We collect samples of each plant very carefully, take pictures and measurements of the crop that is growing and the area surrounding it. I don’t know what information Elena will need and I don’t want to be delayed because we missed anything.
The twins and I decided to take the wolfsbane plant. I don’t want anyone else to have to come into contact with it and I know that I can heal from it quickly. I can’t willingly put them in harm’s way. And I know all of these plants are poisonous, but wolfsbane is the worst.
As we move to the area Nathaniel directed us to, I notice magic traces in the air and slow down. We had shifted to get out here quickly, but I forced my wolf to shift back to protect her from anything still lingering in the air that might harm her.
“What is that?” Cam shifts and asks me. I look at him and then slam my eyes shut, he is completely naked and I don’t know how I feel about the sight of him right now.
“You still afraid of a naked man, Tiny?” Dakota is right behind me.
“Afraid? No. Do I go around checking out naked people? Also, no. Most of us have learned to shift and keep our clothes in tact, so it’s not something I’m used to.” My eyes are still squeezed tight. It’s been a really long time since I have been in the middle of a twin sandwich like this. I don’t count sleeping, because I could lay next to any of them and sleep like the dead.
“Why does that thought actually make me happy?” Cam rumbles way too close.
“Nope, we are not doing this. You do not get to flirt with me like this, like one of your rando girls to give you your s*x fix.” I step away from them, eyes still slammed shut. I am so grateful For my enhanced senses. I don’t need to see to move away from them.
“Our s*x fix? Is that what you think you are, Smalls?”
“I don’t know? All I know is that you all had a hard time keeping it in your pants before I left for training. I can’t imagine it has gotten any better since then. You even slept with Kaley, the one person who hates me the most and has done the most to hurt me.”
“We haven’t been with anyone since you left. Don’t believe all of the rumors you hear.”
“That’s hard to believe when I could smell her on you. Not on your clothes, on you, your skin. Your scents were mixed with hers.”
“Just because she tried, often, doesn’t mean we slept with her. Why won’t you believe that?”
I whipped around, my temper flaring. I don’t care that they are absolutely gorgeous specimens and completely naked showing off every cut line and curve of muscle that they have earned from serious training. They both take a step back from my glare. Good they should be afraid right now. My wolf is going feral in my head, trying to break free to teach them a lesson.
“Falsely accuse anyone of betraying their pack recently? Why would I trust the people who would CHOOSE my enemy over me? Who were so blinded that they couldn’t see the truth staring them in the face. YOU CHOSE HER! According to everyone else, including both your parents, I should be your everything, your only choice, but they are all wrong. The people who should choose me, like my dad and my brother, always put the job first. Unless the choice is between Sierra and I, Sam chooses me. Oliver chooses me every time, no question. Even knowing I was the enemy that Mike wanted, Robbie chose to save me, risking his own life.” They both are breathing heavily, jealousy and anger radiating heavily off of both of them. I have never really talked about how my placement in my friends priorities makes me feel I can feel the tears starting to fall and I turn quickly to hide them. They don’t get to see the pain they caused. I can’t let them see my weakness. Because they are my weakness, they always have been. I love them and not even my warrior brand can stop the feeling like I wish it could right now. I take a shuddering breath and move forward, distracting my thoughts by looking for magic and heading straight for the wolfsbane. We have a job to do and I think that was enough emotional dumping for one day.
The twins shifted into their wolves and came up to walk beside me. Their wolves are an interesting combination of mirror images and inverted colors. Cameron is dark gray with a light gray triangular patch on his chest and at the tip of his tail and ears. Dakota is light gray with the dark gray triangle and tips of his ears and tail. They are both so massive that their shoulders are almost the same height as mine on all fours. They walk so close to me that I am brushing their sides with my whole arm as we walk. I hate that it is calming. I don’t want them to comfort me when I just want to be mad at them. They don’t talk to me through the mindlink though. There isn’t anything that they can say to me. It’s a point they can’t fight.
It is late afternoon by the time we get all that we need and talk to the other groups, making notes of what we found that is similar and different from each site. We all meet in the backyard of the packhouse and just stare at the fire pit that is still burning. The flame is small and inconspicuous so no one would really notice or question it if they walked by the kitchen and looked out the window. And no one really sits out here during the day. The idea was brilliant. Place the heart of the spell right under their noses and keep everyone busy with other tasks and projects and the Omegas who would normally handle it, were probably Alpha commanded to leave it alone and let it burn.
“Now that I’m standing here and really paying attention, I can feel the power flow off of it in waves, like a heartbeat. Can anyone else feel it?” I ask the group. The twins have still not shifted back or talked to me since I told them off. They are just sitting next to me, their wolf’s faces showing no expression.
“I can feel the magic, but not the pulse.” Oliver says and Dakota’s chest rumbles.
***” Jealous?”*** I ask and get no response from him.
“Hey! Ava!” Sierra says looking over my shoulder. I spin around to see the former Luna. She seems so small and frail, but there is color in her cheeks. She’s trying to hold on.
She looks at me, tilts her head and tries for a weak smile. I walk into her embrace, letting the tears fall again. “My sweet girl. I’m so sorry I left you alone with this. I didn’t think it would be this hard. We talked and planned and did everything we could to make the pain as minimal as possible. How are you doing? That was far too much to ask, but there was no other way.” She whispers into my hair.
