*Lena*
Needless to say, my friendly, welcoming dinner with Hale took an abrupt turn after finding out he was the Alpha of Cedar Hollow. He was embarrassed, and incredibly apologetic, as if it was sothing he was trying as hard as he could to hide.
I understood that feeling exactly, but couldn’t tell him that. Instead, I asked him about his family and his pack and learned practically everything I needed to know about Cedar Hollow.
Hale wasn’t supposed to be Alpha. That role should have gone to his older brother after their parents died. He didn’t tell how he’d ended up with the title, but I could tell by the look in his eyes that whatever had happened had been painful.
When he walked back to the cottage later that evening, I felt sowhat at peace. I liked this place, and I liked Hale. Not in a romantic way, but it had been a long ti since I’d just been able to be Lena for a night without the burden of my rank crushing against my shoulders.
But as I curled into bed that night, Xander filled my mind. I closed my eyes, imagining the curve of his jaw and the way his hair felt as I ran my fingers through it. I thought about the nights we’d spent laying back to back in our sleeping bags in Crimson Creek, and the nights we lay with our limbs tangled when we couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Where are you?” I said aloud, running my fingertips over the dormant mark on my chest, tears clouding my vision.
***
“Do you have a husband?” asked a dark-haired boy, his brown eyes peering up at mine expectantly.
I’d been waiting for the opportunity to take a bite of a turkey sandwich for ten minutes now, which I hadn’t had a chance to eat during lunch because I was busy eting the rest of the teachers, and sighed in resignation as I set it down on a napkin and turned toward the five children standing in front of , waiting for their parents to pick them up.
“No, I don’t,” I answered.
“Why not?”
“Is it because boys sll?”
“Boys don’t sll, girls do!”
“Okay, okay, okay–” I laughed, raising my hands in surrender as the kids dissolved into lifted chatter.
The schoolhouse was situated in a grassy clearing toward the edge of the village, and it held classes for students of varying ages. The kindergarten class wasn’t as big as I was expecting, but five was a great number, and my first day as their teacher had actually been quite a good ti. We read a bunch of books, worked on spelling and arithtic, and drew so pictures.
But the real treat had been taking the kids out into the wooded greenbelt beyond the school grounds on a nature excursion and watching them run wild.
Their parents were definitely going to question why they were covered in dirt and grass stains, but it was too beautiful and mild a day to let it go to waste, especially for early January.
I’d been in Cedar Hollow for a week now, when school was still on break for Winter Solstice, and felt about as settled as I could possibly be.
One by one, my five students ran to their parents as pack mbers began to appear near the entrance to the school. The bench I’d chosen to finish the lunch I hadn’t had a chance to eat was soon ho to , and one of the two girls in my class. I gave them so crackers to nibble on so as not to be rude.
Sasha had just turned five before the cut-off date, the youngest out of the group, and in my opinion she was the brightest. She was shy, however, and had stuck by my side the majority of the day instead of playing with her classmates.
She was sitting next to on the bench, swinging her legs, her pink tights stained green on the knees. She was twirling her golden braid around her finger, humming to herself as we waited for her parents. They were late.
“Who is picking you up today?” I asked.
Sasha’s blue eye locked on mine, and she shrugged as she continued to twirl her braid. “Mommy.”
“Okay, well, I’m sure she’s on her way–”
Sasha got up abruptly and ran forward before I could finish my sentence. Clare was walking right toward us, and as Sasha threw her arms around Clare’s knees, my heart dropped into my stomach.
“You’re the new kindergarten teacher?” Clare choked on a laugh as she patted the top of Sasha’s head.
“Uh, yes. I am.”
“Interesting.... Hmm. Well, I figured you were just another floozy jumping from pack to pack, climbing the ranks, if you know what I an.”
“What?” I said, my voice lifted in shock. Her cool deanor softened a bit, her richly blue eyes narrowing on with interest as she looked up and down. Her hair was tightly curled and every shade of blonde imaginable, piled on top of her head in a loose, ssy bun. For the sister of an Alpha, she was dressed casually in loose jeans and a button-down shirt that was tucked into a leather belt. She adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder, giving a once-over as Sasha began to skip around the two of us in a wide circle.
“You know,” she said with a sly grin, flicking her hand in dismissal.
“Oh, I’m not–I an, I have a mate.”
“Mm. And where is he?”
Why had I said that? What had possessed to say that out loud? My cheeks colored as I cleared my throat, praying to whoever was listening that she couldn’t see the heartbreak lingering behind my eyes.
Her face softened a bit, then she nodded, turning away from when I couldn’t answer her question. She bent at the knees, smiling down at her daughter with the most loving expression I had seen in a while. My own heart squeezed, and guilt ripped through my soul as I thought of my own mother and the pain I’d most definitely caused her by running away.
“Go play for a bit, darling. We’ll go ho in a mont.” Clare’s eyes flicked to mine as she rose to her full height. She was several inches taller than and had to look down as she closed the distance between us. She walked like a model, and she looked like one too.
I was never intimidated, at least not often, and not by other won. But Clare was intimidating, and as her body cast a shadow over mine, I felt the overwhelming urge to cower.
“Are you related to Queen Rosalie of Winter Forest in any way?” she asked in a low tone, discreetly glancing around before eting my eye again.
“Who?”
“Don’t tell you don’t know who the White Queen is? Co on.”
“Oh, her,” I breathed, then shrugged, doing my best to look confused, and maybe a little disinterested.
“You just have the look of that family,” she said, leaning in a bit as she spoke. “You look familiar. Why? Where are you from? Your born pack?”
“Breles,” I lied, and she looked disappointed as she leaned away from . “I recently graduated from Morhan University.”
“Morhan, huh? I guess I can’t say you’re unqualified for this position. What exactly are you doing teaching kindergarten? Morhan is a polytechincal institute–”
“My degree is in botany,” I said quickly, giving her my best professional smile. “And there’s not many jobs in that field. I ca here for the horticulturist position, but when I arrived, the job was no longer available.”
“What a gamble, coming this far west,” she said, clucking at with her tongue.
I gave her a tight smile, unsure of what to say next.
“Well, I have to say I’m delighted to know Sasha has such a well-educated teacher this year. I hope you plan to stick around.”
“I do–”
She took a single step toward , now standing so close she had to lean down to whisper into my ear.
“Listen to ,” she said hurriedly, her tone changing abruptly. A rush of cold rippled up my spine as Clare gently held by my forearm, pulling closer to her as if she was in danger of being overheard. “If anyone cos here for Sasha, anyone at all, hide her. I don’t care where, but you hide her, and you find . Do you understand?”
“Is she in danger?”
Clare paused, swallowing hard. I could feel her chest tightening as she gave a single, silent nod. She backed away, letting go of my arm. Her face underwent an incredible change as she bit back the urgency of her words to , her features returning to their original cold, intimidating mask.
“Sasha!” she called, and the golden haired girl ca bounding over to us, taking her mother by the hand. Clare gave a friendly nod and a smile, and then they left.
I was dumbfounded, adrenaline coursing through my veins as the two of them walked away.
“I’m just a kindergarten teacher,” I murmured, but was answered only by a bird flapping its wings behind as it swooped down to the bench, stealing my sandwich.
***
I couldn’t sleep. It was late, well past midnight, and I was seeking refuge against the corner cabinet in the kitchen of my cottage, a mug of rose scented tea clutched between my hands. It was raining again, but instead of creating a cozy ambiance, I felt claustrophobic and trapped in the confines of the cabin, my mind reeling from my conversation with Clare.
She hadn’t said who was after her daughter, but the fear in her voice made believe that person was nearby, or had at least been causing trouble for a while. My skin prickled with a chill, and I looked toward the hearth. I’d neglected it in the ti I’d spent leaning against the cabinets, and I hadn’t even touched my tea.
“I just wanted so normalcy,” I said to myself, sniffling.
There was a knock on the door, and I jumped, startled by the sound. The tea spilled over the top of my mug, and thankfully it had gone tepid and didn’t burn my skin as I set it on the counter with shaking hands.
Whoever was at the door was pacing back and forth, their shoes thumping on the porch. I’d just started toward the door when they pounded their fist against it, cursing audibly.
I furrowed my brow at the familiarity of the voice and reached the door in two quick steps.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I growled, reaching out and pulling the man inside.
He was soaking wet, his coat dripping all over the floor and his tawny blonde hair sticking to his face as he shivered and tilted his head toward the hearth.
“Living alone going well so far, huh?” Adrian smirked, but his eyes were dark. “Where the fuck is Xander?”
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