‘Mate come home with us!’ Lobo growled.
“Jace! What’s wrong?” Luke’s voice finally cut in.
“My mate. That was her.”
“You mean the one who took the pups inside?”
“Phoebe. Her name is Phoebe.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Go inside and watch her for me, please.”
“Sure. Don’t worry. She’ll be safe.”
“Keep me updated. I want to know everything.”
“Yeah, yeah. It’ll be like you were there yourself.”
Jason suppressed a growl. He wanted nothing more than to be at her side but something told him not to reveal his hand too soon to his hosts. There was something off about them that went beyond simple, chosen mates.
“What was that about?” Jason casually asked as Kristie returned.
“Oh nothing. Just a little trouble with the staff,” she smiled.
“Staff?”
“Yeah, poor wolfless Phoebe. Minding those little heathens is all she is good for.”
Jason raised an eyebrow looking at Graham for insight as the latter downed the rest of his beer. With a belch Graham set down the now empty bottle with the others before demanding another from the nearest pack member. A new bottle soon replaced the last and he didn’t hesitate to drink deeply from it despite the fact his wolf had to be suffering. Jason warily eyed his hosts. Something was very, very wrong with these two.
* * *
While Jason was too prominent a figure to slip away Luke had no such issue quietly returning to the packhouse. Entering the dining hall the echoes of laughter directed him to a small room off from the kitchen.
This room, unlike the dining hall, was plastered with the children’s artwork and educational posters from their lessons. It made the room cozy unlike the sterile atmosphere of the larger room. The same sense of unease that made Jason wary of their hosts also piqued Luke’s mind. Packs thrived on their pups which were literally their future. It was unnatural to hide them away like some dirty secret. Not wanting to disturb the little group Luke stood near the door out of sight peeking around the corner to keep an eye on his pack’s Luna.
She was average height standing only a little over five feet but more concerning was the fact she seemed thin. Luke didn’t recall seeing her at lunch and now he wondered if she was getting proper meals. Wolves tended to have a higher metabolism than humans so it was important they consumed enough calories or else they would rapidly lose condition especially if they shifted often.
She also seemed paler than normal though she could also have a naturally lighter complexion. Luke knew wolves from certain parts of Europe and the east coast tended to be paler than those on the west. Her hair was a mane of rich chestnut with a healthy sheen and her smile was warm causing her eyes to shimmer from gray to silver. It could also be her wolf hovering close to the surface though he never heard of a wolf with silver eyes, most had brown or amber.
The pups quickly took their seats at a long table laden with colorful paper, glitter glue, markers, sequins, buttons and string. In front of the younger pups the paper had been cut into star shapes with rows of plastic bins full of different craft supplies so they could color and decorate their stars as they wished. The older pups were given plain, paper squares. Once they were seated Phoebe demonstrated how to fold the paper square into an origami star once they finished decorating it. The older pups colored their paper, folded it and, if they chose, Phoebe would spray the finished project with adhesive and they could sprinkle glitter over it for the final touch.
Attaching strings to the finished projects Phoebe climbed up on a step stool to hang the stars from the ceiling much to the pups’ delight. When they were done they cleaned up their project table before pushing it to the wall. Once it was out of the way Phoebe brought out her final surprise, a bucket. She placed a light in the bottom before setting it on the ground. Over the bucket she added a paper fire effectively making a faux campfire. The pups giggled gathering around it as if it was real holding branches with paper marshmallows and hotdogs on the end.
“Excuse us.”
Luke jerked back allowing the kitchen omegas to enter bearing plates laden with real hotdogs, salads, coleslaw and other goodies from dinner. The pups squealed delight using the ketchup, mustard, relish and other condiments on their hotdogs. Each was given a soda and they happily ate their dinner around the pretend campfire.
Luke’s stomach complained about its own empty state. He stepped into the kitchen and helped himself to the sides lining the center counter. Outside he knew there were barbeque ribs and steak along with burgers and hotdogs but he didn’t mind missing out as he watched over his future Luna keeping Jason informed about her activities.
Slowly he became aware he had an audience. Luke turned to see one of the cooks watching him closely. The she-wolf studying him was an omega but well within her prime giving her an aura of experience and elevating her status somewhat even toward a beta like him. Luke gave her a respectful nod.
She pressed her lips together before asking, “Just what do you want with her? She doesn’t like playing games especially the ones you want to play.”
Luke grimaced at her candor before turning his head to show his mark. He thought the gesture would be enough but she continued to study him unimpressed.
“I’m just confused,” Luke finally said. Maybe he could glean some much needed information, “why are the pups in here and not outside?”
“Because our Luna doesn’t like pups. She thinks they get in the way.”
“But pups are a pack’s future.”
“Not according to her.”
Luke frowned. Alpha Graham was still young by werewolf standards so there was no reason for him to feel rushed into securing a mate. He didn’t have to wait as long as Jason but certainly he could have given it a little time. Given the advantages of a fated mate not to mention the risks of taking a chosen one every alpha made an effort to find their destined mate.
“Phoebe takes care of those pups like she was their mother,” the omega continued. “She’s sweet and gentle so I won’t tolerate no playing around with her.”
“I promise you, I have no intentions of doing that.”
The cook watched him a moment longer before returning to her duties. Luke hesitated but slowly sidled back to the door as the pups finished their supper.
“Miss Phoebe! Tell us a story!”
“Yeah! Story time!”
Phoebe chuckled as she gently cleaned the two-year-old’s face, “And what kind of story would you like?”
“An adventure story!”
“A story about kids like us! Adults are boring.”
“A scary story!”
“Oh my, that’s a tall order,” Phoebe laughed. “Let’s see…how about Treasure Island? I haven’t told you that one yet, have I?”
“What’s it about?”
“Well it’s about a treasure hunt.”
The pups shared dubious looks.
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