes to personal matters. Whenever we come to Raywald, Keir always glares at every guy in close proximity as if every single one of them would be interested in me. Ridiculous, huh? But that’s how he is. And that’s why I feel like talking to Caleb may be a bad idea after all.
Thankfully, it looks like Keir has already left the kitchen. He doesn’t like talking about magic, especially when it comes to revealing his own skills, so I’m not surprised. I take a deep breath and turn to Rorie.
“Sorry, what were you saying?”
“Have you ever tried a love potion?”
I can’t help but laugh. It’s too ironic that they decided to bring up love potions now. “No, no, it’s silly. Mom has tried one though. She had a headache for a whole day afterward.”
“Well, that’s the power of love for you,” Fiona huffs with a smile, and I chuckle, glancing at her. Okay, maybe I’ll be able to get along with her.
Our conversation doesn’t last for too long. Soon enough, Abel and Carter barge in to reheat pizza, and while Rorie gets distracted and explains to them how the stove works, I walk back to the living room. I don’t know how the stove works either, and it would be cool to listen to Rorie, but…but there is something in my chest that pulls me back to join the rest of the party.
I quickly find Keir—he’s digging through a stack of papers with Gray, looking for something. The two of them often pretend like they can’t stand each other, but actually they get along better than others. My gaze searches the room as I chew my lips, oddly nervous. But that’s weird, right? I’m being weird. Why would I even search for him?
But I do find Caleb on the couch with Asya and Owen, talking about something low enough to not be heard over the music. There’s a smile on Caleb’s lips, and it looks nice. I like—I shake my head. What? No, no. I can’t like another person’s smile, it’s just—that’s weird, right?
But Caleb must have caught the movement from the corner of his eyes because the next moment, he looks up at me, and his smile widens slightly as our eyes meet. He quickly looks away, following Owen’s question, but Asya glances at me too and a smirk appears on her lips. Oh, damn. That doesn’t promise anything good.
I swallow and turn around, hoping to escape back into the kitchen, and almost stumble into Paula. She catches me and smiles. “Hey, pizza is ready. Are you hungry?”
“Yeah? I mean, no. Maybe a little.” I stumble through my answer, more flustered than I would like to admit, and Paula quirks an eyebrow curiously. While Carter walks past us with a big plate smelling of oil and cheese, Paula pats my shoulder and guides me to the table, looking over the room.
“Keir, are you gonna eat?”
“Why aren’t you asking me?” Gray raises his head with an offended look, and Paula waves him off with a teasing smirk.
“Because I want them to eat before you wolves swallow everything in one bite.”
There are a few protesting yells from the shapeshifters, countered by their mates’ laughter and sounds of agreement. I grin too, and in the middle of all of it I can’t help but glance at Caleb again. He doesn’t look at me though, and I feel a sting of disappointment for a second. But well, it’s not like we’re gonna stare at each other all night long, right? So I swallow and look away, not noticing Caleb’s gaze lingering on me as he gets up.
We deal with two pizzas in no time because no matter what the guys say, they do eat like wolves. Asya announces that midnight is less than an hour away, so we have enough time to prepare resolutions for the next year. The idea doesn’t garner as much enthusiasm as she probably expected, and Asya stands in the middle of the room with her lips pursed and her hands on her hips.
“Isn’t there a TV broadcast to watch?” Paula points at the wide screen hanging on the wall, and I glance at it too. I still haven’t figured out what it’s for.
“It doesn’t work.” Asya shrugs, but Owen quickly perks up.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I can fix it.”
“Can you?” She eyes him with suspicion, and Owen squares himself up.
“Anything for you, baby.”
We all laugh, and Owen does go over to the screen, gesturing for Gray to help him, while Carter and Fiona join Asya in whatever it is they’re writing down. I watch them curiously for a moment—it must be something interesting, maybe I should try it as well? But as I turn back to the room, I notice one of Rorie’s magical lights hovering awkwardly behind the artificial pine tree. Ah, the poor baby probably got lost, and I walk over to it instead.
