Inevitably Yours

QUINN

Suddenly our small pack wasn’t so small anymore. There was a lot to do in a small amount of time. First, we had to convince the she-wolves held by Wilkes and the other ranked members that they were safe. When we went into the packhouse, all the women were huddled around one lying on the floor. She was gasping for breath with tears running down her face. I knew she had to be Wilkes’ mate by the reaction; her mate just died, and she was feeling it.

Andrea and I helped her onto a couch while the other women watched us skeptically. When we explained what happened with Courtney, they seemed to come around to us a little more. I promised them we wouldn’t command them to do anything, that they would have free will from here on. We offered them space in the packhouse at Stary. They were hesitant at first but agreed when the former Luna came around.

Next was the issue of all those that knew what was happening. After Michael had all the warriors at the challenge carted off, he began scrubbing Wild Paws of anyone that he may have known. He was fortunate enough to have two wolves come to him with information that had been kept quiet for too long. It led to long hours sorting through everything.

The Wild Paws prison was soon overflowing with wolves accused of or found guilty of reprehensible treatment of their mates. It was baffling; the most sacred connection the Goddess gave us was being so poorly treated. It was clear that the behavior was learned and passed over time, but Michael saw no reason for it to take long to correct.

Our packhouse became a hub of activity. Nic rummaged through Wilkes’ office, looking for anything pertinent. Now that Wild Paws was merging with Stary, there were other things that became Stary’s, like bank accounts. Wild Paws had healthy ledgers for such scummy leadership. Michael immediately appropriated some of the funds, telling me to get us beds and food for everyone that needed them.

Suddenly, Michael, Nic, and I all had our own offices with real furniture. We had all the battered she-wolves staying in the packhouse and a revolving door of warriors coming to eat in the kitchen. We couldn’t just take care of business at the dining room table anymore with so many wolves in and out of the packhouse. Even amid the constant frenzy of those following days, one worry stuck in the back of my mind. Michael and Nic were both so busy with everything I didn’t have the heart to add something to their plate. Finally, I resolved to ask someone from the former Wild Paws to help me.

“Good afternoon, Luna,” the whistling blowing wolves, Jacqueline and Enrique, greeted me during lunch one day. I was hoping they would come by at some point. I spent most of my day cooking for everyone with help from an insistent Courtney.

“Hi there,” I said. “I was actually hoping to see you both soon.”

“Oh?” Enrique asked. “Did we do something?”

“No!” I replied quickly, handing them some wrapped sandwiches. “No, no. I just, uh…” I trailed off, feeling a little awkward.

“Did you want to ask us for something?” Jacqueline said.

“Well, yea,” I answered. “I, uh, I had a friend who was mated to someone in Wild Paws. We haven’t really been in touch, but….”

“You wanted to check on them?” Enrique finished for me. He was a bit older for a warrior but had a really warm demeanor like a grandfather.

I could feel my cheeks getting warm. “Yea, I do. I would feel a lot better if I knew she was okay.”

“Sure thing, Luna,” Jacqueline said. “How about you just write down names, and we’ll find out.”

“You promise it isn’t going to be an imposition?” I pushed. Wild Paws was such a mess, and I hated to add work for anyone else. Michael was already working about 18 hours a day alongside everyone else.

“Not at all. We would be happy to help,” Enrique said. “You have been so kind to our pack. We’re lucky that it was Alpha Michael who came to challenge Wilkes. Not many would have the guts to step in and right the wrongs like he did.”

“He’s a great wolf,” I smiled.

–

I slumped back in my chair. I just finished reading the note passed to me from Jacqueline and Enrique. According to them, Christy and Aubree had left Wild Paws months ago. They also found that Aubree’s family had also decided to leave. Enrique noted that Wild Paws had seen a lot of families going in the past year as the deeds of the packhouse were becoming less discreet.

I sighed. At least my friend hadn’t been hurt. I knew Michael still harbored resentment toward her, but I found it difficult to do so. I never spoke a word to her about what happened, never so much as hinted at it. But no matter the argument about how good of a friend she had been to me, she didn’t deserve to be hurt or caught up in any of the awful things going on in Wild Paws.

I looked at my phone, seeing it was well past midnight. I spent a few hours baking some muffins for the morning, so I could maybe convince M to run with me in the morning before diving into his day. Ever since the challenge, we had barely seen each other. He crawled into bed every night after me and ran from the packhouse as soon as he woke up. I even missed training with him no matter how much he tortured me with exercise.

ME

| when are you coming home?

M“Do you want to go?” he asked me silently.

“No, I’m fine,” I told him. I forced my eyes open. This wasn’t my prison; I was free of mine. I had Michael now. I was a Luna, and it was my job to help my pack members and my mate. “I hope this gave them some closure.”

Michael just kissed my head as we stood in the chilly wind, waiting patiently and watching them watch everything burn away.